Sintra, Portugal

Sintra, another beautiful place in Portugal, is a UNESCO World Heritage site that was once popular with Portuguese royalty.  When I was researching, I found that it is known for its setting in the green and plush hills.  It is one of the most popular day trips from Lisbon and the place was full of tourists.  Again, I took the train from the central station in Lisbon and arrived in Sintra in about 50 minutes. 

The colorful neo-Gothic buildings, curvy and narrow brick roads, and castles on the hilltops give it an amazing fairytale setting.   There is so much to see here and one day was no where close to enough time, especially taking your time to enjoy the scenery, like me.  

While there, I opted for a stroll through downtown and then a hike up the mountain to the National Palace.  It was not an easy hike, about 3 miles total from the train station and all uphill.   It was beautiful, though, with occasional small waterfalls and unique homes along the way.  The palace is surrounded by gardens and a national park with views of the city and other rural areas below.   Temples, monuments, and much more are scattered along the pathways and I think I could have spent the entire day just exploring all of it.

There are buses that stop at all of the main historical sites and palaces for €5, so I did that on the way back to downtown when I was finished with the visit to the palace. 

I wanted to visit the nearby Castle of the Moors as well but time didn't allow that day since I took too long wandering around. It is possible to see most of the sites in one day if you do a tour or use the bus the whole time, but very little exploring around town would be allowed.  Ideally, I would have spent a night here and had two days to explore the places I wanted to see and enjoy more of the town at night for dinner and shopping.

Palacio Nacional de Pena:

Some of the Palace Gardens.

Walking around Sintra and hiking up to the Palace: