Limited time in Lisbon - would you go to Sintra for a half-day?

See as much as poss in Lisbon. It has varied and wondeful sights to see and experience. I have been to Sintra but would use not precious sightseeing time.

I guess it depends on what you want to see/do in Lisbon and what you want to see/do in Sintra. (Does 3-4 days mean 2-3 nights?)

Last May I had four nights in Lisbon. I did a day trip one day to Sintra and another (half day) to Cascais. I liked the town of Sintra.
But seeing the highlights (Pena Palace, Moorish Castle ruins, etc.) is time consuming; I didn't see everything. Assuming you take the train, you're going to spend probably four hours getting there and back (the actual train rides aren't that long, but getting to the stations ahead time and back etc. takes more time). Pena and the Moorish Castle are up on the hill above the town; you either take a bus up there or a taxi (or tuk tuk "mini-taxi") or hike a long ways up and down, which some people do apparently do. (I took the local bus.)

My favorite thing in Sintra was the Quinta da Regaleira, a unique garden complex down by the town. The Pena Palace is beautiful, colorful, unique, but given the time investment to get up there, I'm not sure how worthwhile it is. (I didn't even go inside; I've seen plenty of palaces and castles.) The Moorish Castle is more interesting from afar than up close - it's just wrecked ruins.

Only you can say whether it's worth the time - don't know what else you plan to do in Lisbon. Lisbon is definitely an interesting city that takes a lot of time to explore.

If it’s your first time in Portugal I would say skip Sintra for the reasons the other responder said. It would just too time consuming. Just enjoy Lisbon.

Amanda, I agree with Andrew, pretty much word for word. I spent 2 nights in Sinatra, and enjoyed it very much. Would have even liked one more day, as each major site probably merited a half a day, so I missed some. Good restaurants, bakeries and some shops, too. I can’t see just going for a half day, Transit from Lisbon and back would eat up considerable time. I spent a total of seven nights in Lisbon, the sites are very spread out, and I enjoyed just poking around some of the old neighborhoods, like Alfama and Mouraria. Also really liked the Tile Museum, and the small antique tile store that I sought out. But then, I love old tilework.

There is really a lot to do in Sintra, it's really worth 1.5 full days. A lot of people visit on a day trip but two nights is highly advisable. Lisbon for me is good for four full days. So I would consider leaving Sintra for another trip. There are two palaces and a Moorish castle to tour in Sintra, plus the town itself. Plus the botanical gardens. If none of those interest you a half day might do it. You are going to need to go back one way or the other because you will shortchange either Lisbon or Sintra. So taking that into account, you could really go either way.

I liked Sintra a lot. To me, it was perfect for a daytrip (albeit a long, full one), and felt it was one of the highlights of the Lisbon area. It's been a few years since I was there, though, and from what I surmise it has become overly popular and now gets crowded? That might have an impact. That said, I though it was easy to get to/from, and worked nicely in a single long day. I found the Peña Palace interior to be fascinating, actually, and loved romping around up in the Moorish Castle - it's so high up, the views are stunning, and it felt like a miniature Great Wall of Portugal. I guess tastes vary, but it was a highlight for me. One long day there seemed about right to me.

To answer your question specifically:

If you only had 3-4 days in Lisbon, would you go to Sintra?

Yes, I would, and I'd do it as a day trip.

Thank you all! I really appreciate your perspectives.

We were in Lisbon for about that amount of time and spent one day in Sintra. I found Sintra to be much more interesting than anything I saw in Lisbon with the exception of their wonderful aquarium.

Sintra is just like Venice. Lovely in the early morning and evening, after all the day trippers have left.

But with fewer canals. ;-)

There is so much to see and so little time. The Moors Castle in Sintra was one of the highlights of the trip to Portugal for me given the history. But one persons perfect day is another's just ok.

PS: I heard that Monday was by far the most crowded and busy day in Sintra, since so many people make a day trip on Mondays because the museums in Lisbon are closed that day.

It's been a few years since I visited Sintra, but when I was there, it did not seem particularly crowded to me (in fact, not at all) - and I'm highly sensitive to crowds (in other words, I have a really bad attitude about crowds).

Has it now become Portugal's Cinque Terre, ruined by bad crowding? :(

I just got back from four days in Lisbon, and spent one in Sintra. It was a peak into not only castles galore, but the countryside away from the city, and I wish I could have spent five days in Lisbon and two or three in Sintra rather than having to rush both. In mid-October Sintra had loads of tour buses with groups being shepherded around and then let loose for lunch, which wasn't ideal but didn't slow me down by much. Depending on the list of sights you want to see in Lisbon I'd definitely make time for a day in Sintra. Unless you're driving I think a half day would be impossible. Or very frustrating.

My only contribution to this is beware of weather. We did a day trip last week. The weather was fine in Lisbon but crap in Sintra which takes away a lot from both Pena Palace and the Moor Castle which get a lot of the wow from the views. What we really enjoyed was the Monserrate site. It’s not so weather dependent and quiet! Wonderful gardens and interesting building.