Sintra

Sintra, Lisbon, Portugal

When visiting Portugal, Sintra is a must-visit place in any tourist programme because of its historical and cultural value and the striking beauty of a landscape that has been classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The colourful palaces are unlike anywhere else and roaming through the hills of the park, through the gardens and around the palaces will have you feeling like you’re walking through a real-life fairytale. The majestic beauty of this region, that was once reserved for the royals who came here to spend their summer, now you can feel like a royal too, exploring the grounds where kings and queens once walked. And don´t forget to get your camera ready, because with all these amazing spots that you have in Sintra, you’re going to have a whole lot of pictures📷 for your social media feed 😉.

Largo Rainha Dona Amélia
Sintra, Lisboa

To experience history at its finest, start your tour in Sintra from the historic centre and visit the Sintra National Palace, also known as the Town Palace. It's unique among the royal medieval palaces in Portugal and the town’s most distinctive building, with its the two large conical chimneys of the kitchen, each measuring 33 meters high, now adopted as the symbol of Sintra. Beginning with the nation’s first dynasties, Sintra was one of the preferred places of Portuguese kings and queens, although the palace that we can see nowadays owes its existence to an initiative of Dom João I, who rebuilt it, and Dom Manuel I, who enriched the building’s decorative character and added a new wing. The architecture is an interesting mix of all of the residents who lived here. In 2013 it became part of the Network of European Royal Residences.

Largo Rainha Dona Amélia
Sintra, Lisboa

This grandiose and magnificent palace is the beating heart of Sintra. It is worth visiting the interior, where you will certainly find out a little more about the history of Portugal. The decoration is quite remarkable, being a combination of various artistic styles that depended on the respective tastes of the kings that lived here, and carried out in such a way as to give different names to the various rooms. In particular, the attention of visitors is drawn to the Sala dos Cisnes (Swans’ Room), the Sala dos Brasões (Armoury), the Sala das Pegas (Magpie or Reading Room) and the chapel.

Largo Rainha Dona Amélia
Sintra, Lisboa

The Swan Room corresponds to the Great Hall of the Palace from the time of King João I and Philippa of Lancaster. Its name derives from the decoration on the ceiling panels with their date of execution unknown but believed to have been in the 14th century when Sintra, as part of the Queens’ Lands, was under the direct administration of Philippa of Lancaster . The swan with a crown was an emblem deployed by Henry IV of England, her brother. This is followed by the Magpie Room, which was the room most commonly chosen for royal audiences. Its name alludes to the ceiling painting, believed to be the oldest in the palace. The exact significance of the 136 magpies remains unknown. The rose they carry in their claws potentially refers to the English House of Lancaster to which the queen belonged. “For good” was the slogan of her husband, João I.

Largo Rainha Dona Amélia
Sintra, Lisboa

The Room of the Coat of Arms represents the peak expression of the ideal of monarchy under King Manuel I. His coat of arms is in the centre of the cupola of this room, and the nobility is here depicted by the coats of arms of the 72 leading households. The coats of arms convey the identities of the individuals associated and provides a clear form of social distinction. The walls of this room were finished in tiles depicting scenes of gallantry in the 18th century. It’s one of the country’s most important collections of baroque tiles, created by one of the leading artists of the time, known simply as Master P.M.P.

Largo Rainha Dona Amélia
Sintra, Lisboa

This Central Patio provides the circulation around the various sections of the palace of King João I and Queen Philippa without having to use any interior passageway. At the centre, there is a water spout in the shape of a twisted column (16th century). But the highlight in this exterior area, is the Water Grotto, a nook set back from the sun that enables enjoyment of the calm of the patio.

Largo Rainha Dona Amélia
Sintra, Lisboa

Here you can also find a brief history of the development of the decorative tile (azulejo) in Portugal, with examples ranging from the Spanish-Moorish tiles brought by the king Dom Manuel to the typical blue-and-white tiles of the 18th century. King Manuel redecorated most rooms with polychromed tiles specially made for him in Seville. These multicoloured azulejo tile panels bear Mudéjar motifs, like this relief tile with a motif of vine leaves and bun.

