Sintra is one of the most beautiful places in Portugal: its cultural landscape of palaces, castles, villas and gardens set in the woods of the serra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995. Lord Byron called it a "glorious Eden", and the town, a few kilometres from Lisbon, does look like something out of a fairy tale. The cool, damp microclimate, often wrapped in mist rising from the Atlantic, nurtures lush vegetation and a uniquely romantic atmosphere.
A little history
Sintra's origins are intertwined with those of nearby Lisbon. The Moors built the imposing Castelo dos Mouros here in the eighth and ninth centuries; it was taken by the Christians in 1147. In the Middle Ages and the Renaissance the kings of Portugal, especially Manuel I, made it their favourite summer retreat. In the sixteenth century a monastery of Hieronymite monks dedicated to Our Lady of Pena was built on the hilltop, and in the nineteenth century the king consort Ferdinand II turned it into the most fanciful palace in the country. Ever since, Sintra has drawn aristocrats, writers and romantic travellers.
Sintra National Palace
In the old town (Sintra Vila) stands the Sintra National Palace, recognisable by its two huge white conical chimneys. A royal residence from the Middle Ages to the nineteenth century, it blends Gothic, Moorish and Manueline styles and has one of Portugal's most important collections of Mudéjar azulejos. Look out for the Swan Room with swans painted on the ceiling, the Magpie Room, the Hall of the Coats of Arms, whose dome bears the arms of noble families, and the palace chapel.
Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle
At the top of the serra, Pena Palace is Sintra's symbol: a romantic castle in yellow, red and grey, built from the 1840s to a design by Baron Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege for King Ferdinand II, mixing Gothic, Manueline, Moorish and Renaissance elements. Inside you can visit the royal apartments, left as they were in the time of the last king, Manuel II, and the chapel with its sixteenth-century alabaster altarpiece by Nicolau Chanterene. Around it stretches Pena Park, with plants from all over the world.
Just below, the crenellated walls of the Moorish Castle follow the mountain ridge: walking the ramparts gives spectacular views of Sintra, the plain and, on clear days, the ocean.
Quinta da Regaleira, Monserrate and Capuchos
Quinta da Regaleira, built in the early twentieth century by the Italian architect Luigi Manini for the millionaire António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro, is a neo-Manueline villa surrounded by a garden full of esoteric symbols, grottoes, ponds and towers. Its most famous feature is the Initiation Well, a spiral staircase that descends nine levels underground.
Outside the centre, visit the Monserrate Palace, an Oriental-style summer residence built in 1858 for the Englishman Francis Cook, with a botanical park of exotic species, waterfalls and ponds, and the Convento dos Capuchos, a tiny sixteenth-century Franciscan friary with cells lined in cork. The eighteenth-century Seteais Palace is now a luxury hotel.
Queluz and the surroundings
On the road between Lisbon and Sintra lies the Queluz National Palace, an eighteenth-century Rococo royal residence often compared with Versailles, with formal gardens, fountains, statues and a canal lined with azulejos. Inside are the Throne Room, the Ambassadors' Room and the Don Quixote Room.
The municipality of Sintra also includes a fine stretch of Atlantic coast. Cabo da Roca is the westernmost point of mainland Europe, with its lighthouse on the cliffs. The beaches of Praia Grande, Adraga, Praia das Maçãs and Magoito are loved by surfers and photographers; to the north lies Ericeira, a World Surfing Reserve.
Getting there and tips
The easiest way to reach Sintra from Lisbon is the train from Rossio station, which takes about 40 minutes. By car, parking in the centre is scarce, especially in summer. In Sintra, tourist bus 434 climbs to the Moorish Castle and Pena. A vintage tram, running since 1904, links the town with Praia das Maçãs in the summer months.
To see the main sights properly you need at least a full day, ideally two: arrive early, buy tickets online (in high season Pena has timed entry) and bring comfortable shoes and a jacket, as it is cooler on the serra than in Lisbon.