[Trip] Portugal - One day trip in Sintra – Go! JiakHong 去‧吃‧風

For our last day in Portugal, we decided to spend the day at Sintra, a little town near Lisbon. To visit some of the must-go attractions there. I will be covering the transportation, place of interests like the Moorish castle, Pena Palace, Monserrate Palace and our last stop to the Cabo da Roca.

Getting to Sintra

There are various travel options when it comes to the Sintra one day trip, after taking into consideration between the cost of hiring a taxi or renting a car, we went with hiring a taxi as it is the cheaper option for the 4 of us.

The hired taxi company we booked through Lisbon Taxi/ Splendid Journey

Our driver for the day is Mr. Pedro, he is a very nice and knowledgeable gentleman. He picked us up at our apartment to start our journey for the day. When we were in the car, he reconfirmed our itinerary again before we proceed with our one-day tour.

Duration?

9 Hours

Hired cab fare?

215 EUR (4 Pax)

Executive car

Additional Information:

Solo travelers or couples, taking the bus or train will be a better option to Sintra. For a day trip to Sintra from Lisbon, it will be recommended to get the TRAIN & BUS Pass, which only cost 15EUR. Tickets and pass can be purchased at any Lisbon urban train ticket office/ ticket vending machine and Scotturb sales office.

For more information, visit here.

Moorish Castle (Castle Mouros)

Situated at the highest point of Sintra sits the Moorish Castle, which was restored by King Ferdinand II in the 19th century. He rebuilds the wall and towers giving it a new look and life to it. (Source: Official Website)

Where?

2710 Sintra, Portugal

Opening Hour:

9:30-20:00 (summer season)

10:00–18:00 (winter season)

Last admission is 1 hour before the closing time

Duration:

1.5- 2 hours

Entrance fee for Moorish Castle:

Adult

6.50 EUR

Child

5.00 EUR

Combine Ticket (Moorish Castle (Castelo dos Mouros)+Park+Pena Palace) with 5% Discount at each site:

To note:

Price was revised from March 2016

8.00EUR/6.50EUR/6.50EUR (Adult/Child/Senior)

What to see?

Pena Palace from afar

Overall:

The view here was fantastic and that day it was clear skies. climbing up the stairs to the top might be a little tiring for some people due to the massive walking, however, the price is really worth for the great view up there.

Pena Palace

A short distance drive from the Moorish castle lies The Palace of Pena (Palacio Nacional da Pena) the second highest point in the Sintra hills. For the tourist, it was known to be the most colorful castle.

In 1910, The Palace of Pena was designated as a National Monument. Since 1995, it was classified by UNESCO as World Heritage as a part of the Cultural Landscape of Sintra.

Where?

Estrada da Pena, 2710-609 Sintra, Portugal

Opening Hour:

09:30 to 20:00 (summer)

10:00 to 18:00 (winter)

**Closed on Monday

Time needed?

1.5- 2 hours

Entrance fee for Park and National Palace of Pena :

Adult

11.50EUR

Child

10.00EUR

To note:

Price was revised from March 2016

14.00EUR/12.50EUR/12.50EUR (Adult/Child/Senior)

Park and palace terraces (exclude staterooms)

Adult

7.50EUR

Child

6.50EUR

Shuttle bus ticket/Transfer

3 EUR (Return ticket)

What to see?

View across we could see the Morris castle

Overall:

Pena Palace is a colorful and vivid Palace, which is a rare sight to see in the past. It is an interesting tour and if you enjoy photo taking of architectures, this is a great place. However, for scenery, it is better at the Moorish castle.

Monserrate Palace

A lesser-known tourist site, Monserrate Palace one of Sintra UNESCO world heritage since 1995. This palace was a state house that is beautifully built with a blend of Portuguese, Arabian and Indian architectural styles. It was also served as a summer residence for the famous industrialist Mr. Francis Cook and his family.

In 1949, the palace and estate were bought over by the Portuguese State.

Where?

R. Visc. de Monserrate, 2710-405 Sintra, Portugal

How to get there?

Bus

From Sintra Train Station
No. 435

Hire a taxi

**Check the cost of the taxi**

Opening Hours:

10:00 – 17:00

Gardens

10:00 – 18:00

Cost?

Adult

6.00EUR

Child

5.00EUR

To note:

Price was revised from March 2016

8.00EUR/6.50EUR/6.50EUR (Adult/Child/Senior)

What to see?

Central Gallery

Library

Music room

Overall:

As this place is not that convenient to other tourist attraction, the tourist is lesser here. The design of the building is simple and yet it cannot hide the majestic feel to stay in. If you are a flower or plant lover, there are a lot of special trees, plants, and flower here. A very relaxing and charming place.

Cabo da Roca

Cabo da Roca the most westerly point of mainland Europe, where the windswept cliffs lie. It was once believed to be where the world ends up until the late 14th century.

This place is quite isolated with limited development except for the lighthouse and a visitor center around the area.

Where?

Estrada do Cabo da Roca s/n, 2705-001 Colares, Portugal

How to get there?

Bus

Number 403

Single ticket: 4.05EUR

From Sintra

40 minutes

From Cascais

25 minutes

To note:

Bus services are available each hour in both directions between 9:00-19:00, check out their local bus timetables (Portugal Only) before departure.

**Bus schedule update with effect from 11 Sep 2017.

Taxi

From Cascais and plus a 30-minute wait

35EUR

Opening Hours:

24 Hours

What to see?

Look closer at the stone monument, there is a quote here from the famous Portuguese poet Luis Camoes (1524–1580) who described the area as “Where the land ends and the sea begins”:

The exclusive sunset view:

The must get:

The certificate, there are 2 types to choose from basic is 5.60 EUR or the more elaborate is 11.00 EUR.

Where?

The visitor center

For us we got the more elaborate certificate, this is how it will look like:

Overall:

This place is beautiful, but be prepared to brace yourself against the super strong wind. Keep yourself warm and tie up your hair. We had difficulties taking photos because our hair is covering our faces or looking extraordinary funny. We stayed until the sunset and seeing the sunset for 2 days in Portugal was really a memorable experience. The photo can’t-do justice to show how the view was, so is good to experience it yourself.

Little story:

We left beautiful Sintra and on our way back to Lisbon, our driver drove past the famous Cascais with the beautiful view. He wanted to stop his car for us to take photos, but we were very tired and couldn’t wait to go back Lisbon so we rejected his kind offer. Nevertheless, we were able to have a glimpse of the nightlife of Cascais from the car.

Even though our tour is only meant for 9 hours but Mr. Pedro was kind enough to bring us to the famous Pastéis de Belém before sending us back to our apartment. Had a super pleasant trip and definitely great service from him.