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Oct 2026 - Day Trip to Sintra - looking for recommendations

Posted by (Canada) on

Hello,
We are going to be in Lisbon before starting our Rick Steves Portugal tour. We are interested in going to Sintra for the day to see primarily the Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira (the Moorish Castle would be a bonus).

We are very comfortable about taking the train to Sintra from Lisbon - but I am concerned about gaining access to the sites (especially if they are timed entry) and making the most of our time in Sintra. We have been spoiled by our Rick Steves tours & appreciate the value that the local guides bring....
So, I am looking for local companies or guides that you would recommend.

Thank you very much!
-J.

Posted by
2046 posts

There are many small group tours of Sintra. My favorite trip there was with CoolTours Lisbon. I’ve heard good things about Lisbon Riders, too. And, if you want to pay the money for a private guide, they would design the trip around your preferences. However, Pena and the Quinta are on almost all of the small group tours, too.
If you want recommendations on a private guide, please send me a private message and I will happily share.

Posted by
198 posts

We hired a private guide when we were in Sintra because we wanted to tailor our tour to sites that we wanted to visit that weren't included on the traditional small tours and exclude others that were. Our guide picked us up at our hotel at 9 am and we returned past 7 pm. We visited the National Palace, the Moorish Castle, Quinta da Regaleira and Pena Palace. We thought it was a really good tour except we did not have enough time at the Quinta da Regaleira. All of our tickets were provided by the guide so we didn't have to. worry about timing as well as transportation around Sintra to get to these different sites. As kathyrnj posted, if you message me privately I will share the guide's information.

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