For the uninitiated, Sintra is a resort town up in the hills of the Serra de Sintra, where the wealthy and royal built mansions and palaces overlooking the Atlantic beyond.
Today, it’s probably the most popular day trip from Lisbon. And it’s easy to see why. It has all the important elements of a good day trip:
- far enough from the city to feel like you’re someplace new (it helps that you’re high in the hills)
- easy to get to by public transportation (just a 40 minute train ride away)
- has its specialty and sells it well (in Sintra’s case, a Disneyland of beautiful palaces)
- good views, good dose of nature (while Lisbon faces the Tagus, Sintra has a bird’s eye view of the Atlantic)
- enough sights to fill a weekend, but also not too overwhelming to pick a single day itinerary
Sintra captures the charm of a small down with the grandeur of a wealthy past. Each palace has a unique personality, and they do a good job of making it organized and accessible for visitors. With an influx in tour groups, it can get pretty infuriatingly crowded, but it’s all about ducking away from the main path to a quieter spot, and soaking in the views from a less popular perspective.
I visited Sintra on a day trip from Lisbon back in May. We left early in the. morning and visited three (and a half) sites, heading back to Lisbon in the mid/late afternoon.