Sintra is one of the most magical places we’ve visited. It’s like a visit to a fairy tale land with castles and palaces around every corner. But what makes Sintra so unique is that no two castles are the same. The castles were built over many centuries and reflect numerous architectural styles. For centuries, Sintra was the place that royalty built their vacation homes to escape the Lisbon heat. So why wouldn’t you want to visit the vacation destination of the rich and royal? We sure did. We visited on a self-guided Sintra day trip from Lisbon. Keep reading and you’ll find everything you need to know to plan your Sintra day trip from Lisbon.
Can You See The Tops Sintra Sights In One Day?
Yes! But you’ll need to plan everything in advance. With timed entry tickets to the most popular destinations in Sintra, you’ll need to carefully book each entry ticket ahead of your visit to Sintra. However, with good planning, you’ll be able to visit 4-5 castles on your visit to Sintra in a single, but long, day.
Does this sound like more work than it’s worth to you? Don’t miss out on a trip to Sintra just because you don’t want to plan. Check out these Sintra day tours if you’d rather just sit back and relax.
Whether you visit castles on your own or as part of a tour, you NEED to book in advance! I cannot stress enough how important this is for your visit. Multi-stop tours and individual castle tours often sell out days in advance.
When To Visit Sintra
Summer is considered the best time to visit Sintra. You can expect warm and dry weather most days. It also is the height of the tourist season.
Spring and Fall are nice but cooler. We visited October and we needed a light jacket in the morning and afternoon. Additionally scattered showers and fog are common in Spring and Fall – we got both.
Winter can be very cold, wet and foggy.
Remember, rich people built their castles here to avoid the Lisbon heat. Therefore, it is COOLER than Lisbon.
Most castles and palaces are open from 9-ish to 6-ish so plan for a full Sintra day trip. However, you don’t need to arrive super early or stay super late. It’s a nice quiet place to be in the evening but besides wining and dining there isn’t much to do.
Getting There and Around
Getting To Sintra
Sintra is northwest of Lisbon. It is up in a mountain range so it is much cooler than the city of Lisbon. It is a 45 minute train ride from Lisbon, making a Sintra day trip a perfect way to spend a day, especially when Lisbon gets really hot.
If you are visiting Sintra with a guided tour, book one that includes transportation and they’ll take care of driving you.
If you are visiting Sintra on your own, take the train. The train leaves from Lisbon every 15-30 minutes, depending on time of day. It cost’s less than $6 euro/ticket for the round trip journey so transportation is super inexpensive. The train ride takes about 45 minutes. You get off the train at the Sintra station. The Portela de Sintra station is one stop before the Sintra station – don’t get off there (check out the red/pink lines in the picture above).
Pro Tip: If you’re staying in Lisbon, get a reloadable Via Viagen card. Public transportation tickets are cheaper when using this reloadable card. The card DOES work on the train to Sintra.
You can also drive to Sintra. However, driving within Sintra and parking in Sintra is extremely limited to conserve parking spots for locals and limit tourist traffic. Therefore, ditch the car and take the train.
Getting Around Sintra
You cannot drive a personal car on certain popular roads in Sintra. To conserve Sintra’s roads for the use of the residents, they limit traffic on certain road to locals and public transport only. I cannot stress this enough, do not rent a car for your Sintra day trip.
Once in Sintra, there are various methods of transportation available to get you from one attraction to another. There are public buses, tuk-tuks, Bolts (European version of Ubers) and walking. Here are the different options available between popular destinations. We recommend the option that is bolded.
- Train station to Pena Palace – tuk-tuk, Bolt, bus, walking
- Pena Palace To Castle of the Moors – tuk-tuk, Bolt, bus, walking
- Castle of the Moors to Sintra town – tuk-tuk, walking
- Sintra town to Quinta da Regaleira – tuk-tuk, bus, walking
- Quinta da Regaleira to Monserrate Palace – tuk-tuk, Bolt, bus
- Monserrate Palace to Sintra town – tuk-tuk, Bolt, bus
Ride Shares
You’ll notice we did not recommend the ride share apps at all. We tried multiple times to take a ride share and were continually dropped by our driver.
Public Transportation
You’ll also notice that we rarely took the bus. The bus stopping at the train station is very regular. However, the bus stopping at the other bus stops is very irregular due to the high traffic in the area.
