Sintra Monserrate - solo - Rick Steves Travel Forum
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Sintra Monserrate - solo

Hi,
Finishing up on my solo trip plans. I will be going to Sintra for the day. After reading several posts, I’m not sure I will be able to do all of what I wish.

My plan is - (hotel will pack a lunch) take an early train from Rossio Station to Sintra and then take Bus line 1254 to palace of Montserrate. Afterwards, I then take a taxi to Penna, see the exterior only, then walk to Regaleira palace. spends a few hours and then take the bus back to town. See a bit of the town then head back to Lisbon around 19:30. Is that doable in one day? The other option is to immediately head to Penna see the exterior only then walk or take 434 to Regaleira and then back to town.

I will get park ticket only for Pena so it’s not timed. I assume I will need timed tickets for Monserrate and Regaleira. Bus tickets should be covered with Navegante (yellow?) card.

Do you see anything that can be improved? Suggestions?
Thanks so much for your help. Going solo, I like to be clear on what to do.

Posted by
4328 posts

We’ll be in Lisbon early October. Since I do all the planning, I’m debating between 3 options:
Hire a guide for the day
Follow your plan
Skip Sintra all together
I will be reading the answers to help make a decision.

Posted by
82 posts

Part of me wants to skip this all together. No one seems to want to answer posts about Sintra. It’s been stressful planning this trip and Sintra seems like a crowded tourist trap. I think I created another post elsewhere and was blown off. Sintra is the last itinerary I need to figure out. Time is ticking.

When I get back, I can give you an opinion.

Also consider Palace of Queluz going towards Lisbon.

Monserrate seems beautiful but far out of the way. Not sure it’s doable. The interior of Pena is not an interest to me. Regaleira’s gardens seem enchanting. Can it all be done without driving….? In one day? Hopefully someone will answer.

Posted by
1844 posts

I’ve stopped going to Sintra because of the hordes of people so don’t answer many questions as it’s been a few years since I’ve been over there.

Like the previous poster wrote, going to Peña late afternoon might be best. I do know the tour buses - of which there are many - go early. I wouldn’t spend the time walking, but that’s just me. Download the Bolt app before you come. It’s the same as Uber but a bit cheaper. That said, I’ve heard of people have difficulty getting either in Sintra because of the crowds. At any rate, it would help you other places.

You won’t need more than a couple of hours at most at Regaleira. The house itself is pretty empty and underwhelming. But the gardens are well are spectacular. The walk from Regaleira to downtown is only about 10-15 minutes and it’s flat. Of any walks in the area, it’s likely the easiest.

Like others, my favorite palaces are Montserrat and Regaleira.

Posted by
82 posts

Thanks so much for your responses Kathryn and Gail. I’m glad to see this is doable. I’m hoping I could walk the grounds of Regaleira early in the morning then bus to Monserrate. Yes both those places caught my eye too. Pena just seems colorful and interesting in a not so pleasing way from the outside while the other two places are more to my liking. Should I use Bolt to get from Monserrate to Pena, then walk from Pena back to town? I’ve found links to purchase tickets. I’d prefer to get them before I go to avoid mobs of people. Thanks again.

Posted by
82 posts

I see the link for the bus is 12.50 for hop on hop off. I assume it’s for everywhere including Monserrate . I’ll need to look into individual tickets as well. Thanks.

Posted by
6676 posts

We were in Portugal early spring of 2023, a lot of Lisbon (and Porto) was extremely crowded. If we would have skipped every place that was crowded or had a line, we wouldn't have seen much.. The challenge is to figure out a way to manage the crowds and do what is important to you. It doesn't sound like Sintra is that important to you. When are you going? If you are going at a busy time which is probably April thru October, maybe skip Sintra and visit if you come back during off season.

