How to Spend One Day in Sintra, Portugal

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Sintra is 30 kilometers, or 18 miles, west of Lisbon, making it perfect for a day or weekend trip during a visit to Portugal. There is a lot to see in Sintra, but it’s possible to fit the best places into a single day without wearing yourself out. Here’s how to spend one day in Sintra, Portugal.

A perfect day in Sintra, Portugal, includes Pena Palace, the Moorish Castle, the Quinta da Regaleira, and the Sintra National Palace. You’ll see impressive architecture throughout the town and great views from the hills throughout the day. You’ll have time for some delicious food and pastries too. 

The entire town of Sintra is designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and you’ll see why as soon as you arrive. All the buildings, streets, and hills are breathtaking. I have four must-see places in this article, and you can see them all in one day if you follow my itinerary.

But first, how do you get to Sintra?

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Transportation to and around Sintra

To spend a day in Sintra, Portugal, you need to get there first!

If you rent a car, you can easily drive to Sintra, although you will likely have to park further out from the city center because of parking and driving restrictions in the area. 

If you don’t have a car or don’t want to worry about parking, your best options are to take a train or taxi from Lisbon. On Portugal’s website, you can find all the train and bus lines connecting Sintra to Lisbon and other towns.

Now that you’re in Sintra, how should you get around?

I would highly recommend walking for most of the day, as long as you work your way downhill and not up. The four places I recommend in this article are listed in the order I would recommend visiting them, although the last two can be switched. 

You can take a car or bus to the top of the hill, then walk your way down as you see each sight. There will still be some hills to step up at each site, and you will still be doing a lot of walking. But, it will save you some time and money if you walk instead of waiting for buses, and you can burn some calories from all the delicious food I recommend 🙂 

You can also utilize the two buses that run throughout Sintra, and you can see the complete list of where the two buses in Sintra stop in a later section. 

If you want to stay in Sintra for more than a day (who wouldn’t?), book your accommodation using HostelWorld!

Pena Palace

The first stop on our Sintra day trip is one of my favorite places in the world: Pena Palace. No matter how much time you have to spend in Sintra, Portugal, Pena Palace is the one place you can’t miss.

The inside and the outside of Pena Palace require different tickets. The exterior is the picturesque, colorful castle that you see in everyone’s Instagram pictures. You absolutely want to spend a good amount of time here admiring the views of Sintra below and the unique castle. 

You want to get here as close to the opening time as possible, as it gets very busy quickly.

Look how great these pictures are with no one else in them!!

Seriously, NO ONE ELSE!!

I mean, it’s undoubtedly worth waking up early for…

In this picture, you can see all the people around the castle. This was about an hour after opening. I had already made my way around the castle and had some breakfast at the cafe. 

The inside of Pena Palace is like seeing a royal home. Lots of standard rooms with elegant furniture and decor. 

The inside area is worth skipping unless you really want to see it. The lines can be long if you’re there in the peak part of the day, and you’ll end up missing out on other parts of Sintra.

Pena Palace also has over 200 acres of parks and gardens to explore. Limit your time in the gardens if you plan to visit all four places in this guide and have a relaxing lunch before leaving for the day. Otherwise, you will not be able to make it everywhere without feeling rushed for the rest of the day. 

Moorish Castle/Castelo dos Mouros

Next, you’ll head slightly downhill to the Moorish Castle. The castle was built between the 8th and 9th centuries when the Moors ruled the region. 

The direction of the Moorish Castle from Pena depends on if you are coming from the castle or the gardens. You’ll head left from the castle entrance and follow the signs from there. Or, if you aren’t sure where you are, ask a worker or your phone to point you in the right direction. 

The Moorish Castle has a lot, and I mean A LOT, of steps if you want to reach the top of it. 

There are still excellent views and beautiful gardens in the castle if you can’t or choose not to climb up the steps. There is not much of a barrier on the side of the steps, so it can be difficult if you’re scared of heights like me. 

But, once you reach the top, the views are amazing. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

You’ll spend the rest of your day in Sintra, Portugal in the town center below the mountains. To get down to the city center, go out of the castle and keep walking in the opposite direction you came from Pena Palace.

Lunch break in the city center

After visiting the Moorish Castle, you will have a beautiful downhill walk to Sintra’s city center. The walk has a lot of turns as you walk down the stone and dirt-lined paths. 

It’s going to seem like a very long walk, and it will take about 20 minutes, depending on how often you stop to rest or take pictures. 

Once you get all the way down the hill, you’ll be pretty tired and ready for some lunch or a tasty pastry. I have a few great restaurants and the famous bakery listed below. 

The following two places planned for the day can be visited in any order if one seems busier than the other, or you are running out of time to see both. Once you get back to the city center from the Moorish Castle, the Quinta da Regaleira and the National Palace are within a ten-minute walk of each other.

I went to the Quinta then to the National Palace when I visited. The Quinta was much busier than the National Palace, which only had a few other groups exploring at the same time as us. 

You’ll probably be closer to the National Palace from lunch, but you need to check closing times 

If you can only visit one of these places, the Quinta da Regaleira is more unique, but the National Palace is beautiful on the inside and has lovely views of Sintra’s mountains from the gardens. 

Book your flight to Portugal now! 

Quinta da Regaleira

The next place you have to visit when spending a day in Sintra is the Quinta da Regaleira.

The Quinta da Regaleira is an estate-type home and garden area with many hills and unique areas throughout the grounds. 