Tuk-Tuks
Some say that tuk-tuks in this area are overpriced and they are by Portuguese standards. However, we were happy to use these as they saved us time. Prices were about 5 €/person. The only area we would not recommend taking a tuk-tuk is right outside of the train station due to much higher prices. Tuk-tuks in Sintra work like taxis. If you see someone hopping out, go up to them and ask for a ride. Make sure to ask the price of the ride before you hop in to make sure you and the driver agree.
Walking
We thought walking in this area was magical. We really enjoyed it. That being said all of the walking we did was along steep grades so be wary of this and bring any equipment you may need (I wish I had my knee brace on).
Our Sintra Day Trip Itinerary
Our Sintra day trip itinerary is put together based on the location of castles, transportation available and operating hours of the castles.
That being said, it does not take weather into account. Fog is more common in the morning, though rain and fog can show up at any time of day. If you are particularly worried about the fog, we’d recommend reversing our Sintra day trip itinerary, starting at the Monserrate Palace and visiting the castles in reverse order until Pena Palace. This will result in a need for more tuk-tuk rides and therefore a more expensive day. It will also mean you’ll be walking uphill on the walks instead of downhill. However, it will increase your chance of seeing Pena Palace without the fog.
Train From Lisbon
Catch the 8:00 AM train from Lisbon to Sintra. This train should arrive around 8:45 AM. There are a few different commuter trains that run from Lisbon to Sintra. The one you should take will depend on where you’re staying in Lisbon. Use the public transport directions on Google Maps to find the right station and route for you. Just know it should take about 45 minutes from Lisbon – if it takes longer, you’re probably looking at the wrong route. On the Google Maps app, you can plan your trip ahead of time using the departure time and play around with that to get you arriving in Sintra and the best time with the fewest transfers.
Pena Palace – 9:15 AM – 11:30 AM
From the train station, catch the 434 bus to Pena Palace. The one way ticket will cost around 5 €/person.
Book the 10 AM ticket to the Palace. Admission is 20 €/person. This admission time is for the interior of the palace. You should arrive a bit early so you will be able to explore some of the exterior before your interior entrance time. In our opinion, the exterior of Pena Palace was more impressive than the interior. You need to be in line for the interior tour a few minutes before your tour time. From there you will move at a snails pace through the castle. When the interior tour finishes, continue exploring the exterior.
The exterior was our favorite part. There were so many details to find and little hide-y-holes to explore. If the weather is nice, I would suggest skipping the interior of the Palace and hiking the High Cross trail instead. This is a slightly cheaper ticket price – Park only ticket. And hiking the High Cross trail takes you to the top of a hill where you have a great view of Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle.
Castle of the Moors 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Walk from Pena Palace to the Castle of the Moors. This walk should take about 15 minutes. The actual walk is beautiful as it winds through a towering green forest. It can be a bit difficult to find the correct path when you’re still in Pena Palace grounds, it’s not well marked. Once you leave the grounds of the Palace, the turns are well marked.
You do not have to buy a timed ticket for this castle. However, if you purchase your tickets ahead of time through the online portal, it will save you a bit of money. They are 13 €/person at the door or less if buying ahead of time online.
In the Castle, you can walk the walls of the old Moorish Castle and take in the sights. Honestly, if it is cloudy, this is something you can skip. We got really bored really quickly and felt the entrance ticket price wasn’t worth the stop.
However, even if you skip this, it’s worth walking by. You can see the walls from the exterior and the hiking trail is beautiful.
Lunch 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM
Walk the rest of the way into town and enjoy a nice lunch well resting your feet for your afternoon attractions.
National Palace 1:45 PM – 2:30 PM
Enter the National Palace at 1:45. Tickets are 13 €/person at the door or discounted if you buy online ahead of time. This Palace was actually our favorite palace interior. It’s uniquely decorated (there is a swan room) and there is a lot of good information about the town and the Palace for you to read throughout the castle. It was the most education stop in our opinion.
Quinta da Regaleira 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM
Next, walk to the Quinta da Regaleira, it’s really close to town.
Enter at 3 PM. The entrance fee is 15 €/person and you need to buy a timed entrance ticket ahead of time. We did not do this, because we were worried about timing, and they were sold out for the rest of the day when we went to buy tickets at the gate (in October).