For me, a brief visit of a bunch of the palaces doesn't allow one to really experience Sintra anyway. I thought the Regaleira grounds were beautiful and fun. We noticed that on the day we were there, after 2pm, things really calmed down. The initiation well line was at it shortest after 3. I believe this is because the tour groups thin out as the day goes on. I didn't think the Regaleira palace was at all interesting. There was wait to get in and we shuffled through it with the masses not able to see much. I thought the Regaleria palace was more crowded than Pena palace interior and the flow through Regaleria made it more difficult. There is a central hall and you stop and peak into each room. The hall was incredibly crowded and as a 5'-3" person is was hard to get a peak. Now we did the Regaleria palace at about 2:30, and maybe the crowds are thinner at the end of the day. Some folks said for Regaleria, go to the well, first thing in the morning. Others said to go to the palace first. Others said that the tour groups arrive in mass at 9am. Its probably all true, including the experience we had, it just depends on the day.

In contrast to Regaleria, we felt the best time to go to Pena was right away in the morning. I know you are not interested in the interior, but advice from many, the interior is less busy for the first few ticket times because folks are not given a visit length. As the day advances, there are more people in the palace and more people hanging out on the terraces. We did the gardens after the interior and the gardens did not get busy until about noon and on. We noticed on our way from the Moorish castle to Montserrate that Pena gardens, ticket lines were nuts in the afternoon. It was a lovely day so that may have been a factor. Also, it might be quieter at the end of the day.

I thought the Moorish castle was a great visit. We had views of Sintra and Pena and it was great to be out side. We walked to the Moorish castle directly from the Pena gardens.

OP's are looking for the exact time periods with shorter lines for the palaces. On some days later in the afternoon might be better. Another place with miserable lines in the hot sun is the Belem monastery. We got there at 9am. I asked a guard if a later afternoon visit might be better. His reply, was "sometimes". Then I asked for which days would later afternoon be better. He said there was no pattern. I think similar is likely happening in Sintra.

When we were in Sintra, the bus situation was a mess. Very crowded and unreliable. Walking and using the bus takes more time so our strategy was Uber/Bolt which worked in some situations and was a nightmare for others.

I think one of the problems with SIntra is people are looking for the perfect plan. Well, things are constantly changing there and every day can be different. I think posters for Sintra are getting all kinds of differing advice because conditions can vary day by day and week by week. Also, people can have differing experiences and can, do, and are allowed to have differing opinions. For some people, a wait might be worth it for places like Pena and the Jerónimos monastery. For me, I planned for both those venues carefully taking in many opinions and for us, our strategies worked and we enjoyed our visits.

ADDING: I saw the Palace of Queluz in the comments. We didn't go, we couldn't fit it in. People seem to really like it. Its easy to get to and at least for now, less busy.

Posted by
1367 posts

The road up to Pena Palace is a one-way loop. If you look at Google Maps, you will see that it is faster and cheaper to go from Pena Palace to Montserrate instead of traveling from Montserrate to the Pena Palace.

Also, the crowds at Montserrate or Regaleira should not be as bad compared to the Pena Palace at any time of the day. IMO, it is probably better to do Pena Palace first, and Regaleira and Montserrate later in your day.

Our recommended strategy for Sintra is to catch a bolt ride at about 8am directly from your hotel all the way to the gate entrance of the Pena Palace arriving at about 9am. A bolt ride from Lisbon to the Pena Park entrance is about €25-30. This may be a bit pricey for a solo traveler, compared to the train and city bus option. However, imo, it is still worth it for beating the crowds and way cheaper than taking a tour bus. Perhaps you can find some fellow travelers to split the cost of the bolt ride.

With a pre-purchased timed admission for 9:30 a.m., you can be one of the first persons to enter the Pena Palace and beat all of the crowds from the tour buses and those who are on the train and city bus. The interior of the palace is worth seeing, imo. After the Pena Palace, you have the option to walk to the Moorish Castle. You can return to the roadway and try to catch the bus, bolt/uber or find a local driver who often wait at the entrances offering tourists a car ride back down to Sintra (or Montserrate, etc) for €5 pp.

You can the visit Regaleira and Montserrate.

At the end of the day you can take the cheap train back to Lisbon.

Posted by
227 posts

One thing I read from online posts is to skip the train from Lisbon to Sintra and take a Bolt or Uber (Bolt is supposed to be cheaper). I cant remember what the cost is but it is cheap. You can avoid the train crowds and hassle and have your ride take you directly to your first attraction. We are planning to do that in September.

