Not far outside Lisbon is a magical place, like somewhere out of a fairytale. Filled with castles and gardens galore, Sintra, Portugal is an enchanting little town perfect for a day trip. Sintra is about 40 minutes away from Lisbon and is most easily accessible via train or an Uber. Are you wondering what to do in Sintra, Portugal? If you enjoy strolling through castle grounds, walking through fields of exotic flowers, and experiencing an otherworldly place, Sintra will be the perfect trip for you!
To get back and forth from Sintra, one of the easiest ways is by taking a train from the Rossio Train Station in Lisbon. It will take about 40 minutes to get to Sintra using this method. Luckily, the price of an Uber is very affordable in Portugal. If you are far from the train station or prefer a car ride instead, an Uber from Lisbon is about 20-25 euros.
What to do in Sintra, Portugal: The BEST Castles to Visit
1. Quinta da Regaleira
The Regaleira is by far my favorite of the Sintra castles. Everything has a romantic feel, gothic looking, fairytale-esque style. Walking through this castle feels like you’ve been transported into a magic fairy land. The stone buildings, beautifully manicured grounds, and myriad of little secret paths all add to the experience.
Additionally, buying a ticket here includes entry into the Initiation Wells. This well is a spiral staircase that descends down into the ground. There are rumors that this was where the initiation for the Templar Knights was held, as they went down 9 levels. This number nine is symbolic, as there were nine founding members of the Templar Knights and Dante wrote that there are nine layers of hell. The Initiation Well is like nothing you’ve ever seen before. It’s stunning to look at, yet also a little creepy as you descend.
In my opinion, the style of the buildings is perfect, and the most aesthetically pleasing. With the Initiation Well being here as well, I rank Quinta da Regaleira the best castle to visit in Sintra. For those wondering what to do in Sintra, Portugal, this is the best possible choice!
Tickets are 12 euros for each adult and 7 euros for children under 17 or elders older than 65. You must pick a day and time when you book your ticket, so you should book this activity far in advance, not the day before. Click here to go to the official ticket seller website for the Quinta da Regaleira.
2. National Palace of Pena
The National Palace of Pena is probably the most famous and busy castle in all of Sintra. It’s well known for its bright yellow and red colors that it’s painted with. Pena is situated atop a large hill, so on a clear day you can see the castle overlooking Sintra and also Lisbon. The shape of the castle, with the domed top that feels almost Russian, and the unusual color of the castle, makes Pena stand out.
If you want to go inside the castle, which I’d definitely recommend, book this one in advance also as it sells out far in advance. You can click this link to get to the ticket website. To get to Pena, you can either go up the 20 minute, mostly uphill walk, or take one of the shuttles available. The castle interior is beautiful and has a mix of influences. The inner courtyard has large stunning arches that allow you to look into the tiled inside. You can walk through the extravagant and eclectic rooms the royals lived in. There was no small detail spared here. I suggest you take lots of time to walk through Pena and look at how the floor is tiled, the arches and tiles in the ceiling above you, and the intricacy of the chandeliers and glass work.
Pena also has tons of acres of gardens that you can explore as well. Unfortunately, it was raining the day I visited so I didn’t get to explore to the extent I wanted. From pictures, they look exquisite – tons of plants, flowers, ponds, and random castle towers! Relax and wander around the Pena Gardens when you have some downtime during your Sintra trip.
3. Castelo dos Mouros
Castelo dos Mouros, or the Moorish Castle, is definitely the oldest of the castles in Sintra, but still is incredibly impressive. If someone told your 8 year old self to draw a castle, the Moorish Castle is probably what you would have imagined and tried to replicate! The Moors built this castle strategically in the 8th and 9th century during the Reconquista. It was built atop a large mountain, giving it striking views of Sintra, Lisbon, and the ocean too on a clear day!
The day I went was quite foggy, so unfortunately I didn’t get to see the views people rave about while here. While that was a little disappointing, the fog made the area look incredibly spooky and surreal. I felt like I was transported into Game of Thrones or the medieval era. When you arrive, you have a bit of a walk, which is mostly flat unlike Pena. This walk has an extremely green and jungle feeling, and on a clear day the walk also has great views! The combination of being so high up and the mist that day made the Moorish Castle an unforgettable experience.
Should you go?