In the Palace, the Initiation Well always has the longest line so most people start there. The gardens and outdoor areas are beautiful but don’t forget to tour the inside of the castle as well. Lines here can be long and you’ll likely shuffle through several areas as you wait for others to clear out but this is one of the most magical stops.
Monserrate Palace 4:30 PM – 6 PM
From Quinta da Regaleira, take a tuk-tuk to Monserrate Palace. This should be about a 15 minute ride and it cost us 5 €/person. The tuk-tuks due tend to surge price. So occasionally, this ride will cost you more, especially if many people are trying to grab a ride or it is more mid-day than this Sintra day trip itinerary suggests.
Book the 5 PM entrance ticket to the Palace, just in case your ride takes longer. The tickets are 12 €/person but buying online gets you a small discount. You can explore Monserrate Palace at your own pace. The interior of the palace is beautiful with the uniquely Arabian architectural details. The best part about this stop is how quiet it is compared with the rest of Sintra. Your Sintra day trip will likely be one involving lots of crowds and lines so it is nice to end it here, in a quiet place.
After exploring the interior of the Palace, don’t forget to explore the exterior (do this last as the gardens are open a bit later than the palace). The gardens here are beautiful and expansive.
Return Journey
Take a tuk-tuk ride back to Sintra. It should be about 5 E/person.
We spent the evening having dinner in Sintra. The crowds had completely dissipated by the time we returned to town. We found a cool hole in the wall with the best Vino Verde wine we had in Portugal.
By the time we took the return metro back to Lisbon the train had really cleared out and there were only a few people left riding the trains. Trains run every 15-30 minutes depending on the time of day, later in the day they run less frequently.
Want To Adjust the Itinerary?
If this moves too quickly for you or just takes too long, we’d suggest cutting out the Moorish Castle first. It’s not very pretty and we didn’t learn a lot since there aren’t many informational plaques at this castle.
Monserrate Palace is the other place we would *possibly suggest removing from your itinerary. It is farther from town than the rest of the Palaces. However, it was the most beautiful, in our opinion, so I would be hesitant to remove it from your Sintra day trip.
Honestly, we liked having a very long day here and really suggest you stay for a full day. Arriving early and leaving late allowed us to avoid the mid-day crowds. So while we understand if you want to slow your pace, we would not suggest shortening your day.
What To Budget For A Sintra Day Trip
You’ll need 5 €/person for each tuk-tuk or bus ride you decide to take. Our Sintra day trip itinerary above had 3 rides so 15 €/person. You will want to bring cash for the tuk-tuks and your Via Viagen card for the bus. We’ve read that some buses don’t accept the Via Viagen card but our 434 bus did allow us to tap to ride.
The round trip metro tickets are just under 5 €/person. Again, you’ll want to have your Via Viagen card and make sure it is pre-loaded with enough money for your round trip visit plus any bus rides you’ll use it for.
You should to plan to spend about 40 € on lunch for two people in the downtown area. Prices are steep in the main tourist area. For dinner, we ate at a hole in the wall place and it was less expensive for more food. However, we wouldn’t have wanted to stray too far away from the tourist area for lunch as it would have meant throwing off the timing for our Sintra day trip itinerary.
Lastly, I’ve listed individual prices above but the total for all the attractions of the day is 76 €/person, though you should always check the attraction websites for the most up to date pricing. If you book your tickets online, you’ll receive a 10-15% discount on several tickets so make sure to book your tickets ahead of time.
Is A Sintra Day Trip Worth It?
Yes. This was one of the best things we did in Portugal. And while the area is definitely touristy and can take some patience to navigate, it also is charmingly quaint. It’s got a nice small town feel that makes a visit very relaxing despite the tight itinerary we were following.
What To Pack For A Sintra Day Trip
You’ll want to pack a lightweight rain jacket for Sintra, regardless of what time of year you visit. Scattered showers and moisture in the air from fog are common. Additionally, you’ll want to wear really comfortable shoes if you plan on walking between castles – or even if you don’t as the castle tours involve a decent amount of walking.
In a day bag, pack sunscreen as you’ll spend lots of time outside. Also, pack a refillable water bottle as, like any tourist destination, bottled water is overpriced. We love these lightweight water bottles.
We hope this has helped you plan the perfect Sintra day trip to suit your interests. If you have questions or comments, please leave them below. Or if you’re looking for more information on visiting Lisbon or Portugal, check out our related posts below.
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