The estate itself is pretty small on the inside, and the line can get long on a busy day. If you are short on time or the history of the estate doesn’t interest you, you can skip going to the estate. 

But the Quinta does have a few places you shouldn’t miss while you’re there. 

First is the Initiation Well, or Poço Iniciático. The entrance to this spiral staircase and well is through a rock. It would be difficult to find if it weren’t for the line outside the entrance rock. 

After you descend down the spiraling staircase around the well, you’re led into a cave-like tunnel system. You exit lower on the hills than where you enter the well; so, if you want to explore the places higher up at the estate (at the top of the map), go there first, then work your way down to the well. 

Also, be sure to check out the Ziggurat Tower. The tower only has three levels, but the views of the palace and town below are beautiful. 

These two things are a must-see, but the rest of the grounds are beautiful too. Spend some time walking around the grounds, but bring lots of water if it’s hot since there are some big hills here.

Sintra National Palace

Finally, you’ll end the day at the Sintra National Palace. The palace was home to many royal families between the 15th and 19th centuries. 

Don’t underestimate how grand the National Palace is just because it looks a little dull on the outside. The rooms on the inside are all so unique, and there are pretty gardens. 

On the self-guided tour, you’ll walk through all the rooms in the palace, including the chapel and the bedrooms; you’ll end the tour in the gardens. 

Places to Eat in Sintra

Sintra, Portugal has lots of great restaurants for you to visit when you spend a day there. A lot of them have good views of the town, the mountains, and the beautiful attractions. If you have some time before boarding your train or are staying in Sintra overnight, check out some of these favorites. 

• Casa Piriquita: A bakery founded in 1862 that sells some of the most popular sweets in all of Portugal. If you aren’t sure what to order, ask for the most popular pastries… You won’t be disappointed!
• Restaurante Bristol is a Portuguese restaurant with outdoor seating. This restaurant is perfect if you are heading to the train station as it is on the way from the town center and the National Palace. 
• Tascantiga is a tapas and wine bar that also has outdoor seating. It’s a great place to rest for lunch between seeing all the sites. 

Other Places to Visit in Sintra

If you end up spending more time in Sintra or want more to do during your day trip, here are a few other places you should consider visiting: 

• Park and Palace of Monserrate: Another beautiful castle and park area. This is not on the one-day itinerary since it is further into the mountains, but if you have a second day in Sintra, be sure to visit here. 

• Sintra has beaches nearby, but you will have to trek further out from the city to the other side of the mountains. There is a whole list of Sintra beaches and information here. 

• You can also spend more time relaxing and shopping in the beautiful city center. There are many shops and bars to check out.

Sintra Buses

• If you do not want to walk as much during your day in Sintra, you can use rideshare or taxi services or take one of Sintra’s two buses. From the Moorish Castle, you will need to walk back towards Pena Palace before catching a bus or taxi. Everywhere else has a road right by the entrance.

The bus start times vary, so if you are trying to get to Pena as early as possible, I would recommend an Uber or taxi, so you are not waiting on a bus. But, throughout the day, you will have no trouble catching a bus as they run regularly.

Here are the two buses and where they run.

Bus 434 – The Pena Line

• Sintra Train Station
• City Center & Sintra National Palace
• Moorish Castle
• Pena Palace

After reaching Pena Palace, the bus stops at the city center again before returning to the train station and restarting the route. There is typically a bus every 15 minutes or so. 

Bus 435 – The 4 Palace Line

• Sintra Train Station
• City Center & Sintra National Palace
• Quinta da Regaleira
• Seteais Palace
• Monserrate Palace

This bus runs up and down the mountain going back and forth between all five stops. So once it reaches Monserrate Palace, it goes back to the Seteais Palace, the Quinta da Regaleira, and the city center before restarting the route at the train station. There is typically a bus every 25 minutes or so. 

Tips on How to Spend the Perfect day in Sintra, Portugal

• Take one of the earliest trains into Sintra. You want to arrive around 8 or 9 if you wish to get to the top of the mountain and Pena Palace before everyone else. It will be worth an early day, and if you get there early enough, you can enjoy a coffee and pastry at Café Saudade near the train station. Then, catch your bus or taxi from there to Pena Palace.

• If you are staying overnight in Sintra, ask your hotel for a map or guide that you can use throughout the day! When we dropped off our bags in the morning, the lovely bellhop gave us a detailed map of Sintra. I told him where we were visiting that day, and he circled everything on the map and gave us food recommendations!

• If you need a hotel in Sintra, I highly recommend the Sintra Boutique Hotel. The staff were terrific, the location was perfect as it was right by the National Palace, and there were great views from our room.

• Booking your tickets in advance is easy on Sintra’s Parks Website. They also have tickets and information about many of Sintra’s other attractions. The Quinta da Regaleira doesn’t allow advanced ticket purchases, but buying three out of four of your tickets early will save time waiting in lines. 

Enjoy your day in Sintra!

Sintra is a unique, can’t-miss city when you’re in Portugal, and it’s easy to spend a day there from Lisbon. Fitting in these four amazing attractions is easy to do in one day as long as you arrive early. Or, add an overnight stay in Sintra, and you can see even more beautiful sites. 

All information is current as of publication. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect travel, and all destinations have different rules and restrictions in place. The pandemic may also affect the opening times of the attractions and establishments listed. Please do independent research before traveling anywhere, and consider the risks involved. 

Are you doing more traveling in the Iberian Peninsula? Check out these other guides on Spain!

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