I need some advice on getting to the sights in Sintra. We definitely want to go to Pena Palace, National Palace and probably Castelo dos Mouros and Monserrate Palce. In reading about bus 434, the bus doesn't run as often in winter as summer - is November 1 winter or summer? Or, should we take Freenow? Is that reliable?
Can we drive to Monserrate Palace? That seems to be on the way to Cabo da Roca, which we plan to drive to.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Bus 434 takes you to Pena and then you can walk to the Castelo dos Mouros. The National Palace is in the historic section of town which you can walk to. Tuktuks can take you up the hill and can maneuver around stopped traffic. I've heard some use uber or taxis. I'm not familiar with Freenow.
Monserrate is further away from those sites. It's my favorite and tends to be overlooked by tourists. Last time I was there, I noticed a parking lot that had space.
Are you planning on seeing all the sites on the same day then driving to Cabo da Roca? Or seeing Pena Palace, National Palace and Castelo dos Mouros on one day then on a separate day see Monserrate Palace when driving to Cabo da Roca?
I’m not certain Portugal has Freenow, but Uber and Bolt are plentiful and have good prices. Bolt is worth downloading even if you only use it in Portugal because it’s less expensive - usually.
November 1 is not summer and crowds will be less. In Cascais, the bus schedules don’t change from winter to summer-only modified slightly on weekends and holidays. I’m pretty certain that’s consistent with, at least, Sintra and Lisbon.
Yes, you can drive to Montserrat and there is a small parking lot.
Don’t even think about trying to see everything you have listed in one day. You also don’t mention Quinta de Reguleira. The house isn’t that wonderful, but the grounds are my second favorite place in Sintra - after Montserrat.
