How to Do a Day Trip to Sintra from Lisbon: Ultimate Guide

Lisbon is such a great city to visit and while you can spend your whole time in Portugal there, it would be such a pity to miss some of the nearby towns and places. If you have time for a one day trip only (like I had), then definitely don’t skip taking a day trip to Sintra from Lisbon.

In this Sintra travel guide we will cover how to get to Sintra and how to get around, top tips for visiting and best sites to check during your one day visit to Sintra. I created this travel guide because the info I found online when I was preparing for my trip was not good, which ultimately led me to make some mistakes. But don’t worry, I will share all of that with you, so your trip to Sintra goes as smoothly as possible!

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About Sintra

Sintra is a beautiful small town in the Greater Lisbon region, located on the Portuguese Riviera.

The historic centre of Sintra has been enlisted to the UNESCO World Heritage Site because it’s full of 19th century Romanticist architecture, historic estates & villas, gardens, and royal palaces & castles.

Which is why this place looks straight out of fairytale and why most people add a day trip to Sintra to their Lisbon itinerary.

How to Get to Sintra

It is relatively easy to visit Sintra from Lisbon.

You have 3 options: train, car or guided tour. We decided to take a train, but I will explain all 3 ways separately.

Getting to Sintra by Train

There are 2 train stations that go from Lisbon to Sintra: Rossio and Oriente. Most people (including us) take a train from Rossio station because it’s located in the historic centre of Lisbon (where most likely your hotel would be).

Oriente is a better option if you’re going to Sintra straight from the airport, otherwise I would not recommend it.

You can get your train tickets online or at the ticket machines (not recommended in peak season).

Getting to Sintra by Car

If I had more time, I would have rented a car and explored Sintra and the region surrounding it that way. It just gives more flexibility and is way easier to explore different castles once you’re in Sintra.

It doesn’t make the most sense for a day trip, but if you love cars more than trains or guided tours, then you can definitely rent a car to get to Sintra from Lisbon.

Getting to Sintra on a Guided Tour

And lastly, you can book a guided tour to Sintra from Lisbon.

How to Get around Sintra

Firstly, if you choose to get to Sintra with the car, then you can easily move around Sintra with it. There are parking lots at the main sites, so it would be easy to leave a car and sightsee and then move onto the next location.

If you’re on a guided tour, then you can just sit and relax because everything will be organised for you.

The trick is how to get around Sintra if you’re visiting independently and you came on the train.

Firstly, there are 2 tourist buses that stop at main sites: bus 434 and bus 435.

You can also take tuk-tuks from point A to point B. They are always in front of the main sites, so it would be easy to take them.

Additionally, it is easy to walk to and from some places. For example, you can walk from Pena Palace to Moorish Castle or from the train station to Quinta da Regaleira. For everything else, use either the bus, tuk-tuk or your own car because the distances can be far and Sintra is a very steep and hilly place!

Essential Tips for Visiting Sintra

As already mentioned, due to the lack of information online I have made some mistakes which led to a poorer Sintra experience.

Best Things to Do in Sintra in One Day

As mentioned above, if you’re doing a day trip to Sintra from Lisbon, then limit your sightseeing to 2-3 attractions.

I had planned to visit Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira and Moorish Castle, but sadly, the weather was horrible that day, so we skipped the Moorish Castle.

Therefore, I will only include Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira in this blog post, but if the weather is nice and you have time, I would also recommend visiting Moorish Castle or Monserrate Palace, which is another beautiful palace in Sintra.

Pena Palace

Pena Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal.

The palace was devastated in the 1755 earthquake and was practically left in ruins (it was a monastery at that point).

But then King Ferdinand II decided to transform the monastery into a palace and he hired a German architect Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege to build the new palace. The king was quite extravagant and he wanted a palace to be built in many different styles: Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, Neo-Islamic and Neo-Renaissance styles.

That’s why Pena Palace looks so colourful and kind of like it popped out of a fairytale. Personally, I found it quite kitschy. Still, I’m glad I went because it’s so unusual and different.

Pena Palace is the most visited spot in Sintra, so if you’re heading there on your own, make sure to buy your tickets in advance. I also recommend visiting Pena Palace first.

The tickets are timed and sell out quickly, especially in summer. You’ve got two options: just the gardens (park), or the palace + gardens. Definitely go for the second one because it includes the famous terraces too, which you otherwise won’t be able to visit.

💡IMPORTANT: If you chose palace + gardens ticket, you will have a 30 minute time slot to enter. Please bear in mind that this doesn’t count entering the park. Once you’re at the Pena Palace park grounds, you have about a 20 minute uphill walk to the palace, so make sure you’re at the palace by the time stated on your ticket.

There’s also a shuttle bus from the park grounds to the palace if you don’t fancy an uphill walk or you’re short on time and might miss your slot.

Quinta da Regaleira

Quinta da Regaleira has been my favourite spot in Sintra so far!

It’s way more romantic, beautiful and much more toned down in terms of style. If you’re going during high season, it’s a good idea to grab tickets in advance, but you can also just get them at the entrance.

Quinta da Regaleira is also on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list. It was built in the 19th century and combines Manueline, Renaissance, Medieval and Classical styles.

Even in the rain, it was such a beautiful place to explore. We easily spent around 2 hours there (with a quick wine break at their lovely cafe on site).

The highlight inside Quinta da Regaleira is the Initiation Well, a spiral staircase inspired by the 9 circles of Dante’s Inferno (though it’s six stories deep). It’s super cool and definitely one of the most Instagrammable spots in Sintra!

Is Sintra worth Visiting

I loved Sintra a lot, but my experience could have been better. Firstly, we didn’t have luck with weather – the rain was pouring, the wind was strong and at times it was very cold outside (we were there in mid February). Which meant our activity was very limited and why we decided to skip Moorish Castle in the end (you couldn’t even see it from the fog because it’s located on the top of the hill).

Second, because of the missing info online, I made some mistakes which led to a poorer experience. If I knew we could walk from the train station to Quinta da Regaleira easily, I wouldn’t have waited for 20-ish minutes for the wrong bus only to then realise I can easily walk towards there (yeah, that happened!) and I wouldn’t definitely spend €30 for the daily bus tickets. I would have walked, used tuk-tuks or one-off bus rides. This would mean more time for sightseeing and less on waiting for the buses (once we spent all that money on bus tickets we wanted to use them).

Third, I believe Sintra offers more and it is even better to spend at least 2 days there. But we are all limited with time, I know that myself very well. Which is why I keep repeating to limit your sightseeing to 2-3 sites if doing a day trip.

So, I guess what I’m trying to say is that Sintra is very much worth visiting if planned well, even as a day trip. Which is exactly why I wrote this Sintra travel guide, so you can have a great time there!

All in all, definitely don’t skip Sintra and its fairytale palaces!

Where to Stay in Lisbon

📖 Check my 11 Best Luxury Hotels in Lisbon City Centre blog post for more.

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