What to Know about Traveling to the Palaces of Sintra, Portugal

When in Portugal you must go to Sintra. Not only to visit the Palaces, but the town as well. Unfortunately, I was unable to visit the town when I was there due to lack of time, but I have hopes to go back!

Sintra is a half hour car ride and about a 45 minute train ride from Lisbon.

You can drive to Sintra if you have rented a car, but taking public transportation to this small town is so much easier and highly recommended. If you are coming from Lisbon, the easiest way to get there is from the Rossio train station. This station goes directly to Sintra. There are always tourists heading to Sintra, so be prepared to wait in line for a ticket. There are self service stations but no one could figure them out, so it may be easier to get help from a teller. Make sure to get a round trip ticket!

This is the entrance to the station! If you use google maps to get there, it’s a little confusing.

The station itself is small so there are only a few tracks and they are all clearly labeled, so it is not too difficult to find where you need to go. The train will probably be full, at least it was when I went during the week in November, which isn’t even peak season!

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Sintra will be the last train stop, so once everyone else gets up, you will know you are there. Once you exit the tracks there will be shops on your left and further up on your right all the buses will be parked to take travelers up to the palaces. There are two bus routes you need to be aware of, the 434 and the 435, and a few others. A bus is not the only way to get to the palaces. You can also take a tuk tuk, which are little bike/cars that can drive 2-4 passengers up and down the hills. A little more costly than the bus, but a fun experience, I wish I did it!

The most popular places in Sintra are Pena Palace, Regaleria Palace, Monserrate Palace, and Sintra National Palace. I personally only saw the first three. If you want to see all that Sintra has to offer, I would set aside 2-3 days. Recommendations of where to stay. But if you are okay with only seeing 3-4, then a day trip will suffice.

Now, choosing where to go will determine which bus(es) you will have to take. I will share the itinerary I followed.

First: Pena Palace

Second: Regaleria Palace

Third: Monserrate

Now, Pena and Regaleria are on the same bus route (434), so it makes sense to do those together and once you get on the bus, you can get back on to complete one loop. So that’s exactly what I did. Went to Pena, then hoped back on the bus to go to Regaleria and then went back to Sintra Center where I had lunch and took the 435 bus to Monserrate Palace, as that one is on a different route. But let’s talk about the individual palaces!

Pena Palace

This is arguably the most popular of the palaces, so no matter what time you go it will be busy, which means bopping in and out of crowds and waiting to take pictures in the best spots, or having people get in the background of your photos. Examples:

But alas, this palace is particularly large so it might take a second, but stand your ground and get the photos! There are a bunch of cool passage ways around the outer skirts of the palace, so definitely check out all of them.

OH! And make sure you book a ticket before you go, so much easier. To have access to the park and the inside of the palace it is 14 euros, but only 7.50 to just walk around the outside.

WARNING: It is a HEFTY walk up some hills to get to Pena palace. The bus drops you off at the bottom of the hill (typical) where the ticket booths are and the bathrooms. There was a smaller bus taking people up to the top, but most people made the trek themselves, so keep that in mind!

Once you get up to the palace there is so much to explore, take your time! There is a restaurant (I think…I didn’t actually go in), gift shop, and outside cafe with light refreshments and snacks.

Overall, the Pena Palace is a must do on any Sintra itinerary!

Once you have had your fill of the yellow walled castle, you’ll make the journey downward and wait for the 434 bus again. It might take 10+ minutes but the wait wasn’t too bad.

Quinta Regaleria Palace

Now THIS was a cool place. While the Pena Palace was tall and more about the lofty and colorful buildings, the Regaleria was wide and more about the intricate statues and rolling landscapes and caves.

The bus will drop you off at the exit of the palace. You will need to make another trek further up the hill to the entrance. You are not able to buy tickets in advance but there was not a line at the ticket booth. There is also a restaurant/cafe very close to the entrance. I was happy to say the grounds were so large it didn’t feel crowded at all. There are a few different buildings you can walk in, which you definitely should, but most of the space is outdoors.

I will say, I did not explore the entirety of the Regaleria, so I may not be the best guide here!

By the end of your time here you will be tired. I almost didn’t go to my next stop, but boy am I glad I didn’t wimp out!

Monserrate Palace

This was hands down my favorite. It was around 3pm when I made my way here after having lunch (refueling) and finding the 435 bus. That ended up being fantastic timing because the place was almost deserted! I had the time of my life taking pictures here and the feeling this place gave me was truly indescribable. It was the most beautiful and magical place I have been to date.

You will be dropped off at the top of the hill, if you bought your tickets in advance, as you should, you will show someone at the gate and head in. You will have to make yet another trek down the winding path to the actual palace. It is quite enjoyable and reminiscent of a jungle or grand forest.

But the real fun comes in when you get the first glance of the palace.

The Monserrate Palace main entrance, or what we can image was it’s main entrance, is a rotunda. A grand circular structure that you won’t be able to take your eyes away from. While you walk around the grounds you will feel like royalty and the vibrancy of the plants was immaculate. You are also able to go inside the palace through the side entrance where you can explore the different rooms and learn the history of the family that lived there once upon a time.

There are many more palaces and such to visit while in Sintra such as The Moorish Castle, National Palace of Sintra, Garden of the Countess of Edla, Convent of the Capuchos, National Palace of Queluz, Vila Sassetti, Cabo de Roca Lighthouse, and Sanctuary of Peninha.

Really the main things to know about Sintra is to take public transportation, plan your route in advance and buy tickets, wear comfortable shoes, and enjoy the beauty!

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For even more research, this blog post by In Between Pictures helped me a lot when I was planning my own trip.

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