Estrada da Pena
Sintra, Lisboa

The fantastic Palácio da Pena is one of the best examples of 19th-century Romantic revivalism in Portugal. Situated at the top of the Monte da Pena, the palace was built on the site of an old monastery belonging to the Order of St. Jerome. It was the fruit of the imagination of Dom Fernando of Saxe Coburg-Gotha, who married the queen Dona Maria II in 1836. After falling in love with Sintra, he decided to buy the convent and the surrounding land to build a summer palace for the royal family.

Estrada da Pena
Sintra, Lisboa

The coloured tones of the Pena palace, the pinnacle of Romanticism in Portugal and the eternal legacy of Ferdinand II, the King-Artist, opens the doors to the imagination of all those who cross its threshold, with the infinite shades of green painting the surrounding park establishing an idyllic scenario, frequently hidden under the veil of the mists that characterise the Sintra Hills. As if having stepped out of a fairy tale, this has been the place of dreams for all the generation who have passed here and gazed upon its magnificence.

Estrada da Pena
Sintra, Lisboa

Throughout the whole Pena palace you will find symbols and references to Portuguese culture and history and the Triton Gate is no exception. The Triton resembles a description of a character from the epic poem The Lusiads by Luís de Camões. The Triton is a mythological monster that is half-man and half-fish. Just like the monster, the gateway is also divided between the aquatic and terrestrial worlds. The aquatic world is on the lower floor: the Neogothic arch is decorated with corals that hold up three shells with the Triton sat upon one. Above, we pass into the terrestrial world as demonstrated by the tree that is born out of the head of the Triton, set within the grape vines that cover all of the protruding window that the monster seems to be holding up.

Estrada da Pena
Sintra, Lisboa

Exclusive carriage rides in the Park of Pena provide a trip back in time on the route between the Lakes Valley and the Chalet of the Countess of Edla, passing through the Pena Farm and the Garden of the Countess of Edla. They are reminiscent of past times when kings, noblemen and the rich bourgeoisie strolled through those parks. In a place filled with references to nobility, enjoying a horse-drawn carriage ride in Sintra as a modern-day aristocrat becomes rather tempting.

Sintra, Lisbon

Winding over two ridges of the Serra de Sintra, the Moorish Castle dates back to the early days of the Moorish occupation of the Peninsula. Its famous walls snake across the hills with their granite blocks interlinking boulders and cliffs. Its parapet walk provides stunningly unique views out over the town, the Palace of Pena and, further in the distance, the greens of these hills contrast with the blues of the Atlantic Ocean.

Sintra, Lisbon

This fantastic Romantic park was created by William Beckford, who fell in love with the Serra de Sintra. t was, however, Francis Cook, the first Viscount of Monserrate, who, together with the landscape painter William Stockdale, the botanist William Nevill and the master gardener James Burt, created the contrasting scenarios that are to be found in the park, where narrow winding footpaths intertwine amongst ruins, nooks and crannies, waterfalls and lakes, in what, at first sight, seems to be an apparently disordered fashion, it’s a wonderful sanctuary to roam.

5 R. Barbosa du Bocage
Sintra, Lisboa

Very close to the historic centre of Sintra is Quinta Regaleira, one of the town’s most enigmatic sights. It was built in the early 20th century by the millionaire António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro , who managed to realise one of his dreams here with the help of the scenographic architect Luigi Manini. Surrounded by lush green vegetation, the Palácio da Regaleira is a fascinating discovery. The palace was built in a Romantic revivalist style, in an imitation of Gothic, Manueline and Renaissance architectural and decorative forms, mixed with a mythical and esoteric symbolism. A special mention is reserved for the Capela da Santíssima Trindade (Chapel of the Holy Trinity), where visitors can descend via a spiral staircase into the crypt to discover the monumental initiation well that, at the bottom, leads via a grotto to a surprising lake hidden in the middle of the gardens.

Sintra

Sintra, Lisbon, Portugal

In the historic centre and Praça da República square, you’ll find various terraces and cafés that invites you to pause and try the tasty local pastries. Sintra's confectionery deserves a special mention, particularly the travesseiros (puff pastes stuffed with a sweet eggy mixture) and the famous queijadas (cheese-cakes), a secular regional sweet whose origin dates back to the 13th century. Yummy 😋!