Sintra – Portugal's Fairy-Tale Town

Before I visited Lisbon two years ago, I’d never heard of Sintra, strange as that may sound to some of you. In fact, we’d already picked out the places we wanted to see in Lisbon, but on the plane we were sitting next to a local Portuguese man on his way home from a holiday in Bulgaria. Shortly after we took off from Sofia, he struck up a conversation with us – were we tourists, how long were we staying, what were we going to see… the usual questions. “And you’re not planning to go to Sintra?” he exclaimed indignantly, once we’d told him what we had in mind for the next few days. “Well, no – what is it?” I asked. “Sintra is the emblem of Portugal!” he replied, and we went on to fill the 4-hour flight with stories about the town’s history, other interesting places in and around Lisbon, and where to try the tastiest pastel de nata, Portugal’s famous dessert. Honestly, the man could talk! I love interesting flights like that.

To tell the truth, Sintra is a town that words can’t do justice – you simply have to see it. Walking its cobbled lanes, steeped in thousands of years of history, breathing in the scent of the Portuguese forest and gazing out at the ocean from the mountains. Once I’d been there, I understood why that man said Sintra is “the emblem of Portugal” – and he was absolutely right.

Early in the morning we caught the train to Sintra from Rossio station in the centre of Lisbon. The journey takes about 40 minutes, with trains every half hour. It’s definitely the cheaper option, and if you’d rather drive, it’ll only save you 10 minutes. Stepping off the train in Sintra, we found ourselves in the historic centre of this small, picturesque mountain town. If you’d prefer an organised tour from Lisbon, I recommend THIS option.

Sintra is on the World Heritage List of UNESCO because the area is so incredibly rich in attractions. One day definitely won’t be enough if you want to see everything – but then there’s never time to see every last corner anyway, and you need to leave something for next time. So plan your time wisely. We, of course, got sidetracked and didn’t manage to see everything we’d planned, but at least we made it to the main sights, which you can read about further down in my blog.

As I’ve already said, Sintra is packed with attractions, because it has more than 1,000 years of history layered up. As well as plenty of palaces and fortresses from different eras, the town has an awful lot of villas and residences belonging to royalty and wealthy Portuguese families. Even Madonna has an estate there, where she often finds solitude in nature, far from the hustle and bustle of celebrity life. The property, built in the 18th century, is worth 7 million euros and sits on one of the beautiful hills above the town.

The National Palace

Since our walk started in the town’s historic centre, our first stop was Sintra’s National Palace – one of the best-preserved medieval royal residences in Portugal. You’ll easily recognise this fairy-tale complex of white buildings by the two enormous chimneys towering over it.

The palace is open to visitors from 9:30 to 19:00, and admission is 10 euros. A tour of the inside takes between 30 and 60 minutes. The most interesting room in the palace, for me at least, is the Swan Room, which was created purely to impress guests. It’s in the Romantic style, and the ceiling is covered in incredible paintings of swans, which give the room its name.

Quinta da Regaleira

Our next stop was the lavish Quinta da Regaleira estate with its incredible gardens. The Gothic building looks as if it’s stepped straight out of a film. The gardens are definitely the main reason so many visitors come here, but don’t miss going inside the residence itself – you’ll be more than impressed. The palace and its chapel have richly decorated Gothic façades, while inside they’re adorned with beautiful frescoes finished down to the tiniest detail.

Another fascinating sight you mustn’t miss is the Gothic tower in the estate’s gardens. According to local legend, it was built by the Freemasons, who performed their rituals there. Nobody knows for sure what the tower was really used for, but I do know that the whole time we were climbing it I had a strange feeling – even now, as I write this, I’ve got goosebumps. You can buy your tickets in advance HERE.

The Moorish Castle

Pena Palace