Posted by
6676 posts

re. Renee's comment. Bolt/Uber can vary in price, but travelers could try "dummy bookings" a few times prior at the same time of day travel is planned to get an estimate for price. I do it frequently when trying to determine transportation modes.

EDITED TO ADD: I don't know that I'd characterize the Bolt price from Lisbon as "cheap". I priced it from the airport and it was more than twice the cost of train for two people. But, you can do some dummy bookings and decide for yourself.

Posted by
145 posts

Beauty of this forum is that you get varied opinions and viewpoints of different travelers. And usually no one option is perfect for everyone in every season.

So, you will have to search more or just pick one.

We have done Sintra many times (with interior tickets and without) in recent times (last 12 months). Have done that tiresome hotel to Rossio, Rossio to Sintra, struggle to find transport to Pena track as well as easy Bolt to Pena from hotel option.

Based on varied experiences our conclusions were (and those are just our conclusions, others may have different strong opinions)

  1. Skipping interiors at Pena (half the cost, no nuisance of timed entry, you see almost all terraces)

  2. When there are 2 or more in the party, Bolt direct to Pena is so painless compared to train option.
    (For solo traveler, it is pricey but still so much advantageous option)

Regarding Bolt availability:
While returning from Pena , it is better to search from Pena entrance rather than Moorish Castle entrance

We wud consider Sintra worth visiting and all the negatives about Pena can be overcome by skipping interiors and doing Bolt directly to Pena first thing in the morning

Posted by
6676 posts

Immediately upon arrival to Lisbon, we did the metro to train from the airport to Sintra, very easy and inexpensive. At the Sintra train station we took Bolt from the train station to our inn on the edge of town. It was a whole let less stressful to arrive Sintra the night before. We stayed 2 nights and saw Moorish, Pena, Regaileria, National and Monserrate palaces as well as doing a self walking tour around town and eating at a fabulous restaurant (Incomum)

I think that in terms of the order of palaces beyond what I've already described, the one that may really matter in terms of transportation is Monserrate. After our experience of having difficulty of getting Uber/Bolt at the end of the day, I think it might be best to be done at Monserrate, 2-3ish??? That way, I think it might be easier to get an Uber or Bolt back into Sintra because some will still be dropping off tourists, as opposed to the end of the day, when none of them will be coming to Monserrate with tourists. Additionally, it is entirely possible that the buses are a better option than they were for us. A bus would be ideal, if they aren't crowded.

Posted by
82 posts

One last question. To get from Monserrate back to the train station - options Uber/bolt or the 1254 bus line to Sintra station, correct?

Posted by
6676 posts

Maybe I'm not reading the replies close enough, but did anyone discuss "timed" tickets for Monserrate and Regaleira. I don't know if either has timed tickets and Monserrate isn't typically that busy. We did buy our online before we left from our inn for Regaleira, but I don't believe they were timed tickets.

Posted by
82 posts

Hi, I went to Sintra on May 15 and it was an easy trip. I arrived early and it wasn’t hectic nor super busy. I guess I lucked out with crowds. I took the train to the Sintra station. when I got off people were selling a hop on hop off bus tour. I decided to take it. I think I either broke even or was close with cost. The bus took me directly up to Pena palace. I did only the exterior then headed to moorish castle then Regalia, then Monserrat when possible I made my way down through the wooded area. Lots of people headed the same way, so good conversation. Then maps and bus stops made it easy. The return to the train station from Monserrat was simply going to the nearby bus stop. I had dinner at a restaurant that was on a street parallel to the train station. There are always people around, so you can ask questions to double check if you’re going the right way.

Posted by
69 posts

Thanks kathryndesign for your update. Sounds like it worked out for you, and makes me hopeful for our September trip. We’re staying overnight, so will probably do Peña in the morning.

Posted by
667 posts

christine, I took a Bolt, but there was parking directly across the street from the entrance gate. I don't think it was a big lot from what I remember, but when I ordered another Bolt to pick me up, one was just sitting and waiting right there.