One Day Sintra Itinerary, Portugal

Are you in Lisbon for a long weekend? You might want to consider venturing out of the city for one day and visiting the picturesque Sintra. Due to its magnificent architecture, historic buildings and beautiful gardens, the town has become an UNESCO World Heritage Site.

I’ve written a full guide on how much you can actually do in Lisbon in just 3 days. So, if have an extra day to spare, visiting this fairy-tale town located to the west of Lisbon is a must.

How to get to Sintra?

It is a doable day trip as regular train services run between Lisbon and Sintra, taking only about 40 minutes. Three trains depart from Rossio Station in central Lisbon every hour and it costs around €4 for a return ticket. Take the earliest train possible to make the most of your day in Sintra!

Once in Sintra you can buy an all-day bus ticket for bus service 434, which costs just under €7. This is basically a tourist bus and operates as a hop-on hop-off service circling around the key attractions such as the train station, the historic centre, Pena Palace and the Moorish castle. 

What to do in only one day in Sintra?

There is plenty to see and do in Sintra depending on your interests. I suggest choosing to explore two main sights if you’re here for only one day. It is just about the perfect amount for one day, without rushing around too much.

1. Walk to Quinta da Regaleira

If your first stop is Quinta da Regaleira, it is only a good 20-minute walk from the train station. So, get some steps in and enjoy the quiet morning before the mass of tourists arrive. This way you can truly take in the beauty of the town, and you also get a great view of the Sintra National Palace on your way.

Quinta da Regaleira consists of a palace, a chapel, the coolest wells and tunnels, and a magnificent garden. The admission fee is around €10 which I think is pretty good value for money.

Before getting lost in the garden, find the 27m deep Initiation Well. This was built for secret ceremonial purposes and basically leads into a labyrinth of tunnels running below the gardens. If you really like to feel a bit spooked, try to get there early and explore the tunnels alone. I guarantee you’ll have a great experience.

After all the excitement in the wells and tunnels, walk around the garden and admire the house before you catch the bus to your next destination.

2. Visit the colourful fairy-tale palace: Pena Palace

Why don’t you visit the magnificent and very colourful Pena Palace as your second attraction? There are plenty of reasons to visit it. Firstly, it’s part of an UNESCO World Heritage Site. Secondly, it’s also one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. (I can now tick two out of the seven wonders off my list).

You can either buy a “Palace and Park Ticket” for around €20 or just a “Park Ticket” which costs only €10. The “Park Ticket” will still allow you to enter certain areas of the palace and be able to take some pretty cool shots. So, if you’re on a tight budget it’s a great option. You can also get some discount if you buy your ticket online.

This Romanticist castle was built on top of Serra di Sintra in the 19th century. King Ferdinand II wanted to transform the remains of the monastery into a palace to serve as a summer residence for the royal family. The old monastery was painted red, and the ‘New Palace’ was painted yellow following Ferdinand’s request. The owner of the palace changed a few times over the decades before it was transformed into a museum. Obviously over time the colours faded. The palace was almost grey until it was restored to its original colours in 1994. Well, I’m happy they decided to restore the original colours as it sure is more beautiful than the faded one.

3. Walk around Pena Park

After exploring the palace, I highly recommend walking around the gardens too. Make sure you find the best spot to have the perfect view of the entire palace. This spot was actually Queen Amelia’s favourite spot too and I totally share that opinion with her.

You can also walk up to Cruz Alta, the highest point in the Serra de Sintra. You’ll be able to have another great view of Pena Palace. In addition, on a clear day you can even see the Atlantic Ocean and Lisbon itself.

If you have a little longer…

There are so many magnificent places around Sintra. Whilst you can squeeze some sights in in a day, I could’ve easily spent a little longer there. So, what else could you do?

You can stay in Sintra and visit the following amazing places:

• Park and Palace of Monserrate;
• Castle of the Moors;
• Palace of Sintra.

 Or you can travel a little further and visit:

• Palácio Nacional e Jardins de Queluz;
• Convento dos Capuchos;
• Praia da Ursa;
• Cabo da Roca, the most westerly point of continental Europe;
• Azenhas Do Mar.

One day in Sintra was just enough to fall in love with this fairy-tale town. But there’s so much more to do and see, so I’m sure that I’ll return in the near future. Have you been to Sintra before? How much of the city did you manage to explore? Let me know in the comments section below.