What little girl hasn’t dreamed of being a princess? Of looking out across their kingdom from the inside of a castle in the clouds? I may be a grown woman, but I’m not one bit ashamed to admit how completely enchanted I am by the fairytale town that is Sintra; a place that allowed me to play Queen for a day.

On our recent two week trip to Spain and Portugal, we had the opportunity to spend one day in Sintra as a day trip from Lisbon and I would highly recommend the experience!

High up in the mountains of a tropical paradise, you’ll find yourself amidst brightly coloured palaces, stone walls that wind up and down hills, and complex gardens designed with underground tunnels to get lost in. A day spent in Sintra feels like you’ve tripped and fallen inside a fantasy written by Lewis Carroll.

If that's of interest to you, jump down the rabbit hole with me and I’ll help you plan the perfect day exploring Sintra’s castles.

How to get to Sintra from Lisbon

Firstly, we’ve got to get you there. Rossio Station connects Lisbon to Sintra by train and is the only train station servicing this area from downtown Lisbon.

Trains leave from Rossio to Sintra many times each day. Find a time that works best for you.

Local train travel can be prepaid with a Viva Viagem card. These can be purchased upon arrival in Lisbon at various metro stations. They give you instant access to modes of travel around and outside the city with just a tap. Locals call them “zapping cards”. The cost for a card is $0.50 and each individual traveller needs to have their own card.

When to arrive in Sintra

Most of the castles in Sintra open at 10 am. Lines get very long, very quickly. If you are like me, you want to pack the most into your day and make every minute count! You also want to be able to tour in peace and quiet, because the photo-ops are much better that way. If you want to beat those lines, I recommend arriving in Sintra by 9-9:30 am at the latest.

How to get tickets to Sintra’s castles

I highly recommend pre-purchasing tickets to your castles of choice ahead of your visit. Tickets can be purchased in town centre, however, you will find the line gets long. If you want to beat the crowds and wave at the ticket lineup as you make your way to the top of the mountain immediately upon arrival, buy your tickets online.

All tickets can be purchased from the Parques de Sintra website, with the exception of Quinta da Regaleira, which is privately owned and sells its passes on site.

Which castles to visit in Sintra

With only one day in Sintra, it is hard to see more than three castles and truly enjoy them. If you are only planning to pick three castles, like we did, I recommend the following:

Park and National Palace of Pena

Moorish Castle

Quinta da Regaleira

If you find more time to squeeze in another castle, the easiest to see would be the National Palace of Sintra as it is located near town centre.

Another beautiful palace is the Park and Palace of Montserrate, though it is harder to access from the others I am recommending.

If you wish to fit all of these castles in your itinerary, I would consider staying the night in the area.

How to tour Sintra

Getting to the castles

The train station in Sintra is located in town centre, at the bottom of the Sintra mountains. We found the best way to see Sintra’s castles was to start from the top and work your way down on foot. Many taxis wait outside the train station to take you to the top. I highly recommend searching out a tuk tuk. We had a fantastic drive up the mountain in ours.

As the castle at the highest elevation, I recommend starting with the Park and National Palace of Pena, or Pena Palace as it is more simply titled.

Pena Palace

Without a doubt, the most easily recognizable palace in all of Sintra is Pena Palace. Its beautiful, bright primary coloured towers can be spotted overlooking the town from just about anywhere.

The story of the Park and National Palace of Pena is an interesting one. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the palace began as a simple monastery built on the top of the Sintra mountains, which was toppled during the earthquake of 1755.

In 1842, King Ferdinand and Queen Maria II acquired the property and began to build the meticulously designed castle we see today. It is said Queen Maria is to be given the credit for its design in bright colours and mixture of architectural styles, including medieval and moorish.

A sea monster overlooks the main courtyard, known as the Arch of Triton.

Don’t miss out on the tour of the inside of the castle, for more aquatic and medieval architectural design. Photos are prohibited inside of the castle.

Moorish Castle (Castle of the Moors)

Next, make your way to the Moorish Castle on foot. The walk is gorgeous, through the tropical wilderness to the next mountaintop. The path is a challenge to find and can be a bit confusing. Head down the mountain from Pena Palace until you find a gate on the right hand side of the road. It should be highly trafficked, so if you are unsure you are in the right place, you should encounter plenty of people to ask.

Built in the 8th Century, the Castle of the Moors is the oldest castle in the area. It, too, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Its architectural design consists of stone walls that snake along the mountaintops. It appears to be a fortress.

The Moorish Castle has changed hands many times throughout its lengthy history. It was also severely damaged by the Earthquake of 1755. Ferdinand II took it upon himself to restore it in 1840.

You can walk along the rock wall and inside of each stone turret.

Pro tip: Bring your walking shoes and a light coat or sweater. You are exposed to the winds as you climb and they can get pretty chilly at this altitude, despite Sintra generally being located in a warm climate.

I loved the gardens of the Moorish Castle. There’s just something about the flowers growing around such ancient stone walls. It seems so natural and absolutely breathtaking.

When you’ve finished climbing the many stairs (some say 500 total) of the Moorish Castle and taking in all the viewpoints, continue on to the next castle. From here you are only a short, 15 minute walk from the whimsical property of Quinta da Regaleira.

Quinta da Regaleira

Quinta da Regaleira is the only one of these castles that still remains privately owned. As I mentioned before, you will have to buy your tickets at the castle gates. The line for entrance gets long, but this property is most definitely worth the wait.

This castle differs from the others in that its draw is not in the building itself (though this is quite intricate and grand), but in its extensive castle grounds, that were designed to be played in. Clearly the original owners had a love of fantasy and adventure.

Underground tunnels and wells connect various portions of the gardens. There are waterfalls and streams with rocks placed perfectly for skipping across. This is a childhood paradise.

The ascension well on the property is part of an interesting ritual that you can partake in to this day. It starts when you walk through the darkness of its neighbouring underground tunnels, and then ascend the circular staircase all the way up toward the light of day.

And there are plenty of fragrant flowers around the grounds as well.

From here, you can continue on to tour the National Palace if you have the time, but with only one day in Sintra, we found it difficult to fit this in. We headed back to Lisbon through Rossio Station, the same way we had come.

I hope you have enjoyed my recommendations. If you do have anything to add about additional palaces and their grounds, please comment below.

Tchau!

Hill XO

PS… Here’s a map of the area to help you get your bearings! (Note the walking trail between Pena Palace and Moorish Castle in grey.)

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