Written by Clara the Exploradora

Sintra. Go. There. It is so cool. 

Travel hint:

Do not take your pack.

It’ll drive you mad because

it is so hilly, hot, & humid.

Since we were there for a

12 hour layover, we had to

take our packs with us, but

if you don’t have to, don’t. 

Getting to Sintra from Lisbon is incredibly easy. It is only a two train ordeal and the first train is simply to get out of the airport to the train terminal. It only took 45-60 minutes to get there. Because of our layover time constraint we didn’t get to go and see everything Sintra has to offer. To optimize our one day in Sintra, we kept it to my cousins suggestion; Pastries and Sintra.

The very first thing we did was find food…

We stopped at little cafe outside of Sintra called Café Saudade, which happens to double as a Hospedaje. It’s quaint and exactly how you’d expect a little European Cafe should be. The food is delicious and the pastries to die for. Even the bathroom is cool to go and use.  

Stairs + packs = 🙂

After fueling up we began our little one day in Sintra quest. Everything we chose to do was on top of the highest hills, which is why you most definitely should not take a whole backpack there with you. At the Castillo Mouros we were able to buy combined tickets to Palecia De Pena.  

Castillo Mouros

You need to walk the walls of the Castillo Mouros…

All of them. It is very important that you do this because it is awesome. This also happens to be one of the things you HAVE to do if you have one day in Sintra. And another reason to not take a back pack, because the walls aren’t that wide. They reminded me of the Great Wall of China… except smaller… and they’re in Portugal… and I’ve never been to the Great Wall of China (someday though). They offer amazing views of the surrounding geography and sky. 

La Palecia de Pena is gorgeous.

It’s on top of another hill from the Castillo Mouros and yes, you can drive there. But walking is a treat because you get to see all the little plants and birds around the area as well as feel the old road beneath your feet. Even in the off season (November) it was packed. Again, you must do this during your one day visit to Sintra. 

Outer palace walls

 Once you are at La Palecia de Pena, it is possible to walk around the outer walls of the palace. The views that are offered from that little walk are quite spectacular. And you can see the walls of the Castillo Mouros, that surrounds it. 

Palecia Gardens

Instead of walking down the roads we came up, we headed down towards the Valley of Lakes.

It is a beautifully designed lake system with fish, birds, and plants made to create a perfect place to visit. Maybe even read and write. This was an added bonus to our one day in Sintra because we didn’t even know it existed. 

View from the back way

 After the lakes there is another path that starts in a parking area across the street from the gate to the lakes. This path skirts around a number of rock climbing walls and some other structures built in the time of the palace that give the surrounding area it’s unique ‘city within a city’ character. 

Beautiful streets of Sintra

Unfortunately, as we only had one day in Sintra, the time came for us to get back to the airport. We wound our way down all the hills, through the  town roads, and back to the station. We encountered no issues on our way back to the airport and boarding was a piece of pie. Although we did encounter many amazing little artisans. You will find no shortage of beautiful art or views in the streets of Sintra. Barcelona, here we come!

Happy Travels!