Palace in Sintra
Pena Palace is a Romanticist castle on a hilltop above Sintra, painted in bright yellows, reds, and purples, combining Moorish, Gothic, Renaissance, and Manueline elements into one fantastical building. Entry is paid. The surrounding park (also paid, cheaper than the palace) has trails through dense forest. Budget travelers take the cheap train from Lisbon, decide between the palace or the park ticket, and see one of the most visually extraordinary buildings in Europe.
Practical
Nearby
Other places worth the walk, and what each one costs.
Cabo da Roca is the westernmost point of mainland Europe, a windswept cliff 140 meters above the Atlantic with a lighthouse and a stone marker reading "where the land ends and the sea begins." Free. The Sintra-Cascais bus (cheap) runs from Sintra to Cabo da Roca.
The Moorish Castle is a 10th-century fortification on the ridge above Sintra, with crenellated walls snaking along the hilltop. Entry is paid and can be combined with a Pena Palace ticket.
Quinta da Regaleira is a Gothic Revival estate with a palace, chapel, and gardens containing tunnels, grottoes, and the famous Initiation Well, a 27-meter spiral staircase descending underground. Entry is paid.
The Sintra National Palace is a royal palace in the center of Sintra town, recognizable by its two massive conical chimneys. Entry is paid.
Sintra's town center is a compact village of pastel-colored buildings, pastry shops, and winding lanes beneath the palace-studded hills. Free to walk.
Working out what Sintra costs?
The whole of Sintra