I was planning on spending two nights in Lisbon this October and taking a day trip to Sintra, but I dunno; Sintra looks cool, maybe I should spend the night there instead of two nights in Lisbon. Is it worth it? My instinct says this is one of those towns where everything closes early, and gets a little boring after hours. I feel like Lisbon would be more fun, but I can be persuaded otherwise if anyone has stayed overnight in Sintra and thought it was the coolest. Does anybody have thoughts on this?
Posted by
Tigard, OR, USA
1068 posts
First I am definitely NOT trying to persuade anyone of anything. We did Sintra as a day trip and it was fine. Your decision may also take into account if you are driving or take the train fro Lisbon to Sintra. There were a few things described in a couple of the travel books I read which would be easier to reach with a car. However, several of the palaces and Moorish Castle etc. can be reached easily with a bus when you are already in Sintra. For us, it was fine as a day trip.
Posted by
OP
12 posts
Nevertheless, thank you!!
Posted by
Wyckoff, NJ, USA
7893 posts
erin, I completely agree with your OP, especially since you're talking about October, not the high season. You would still be paying for multiple taxis or waiting for a half-hourly bus, because the sights are so spread out beside Sintra. They are not all walkable from each other. I also think Lisbon is worth much more than one day. You should consider dropping Sintra.
Posted by
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
80 posts
Hi Erin,
I absolutely agree that with the limited time you have allotted in amazing Lisbon, a day trip would be much preferable to an overnight. We trained to Sintra early in the morning, and had seen our entire 'list' by the late afternoon. Either way, though, your trip will be fantastic.
Robert in Montreal
Posted by
Costa Mesa
11 posts
I loved Sintra - one of my favorite places in Europe. I did it as a day trip and found it an oasis after Lisbon. The general scenery and variety of castles/museums is really impressive. It is a UNESCO world heritage site. The fern valley on the hiking trail looked like Hawaii. It is a microclimate completely different from Lisbon which is why royalty went there (and to avoid disease of city). I liked Lisbon but other than a few sites felt that the Baixa was too touristy in the hard sell come into my restaurant way. Belem was nice but insanely crowded and hot the day we were there in May. I live in an urban area so generally prefer seeing local character in places I travel. I wish we had spent one night in Sintra but since we didn't can't comment on the dinner/night scene. On the other hand, we were out in Lisbon on a Saturday night and it felt a bit like New Orleans with everyone drinking in the streets. Getting to Sintra is incredibly easy from the central train station.
Posted by
127 posts
It would be helpful to know more about your interests. I think most travelers would say that two days is not enough for Lisbon. On the other hand, Sintra is also lots of fun and an easy day trip from Lisbon (take the train). Sintra is pretty quiet at night, particularly outside of the summer season, and Lisbon will be much more interesting in the evening.
Posted by
Lisbon, Portugal
3 posts
Hi Erin,
2 days is not enough for lisbon. Depending on what you want to see, you need at least 4 days.
Sintra is a beautiful city, very romantic. Its palaces, castle and gardens make it unique. To visit Sintra and all its palaces you need at least 2 days, but you can have the feeling of the city with just 1 day trip. At night Sintra is asleep ;) Everything is closed after 7pm. You will be better off sleeping in Lisbon.
I hope I've helped you
Mafalda