Since this castle is much older and more worn down than the others, many people choose to skip it. If your family or group is wondering what to do in Sintra, Portugal, or which castles you all should see, I would recommend that you visit here. It’s one of the most majestic and interesting castles that you can visit here in Sintra. I don’t think you have to book the Moorish Castle as far in advance as the other two, but it never hurts to do it early so you get the day you want. Here is the link to the official ticket seller if you are ready to book it.
4. Monserrate
Monserrate is a stunning castle designed with both Moorish and Romanticism influences. As you can imagine, from the Moorish side there’s many arches, intricately carved wood, and colorful tiles. There’s also beautiful rainbow stained glass. Like in the other castles, there’s an absurd attention to detail here. One of the most famous parts is the pink dome you can look up at from inside. There are meticulous geometric designs in the stained glass and layers and layers of designs leading up.
Monserrate is a bit further out, locationally than the other palaces. Pena and the Moorish Castle are right next to each other while the Regaleira and the National Palace are basically in the city center. Since it’s a little less convenient to get to, I would check out pictures of all the castles and decide if this one you’ll add to your itinerary. Since it’s not as popular and a little farther, some people skip this castle as well. But if the stunning architecture and colors appeal to you – you can’t miss it! The tickets are 12 euros per adult, 10 for each child, and they can be bought here on the official website.
5. Sintra National Palace
The Sintra National Palace is located right in the heart of Sintra, and is easily recognizable by the two large cone / funnel shapes on top. It’s one of, if not the best, preserved castle in all of Portugal. It’s conveniently located, not far from the train stop, and is filled with the typical colorful Portuguese tiles and intricately and meticulously designed rooms and ceilings. There’s no doubt that this castle is remarkable, yet it is not as extreme and maximalistic as the other castles. Sintra National Palace is beautiful, but it is not as unique as the other four, which is why it’s rated last. It looks like every other typical Portuguese castle that you can find all over the country, but doesn’t have that specialness the others in Sintra have – in my own opinion!
Personally, I would recommend all the castles here. If you only are visiting two or three during your day trip, I would say you can safely not choose or skip this one. But you don’t have to agree with me! If you look at pictures and think you have to go – do it and don’t listen to me. The tickets are 13 euros for adults and 10 for children or elders, and you can buy them here.
Getting around Sintra
Sintra has two local buses that can get you around to all the castles, the 434 and the 435. They have two different loops since the castles are spread out, to get you to see any and all of them. It’s 15 euros for a day pass on these buses, which can be a great deal if your family / group is not huge and if it’s not a super busy day.
Sintra also has affordable Uber prices, so you can easily take an Uber around as well. If you are using Uber all day and going to multiple castles, it will probably end up being a little more money than the day bus pass. The bus seemed to come on time when I was there, but was extremely crowded. I also went when there was a transportation strike! On a day like this, it was hard to decide what to do in Sintra, Portugal, as it was hard to get around. We were also worried we wouldn’t be able to leave with very few choices of transportation. The bus was packed + running late and there were no Uber’s available.
Taxis:
There are also local taxis you can take, but these should be your LAST option. They normally try to match the price of the bus, but are not the most trustworthy. We were running late for the train and our taxi driver took us into town. We specifically asked to be taken to the train, but he dropped us off in the city center saying it wasn’t too far a walk from that spot.
He gave us a sob story about how he had to get back fast and it would take much longer to drive to the station because of so many roads being pedestrian only. Turns out, he dropped us off 15/20 minutes away when he said it was right around the corner because he wanted to hurry up and get back to drive more people. We almost missed our train because he didn’t feel like going to the spot we paid him to take us!
The transportation strike will hopefully be long over and not happening when you are there, but there were no Ubers, the buses were packed to the brim, and the only other option were taxi drivers who would only take cash. Then since there was only one train back to Lisbon every hour, the train genuinely has us packed like sardines. People were sprinting full speed into the train car to push their way in. It was not a great experience.
It’s not like that all the time, I’ve heard, but this kind of strike does happen maybe once a year or so. So google to see if it’s happening when you are there – good luck!
Closing Thoughts
Sintra is the PERFECT day trip from Lisbon. Hopefully this guide will help you narrow down what castles to add to your itinerary! If you are looking for things to do while in Lisbon also, check out my Lisbon guide, linked here! Sintra is an amazing stop to add to your Lisbon or Portugal or Euro trip. Now you know what to do in Sintra, Portugal! I hope you get to see it (and that I get to see it again one day hehe)!
