Free walking tours in Sintra and what to see

Must-sees

Sintra is a cluster of palaces and gardens spread across wooded hills, listed by UNESCO as a cultural landscape. In the historic centre stands the National Palace, recognisable by its two huge conical chimneys. Very close by is the Quinta da Regaleira, with its spiral initiation well and tunnels among the gardens.

Up the hill rise the Pena Palace, brightly coloured and fairy-tale-like, and the walls of the Moorish Castle, with views to the Atlantic on clear days. A little further away are Monserrate Palace, with its botanical gardens, and the Capuchos Convent, austere and lined with cork.

Free tours and guided visits

The Sintra free walking tour covers the historic centre and explains how the town became a summer retreat for kings and aristocrats. It helps you decide which palaces to visit, because there is no time for all of them in one day.

Tickets to the Pena Palace and its gardens, the Quinta da Regaleira and the Moorish Castle are booked in advance, which is wise in high season. There are also guided visits combining Sintra and the Regaleira, and trips that carry on to Cabo da Roca and Cascais.

How long to spend

In one day you can see two or three monuments calmly; trying for more ends in queues and rushing. Ideally, sleep here for one or two nights and start early, before the groups arrive from Lisbon. It is a good climb from the centre to Pena: the tourist buses linking the palaces save effort.

Where to stay

Staying in the historic centre lets you walk to the Regaleira and the National Palace and make the most of the evenings, when the town empties. In the hills and around them there are quintas and manor houses surrounded by gardens, quieter but better with a car. The train station area, in Estefânia, is practical if you arrive from Lisbon and get around by public transport.