Sintra: top attractions & road trip guide
Sintra is a hill town in the Serra de Sintra mountains, wrapped in cool, mist-fed forests that made it a favored summer retreat for Portuguese royalty. Its wooded slopes hide a cluster of exuberant palaces and estates, from Moorish ruins to Romantic-era follies, earning the whole landscape UNESCO World Heritage status.
Top attractions
Pena Palace
A vividly colored Romantic-era palace perched on a hilltop, mixing Gothic, Moorish, and Manueline styles in a fantastical silhouette visible from across the valley.
Quinta da Regaleira
A Gothic Revival estate known for its symbol-laden gardens, grottoes, and the spiraling Initiation Well that descends underground.
Moorish Castle
The ramparts of a 9th-century hilltop fortress built by the Moors, offering sweeping views over Sintra's forests and, on clear days, the Atlantic coast.
National Palace of Sintra
A whitewashed royal palace in the town center, recognizable by its two towering conical chimneys and rooms lined with historic azulejo tiles.
Cabo da Roca
The westernmost point of mainland Europe, a windswept cliff with a lighthouse a short drive from Sintra, marked by a stone cross and Atlantic views.
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