Visiting Sintra, Portugal

Friday, October 4, 2024

Inna arranged a private tour of Sintra, and we met our guide - Nino (from Vangotourism) - at 09:20, just outside our Torel Place Hotel. He had arrived in a Mercedes-Benz van, and we were quickly on our way to Sintra. There was heavy traffic on the way, but we arrived around 09:30. 

Nino is a local Portuguese guide who lives in Sintra and speaks English, French, Italian, and Spanish (in addition to his native Portuguese). He showed us all of the major sites (and saved us a lot of time), as we bypassed most long lines to attractions.

Upon arriving in Sintra, we first stopped at Casa Priquita, a small, historic bakery founded in 1862 that sells specialty pastries. After a light snack of queijadas and espresso, we walked around downtown. (I still prefer the Pastel de Nata.)

The weather was quite foggy, with light, misty rain throughout the day. Our guide mentioned that this is typical Sintra weather (though when Inna visited last time, she lucked out with sunny weather).

Our first stop was the Sintra National Palace (Palacio National de Sintra). We walked around the palace, taking many photos. It was a beautiful palace with sections built in various centuries.

According to Wikipedia (see also Sintra National Palace):

The Palace of Sintra (Portuguese: Palácio de Sintra), also called Town Palace (Palácio da Vila), is located in the town of Sintra. It is a present-day historic house museum.

It is the best-preserved medieval royal residence in Portugal, being inhabited more or less continuously from at least the early 15th century to the late 19th century. It is a significant tourist attraction and part of the cultural landscape of Sintra, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Our guide had pre-purchased tickets for Quinta da Regaleira at 10:30, and we hurried to arrive on time.

We started our visit with the Initiation Well, a long, winding staircase to the bottom.

At the bottom, we walked through multiple deep caves. 

We continued our tour through the Regaleira Palace and saw many beautifully decorated rooms.

According to Wikipedia (see also Quinta da Regaleira):

Quinta da Regaleira is a Quinta (farm) located near the historic center of Sintra, Portugal.

The property consists of a Romantic palace and chapel and a luxurious park that features lakes, grottoes, wells, benches, fountains, and a vast array of exquisite constructions. 

The palace is also known as "The Palace of Monteiro the Millionaire," based on the nickname of its best-known former owner, António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro. The palace was designed by the Italian architect Luigi Manini.

We loved walking around Regaleira and wished we had more time to enjoy the palace, park, tunnels, wells, and fountains. It's truly a magical place that's worth visiting.

Around noon, we walked back to Sintra's downtown for lunch. Our guide suggested Cafe Paris, and we sat down outdoors (with a lovely umbrella blocking any light rain), ordering the following items:

• Appetizer: Tomato & Buffalo salad
• Boris: Crepe with Chicken, Espresso
• Inna: Crepe with Ham, Hot Black Tea
• Dessert: 2 Pastel da Nuta

The crepes were delicious, and the waiters were very fast. The Pastel da Nuta was first-rate (warm and tasty, freshly out of the oven).

After lunch, we drove to the top of Sintra to see the famous Pena Palace. Due to heavy congestion, it took some time to get there. Our guide found parking, and we walked to the entrance gate. We then boarded a small bus to the very top. We toured the beautiful palace, taking lots of photos.

According to Wikipedia (see also Pena Palace):

The Pena Palace (Portuguese: Palácio da Pena) is a Romanticist castle on the Portuguese Riviera, located in São Pedro de Penaferrim, municipality of Sintra. 

The castle stands on top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains above Sintra. On a clear day, it can be easily seen from Lisbon and much of its metropolitan area. 

It is a national monument and one of the world's major expressions of 19th-century Romanticism. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. The president of the Portuguese Republic and other government officials also use it for state occasions.

After touring the palace, we walked downhill about 900m to the enormous garden to see the five beautiful lakes.  There was a beautiful tower in the middle of one lake. We also saw a grey rabbit munching on some leaves nearby. He was used to people and did not hop away when we approached him.

We also briefly stopped by the Moorish Castle but did not stay long due to poor visibility. 

According to Wikipedia (see also Castle of the Moors):

The Castle of the Moors (Portuguese: Castelo dos Mouros) is a hilltop medieval castle in the central Portuguese civil parish of Santa Maria e São Miguel, in Sintra, about 25 km (16 mi) northwest of Lisbon. 

Built by the Moors in the 8th and 9th centuries, it was an important strategic point during the Reconquista and was taken by Christian forces after the fall of Lisbon in 1147. It is classified as a National Monument, part of the Sintra Cultural Landscape, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I would have liked to climb some castle walls to take photos of the surrounding castles. As the light rain started to turn heavier, we decided to shorten our time at the Moorish Castle and return to the van for our return trip to Lisbon.

Sintra Trip Report

Highlights

• Visiting the magnificent Quinta da Regaleira
• Visiting the National Palace of Pena and its beautiful gardens
• Visiting the Sintar National Palace (Palacio National de Sintra)
• Visiting the Moorish Castle (despite the light rain)
• Eating original, delicious Portuguese queijadas at Casa Priquita

Lowlights

• Foggy weather with occasional light rain and low visibility