Sintra: Cultural Landscape, Palaces and Gardens

Sintra’s cultural landscape brings together natural and cultural sites. Forested granite mountains rise above a hilly rural landscape. Palaces, fortifications, gardens and collections add their own cultural highlights. When planning your trip, you can choose to focus on monuments and their history, gardens or museum visits.

Palaces and fortifications

At the center of the village of Sintra stands the Palácio Nacional de Sintra. It offers both free, contemplative visits and more in-depth experiences exploring the monument’s former life. The Parque e Palácio Nacional da Pena presents a different connection between architecture and landscape: a palace stands on a mountaintop, while winding paths run through the park beneath dense forest. Tickets for the Palácio Nacional da Pena must be booked for a specific date and time. Check this requirement again before your trip.

The Castelo dos Mouros was founded in the 10th century during Muslim rule on the Iberian Peninsula. Its walls wind between granite blocks, rocks and cliffs through the Serra de Sintra. The ramparts offer views of the village of Sintra, the Pena, the Serra de Sintra and the Atlantic Ocean. The fortification thus combines historic architecture with sweeping views of the surrounding landscape.

Gardens and ancient woodland

The Park and Palace of Monserrate is considered a masterpiece of Romanticism. Its gardens contain exotic plant species from around the world, as well as the artificial Beckford Waterfall. The Convento dos Capuchos offers a different character: this Franciscan monastery is known for its simplicity and complete lack of luxury and comfort. The forest surrounding the convent is considered one of Sintra’s notable examples of ancient woodland. Sintra thus brings together a Romantic park and a monastery known for its simplicity, alongside a variety of landscapes.

Fossils, archaeology and local traditions

The Museu de História Natural de Sintra displays more than 10,000 fossils. These include a collection of trilobites and rare, exceptionally well-preserved dinosaur specimens. The Museu Arqueológico de São Miguel de Odrinhas focuses on archaeological and epigraphic evidence: the museum holds more than 400 stone artefacts and thousands of other archaeological objects. Its epigraphic collection spans more than two millennia, from the Etruscan period to the Early Modern period. It includes Roman tombstones that rank among the most significant on the Iberian Peninsula.

Local food culture also offers a link to the past: Queijadas de Sintra are a traditional sweet pastry documented since at least the Middle Ages. Vinho de Colares is particularly associated with the Ramisco grape variety. The Rota do Vinho de Colares, dated 21 October 2020, lists a wine tasting at the Adega Regional de Colares. Check current availability and booking requirements in advance.

Getting there and getting around

The Linha de Sintra connects Lisbon’s Oriente, Rossio and Entrecampos railway stations with Sintra. For getting between the station and the historic center, Scotturb bus routes 434 and 435 connect Sintra station with the historic center. The Eléctrico de Sintra runs for just under 11 kilometers between Vila Alda in Estefânia and Praia das Maçãs; the journey takes about 45 minutes. These connections differ in their starting points and routes: the train connects Sintra with Lisbon’s railway stations, the buses run from the station to the historic center, and the Eléctrico connects its two termini.

Sintra and the landscape stretching to the sea

Cabo da Roca lies at the western end of the Serra de Sintra and is the westernmost point of mainland Europe. The area between the Serra de Sintra and the sea forms part of the protected Parque Natural de Sintra-Cascais. The landscape, historic monuments and collections offer different reasons to discover Sintra not only as a series of individual attractions, but also in its cultural and natural context.

Discover more destinations

Discover more destinations: Sintra, Rio De Mouro, Queluz, São João Das Lampas, Agualva, Almargem Do Bispo, Colares, Algueirão, Mira-Sintra, Belas, Terrugem.

For the overview of the wider region: Lisbon.