What is Sintra?
It's a town near Lisbon steeped in royal history and Romantic architecture. It is home to several major sights: the Pena Palace (Palácio da Pena) is famous for its vibrant yellow and red buildings; the Quinta da Regaleira is an estate full of Gothic-Renaissance architecture; the National Palace (Palácio Nacional de Sintra) has famous twin white conical chimneys; the Moorish Castle (Castelo dos Mouros) is a medieval fortress ruin.
What is Sintra like?
In some ways it reminded me of Portmeirion (476) - a town that feels cut off from the rest of the world, with brightly coloured and quirky buildings that have a bit of a sinister feeling to them.
Where is Sintra?
Near Lisbon. Portugal
When did we go?
October 2026
How did we get there?
We flew to Lisbon and stayed in the Alfama (156) district for two days before getting a train out to Sintra. The train journey took around 40 minutes. We stayed overnight in Sintra to fit it all in.
Worth noting:
I knew nothing about the Portuguese monarchy (which was abolished in 1910) or about the assassination of King Carlos I and his heir, which happened in 1908. There's a photo in the Pena Palace of King Manuel, the younger son of Carlos, with his mother, and they look so desperately sad - it's very moving.
What was Sintra's place in the 2015 edition of the Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List?
142. It had shot up the ranking by 107 places.
Does Sintra deserve its higher place on the 2020 Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List?
I don't think so. 142 was a better position for it. However, the weather was bad on the first day I visited. Maybe that made a difference.
