Sintra

Sintra, Portugal

A low-angle view of the Sintra Mountains rising from the town center at sunrise, framed by a stone balustrade.

Sintra is a hillside town of romantic palaces, forest paths and sea mist, a short train ride from Lisbon.

The place

Sintra sits on the slopes of the Sintra Mountains, a short way inland from the Atlantic coast of Portugal, and it is close enough to Lisbon that many visitors make it a day trip. The town itself is small and steep, with narrow streets of pale houses, tiled facades and cafés that fill up by late morning. Around it the land rises into wooded hills, and the hills are where most of the famous places are: palaces perched on crags, castle walls strung along a ridge, and gardens full of grottoes and ferns.

About 385,000 people live in the wider municipality, which makes it one of the more densely settled parts of the country. Yet the old centre keeps a village feel, partly because so many of those arriving are visitors. The town sits at roughly 193 metres above sea level, so the air is often cooler and damper than in Lisbon, and cloud can roll in quickly off the hills. Much of the surrounding land is protected within a wide natural park that runs down towards the coast.

Sintra attracted royals and wealthy families who wanted a cooler base, and that history shows in the architecture. The mix of Romantic, Gothic and Moorish-inspired styles is unusual, and the historic centre has been recognised as a World Heritage Site for its palaces, estates and gardens. Expect crowds at the big sites from mid-morning and a steady stream of buses on the hill road.

Its story

People have lived in the Sintra hills for a very long time. Stone tools and pottery from the earliest periods have turned up at several sites around the foothills, including places near the old Moorish castle, and later Neolithic and Chalcolithic settlements left decorated vessels and flint blades behind. Bronze Age remains are scattered across the mountains too, suggesting a community that worked the high ground and the valleys for centuries.

The most celebrated find is a gold neck-ring from the middle Bronze Age, unearthed close to the town in the late nineteenth century. It is known as the Sintra Collar and now sits in the British Museum in London, which is an odd thing to hold in mind while walking the hillside where it was found.

Under Moorish rule the hilltop fortress grew into a defended settlement. When Christian kingdoms took the area, the town became a royal retreat. Kings built a chapel in the 14th century, and the palace around it expanded over generations into the summer residence of the Portuguese court. It stayed in royal use until the republican revolution of 1910 ended the monarchy.

The nineteenth century transformed Sintra again. Wealthy owners, some of them foreign, bought estates and hired architects to build fantasy palaces and landscaped gardens. Romantic and revivalist styles were layered over older walls, and the result is the mix of Gothic, Moorish and Renaissance forms that still defines the skyline today.

What to see

Culture

Sintra is a working Portuguese town as well as a showcase, so its cafés open early for coffee and pastries, and residents share the steep streets with visitors. Many of the palaces and estates were built as private residences for royalty and wealthy families, which means their rooms feel lived in rather than staged. Portuguese is the everyday language, although staff at the larger sites and in tourist-facing cafés usually speak English. A simple greeting in Portuguese, such as bom dia before noon, goes a long way in small shops and bakeries. Rounding up a bill is common in cafés and restaurants, and a small tip is appreciated but not required. Expect the big sites to be busy from mid-morning, and queue patiently at ticket windows, where lines move slowly. Photography rules differ from room to room and flash is usually banned, so follow the posted signs closely. In chapels and cloisters, keep your voice low, and never climb on walls or garden structures for a better photograph.

What to wear

Sintra does not have a costume of its own in the way some rural Portuguese regions do, so any traditional dress you see comes from wider Portuguese folk custom. Those costumes were usually made at home from wool, linen and cotton, with embroidered aprons, dark skirts and woollen shawls worn for festivals and church days. Embroidery and simple woven cloth were common in household linen, and you will see fine textile work in the palace interiors, in hangings and upholstery.

Locals now dress much as people do in Lisbon. Day to day that means jeans, cotton tops, light jackets and trainers, with heavier coats in winter, because the hills are cooler and damper than the coast below. Older residents still wear dark clothing for church and funerals, and you will notice more formal dress at weddings and local celebrations.

For a visit, dress in layers. The weather can change quickly as mist rolls off the hills, so bring a light waterproof and something warm for higher terraces. Choose shoes with good grip, because many paths around the palaces are steep, uneven and slippery after rain. For religious sites, cover shoulders and knees, and avoid very short shorts or vests. A sun hat and water are useful in summer, when the lower town can feel warm and still.

What to eat

Plan it

Best time. April and May suit most visitors, with mild temperatures, greener hills and fewer crowds than midsummer. Winter is cooler and damper, with mist and rain, while July and August are busy and warmer, though the hills stay a little cooler than Lisbon.

How long. 2–3

Getting there. By train from central Lisbon to Sintra station, which is a short walk or bus ride from the old town. The last leg is usually a city bus up the hill, and the same buses run the circular routes to the main sites.

Budget. mid

Tips

Etiquette

Nearby

Sources