Limited time in Lisbon, thinking of doing a 5 hour day trip to Sintra & Pena, leaving lisbon 8:30am. Is Cascais worth it? Please help with must sees in Lisbon with a 2 night stay, or should i add a 3rd night?
Posted by
Calgary, AB, Canada
583 posts
I would add a 3rd night to Lisbon. There is a lot to see and do. A 5 hour day trip to Sintra sounds rushed and crowded to me. I really liked Sintra, but had two nights there alone. Cascais is lovely and a nice break from Lisbon, but I would only plan that if your time allowed. I would plan your Lisbon sites first.
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
4676 posts
A 5 hour trip to Sintra would be rushed in my opinion. I loved the Moorish castle far more than Pena Palace.
I was underwhelmed by Cascais and could have skipped it.
Posted by
San Franciso Bay Area, USA
1043 posts
If you can add a 3rd night, I would recommend it.
As for visiting Sintra & Pena, we went in October 2023 in the pouring rain and it was miserable, too windy to go to the Moorish Castle and the Pena palace itself was not that interesting on the inside. There is so much to do in Lisbon itself, that my husband and I wished we had skipped it. When we go back to Portugal, I would be willing to give Sintra another try as the town itself is lovely and I would visit the Moorish Castle and the Quinta da Regaleira. Like Allen, I was underwhelmed by Cascais and would skip it on a tight schedule.
In Lisbon in a few days, would recommend you take the RS walks and explore the neighborhoods, especially the Alfama and Belem. I would recommend you see a Fado performance and if you love food, take a food tour. We did the Eating Europe TukTuk tour that allowed us to see the city and to eat amazing local foods.
Lisbon is such a fun city, we were there 5 nights and could have stayed there longer.