Sentra Castles: Pena Palace, Moorish Castle, and Quinta da Regaleira

Someone with more recent experience can probably give better information. Walking, public bus, tuk tuk, taxi and uber are all possible. If you are trying to see all 3 places in one day, walking only may not be time-efficient. However, the busses may have a wait and/or be full. I have heard that getting a taxi or uber between palaces might be difficult due to high demand, but I did not try that. When I was there in 2019, I started to walk from Pena Palace but then it started to drizzle and I was fortunate to jump on a bus which did eventually get me to the Moorish Castle but went back to the train station on the way.

Thank you for your information. I am not sure if walking is our best method of travel or if we need to consider the Bolt/Uber/Taxi/ other will work better and save us the time we need. Thanks again.

I was in Sintra last month. I walked up one hiking trail from town to Pena Palace, wandered around the park and the outside of the palace for a few hours, then walked back down a different trail. I didn't stop at Moorish Castle since I'd been there the day before, but the trail goes right past it. Quinta da Regaleira is a walkable distance from the main part of town. It's easy to spend a few hours in that park as well.

Since you don't have a lot of time, I'd recommend taking a Bolt up to PP. I'm pretty sure that would be quicker than a Tuk Tuk and most likely less expensive. They can pick you up right at the train station or parking lot, wherever you are when you get to Sintra, usually within a few minutes.

Thank your for your suggestion. I do believe that maybe the best answer to our need. I hear that the walk down the hill is beautiful. I have been out of town for a day so i am sorry I did not respond earlier.

We are planning on visiting Morrish castle in Sintra late May from Lisbon, I understand transportation might be hassle…we would like to walk to the castle from the town center or take a tuk tuk or a PP ( what does it mean PP)….if you have a Lisboa card I believe the train to Sintra is included and a 2 euros discount on the entrance to the castle …any information you can share?

Thanks for the information on the Lisboa Card. I am sure that a PP is meant to mean "Pena Palace".

Frank, i hope you can let us know what you finally do as we’ll be there in early October.

Will do we are planning to be at Sentra in the end of April.

Bolt/Uber directly to Pena Palace.
You can visit almost all terraces with the grounds ticket and you don't need timed entry. Green bus to top is nice but not critical for reasonably fit

Then walk to Moorish Castle or skip it. Much easier to get Bolt/Uber from pena palace as one may be dropping someone off

Then visit Regaleria or walk to town for late lunch.
Easy to get Bolt/Uber to go to Cabo de Rocca. Better to offer direct payment to that driver to wait 10 minutes for photo up and then take you to Cascais. He would be willing to stop 5 minutes at Boca de Inferno for photo up on the way.
Tip him well.

After few hours, take another Bolt back to Lisbon or hope on the frequent local train that starts in Cascais and ends in Lisbon near TimeOut market.

We went there in February. We got hijacked right off the train to hire a day driver who would take us anywhere we wanted, for 75e/person. If you choose to do this, find a guy who will take you anywhere you want, not just a prescribed route. This turned out to be a very good decision for us. Despite having a driver, we walked almost 7 miles, a fair amount up hill. He took us to Pena, waited right there until we were done, took us to Regaleira, waited there for us, took us to the beach, we had lunch, then took us to Cabo, waited for us, then dropped us in Cascais where we caught the train back to Lisbon. It was a nice day and he was very interesting to talk to. I think there are a number of people who stand near the train station and accost people getting off the train, we usually do not have anything to do with them, but this worked out well. There is a lot to do in Sintra and all of it involves a good deal of walking, lots uphill. So my suggestion is to try to eliminate where you can. The bus within Pena was crowded, even in the middle of February it was full for each ride.

This is the type of information that will help us in our travel. Thank you for all your information. We have not tried a Bolt but that may be the way to travel there.

Thanks again.

We took an uber from Lisbon to the entrance of Pena Palace first thing in the morning, immediately followed by the Moorish Castle (where we had a snack in the cafe) and then took a taxi from there to Quinta da Regaleira. We bought all of our tickets ahead of time. We then walked to Sintra to have lunch and shop. We took the train back. We were in our 50s at the time (June 2019) and were absolutely exhausted that evening. But, it was a really fun day. If I had to do it again, I would skip the Moorish Castle (or maybe just do a small part of it). I did not think it was worth the energy.

Visiting Pena Palace, Moorish Castle, and Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra in one day is possible but can be a bit tiring. Walking between them is an option, but it's a long walk, especially uphill to the Moorish Castle. It might take around 30-40 minutes. After that, walking to Quinta da Regaleira takes about 20-30 minutes, also uphill but not as steep. If you're okay with walking, it's doable, but if you prefer, you can take a taxi or a Bolt ride between the sites to save time and energy. It's up to you! Enjoy your trip to Sintra!

Some suggestions:
(different people have different preferences)

1. Bolt/Uber direct to entrance of Pena Palace from your hotel will save lots of energy/time/hassles to begin with.

2. Skip inside ticket as "grounds" ticket actually lets you see the castle including almost all but one terraces. This option also eliminates tension of timed ticket.

3. Green bus up from park entrance to Castle/Palace saves significant energy

4. Moorish Castle can be visited or skipped depending on personal choice. (It is easier to get Bolt/Uber from PP entrance)

5. Take Bolt/Uber to upper entrance point (rather than lower exit point) of Regaleria. (It's a unique place vs Moorish Castle type castles are dime a dozen all over the world)

6. Either spend rest of the day in Sintra village and take train back to Lisbon or continue to ....

7. Bolt/Uber to Cabo de Rocca. Make a private deal with driver to wait for you 10-15 minutes and take you back to Sintra or to Cascais.

Either way train back to Lisbon or if tired, just Uber/Bolt back to hotel.

I would truly like to thank everyone who replied. I was worried that there would not to much guidance for this visit to Sentra, I do believe that the knowledge we have received from visitors that have made the journey before us will make our trip wonderful. With our research and your guidance I am sure that the trip to Sentra will be great.

Good choice to arrive at Pena Palace early. It's packed. There was virtually no line at the Moorish castle. We walked up on the path and down on the street. There is very little room on the street so a different way would be best.