My wife and I will be traveling to Portugal in May. We will have a car for the second week of the trip and will be driving from Porto allowing 3 days to get to Lisbon Airport - likely stopping at Nazare, Ericeira, Peniche or other smaller towns near the beach the first night. We are thinking about staying overnight the second night in Sintra and heading up to the Pena Palace first thing the following morning (have read several stories / posts about lineups and crowds). Then likely walk to the Moorish castle before traveling to the airport later that afternoon/evening. The whole logistics of Sintra is confusing - hoping people can share their guidance on the following:
1) Staying overnight - would like to stay in the town but can I even drive to the hotel (traffic restrictions?). Any accommodation suggestions other than what Rick suggests?
2) We may leave the car at the hotel and take Uber or bus 434 to get around and to Pena and walk back - seems a car is a pain.
3) We would like to just stay in a quiet hotel/guesthouse and see the Sintra sites before driving to the airport that evening. I am thinking of taking an out-of-the-way detour to Cascais and then to the airport - does that make sense or trying to do too much.?
Thanks for any replies - they all are valuable.
Posted by
Portland, Oregon
5687 posts
I would consider dropping the car before you get to Sintra, which I totally understand might not be practical. If there was somewhere you could drop it at a train station closer to Sintra or something? Anyway, if that were possible, you really don't need a car in Sintra and as you are finding, it might be more of a hassle to have one there. A friend of mine who drive in Portugal says was easy except for Sintra, where she got incredibly lost trying to find a way to get to her hotel there.
But if you could do that...the train from Sintra back to the airport in Lisbon is relatively easy: direct train to Lisbon Oriente station, then a subway ride from there to the airport.
In any case, in Sintra try not to miss the Quinta da Regaleira, which is down by the town, not up on the hill. It's a really unique garden complex with some interesting architecture. It was the highlight of my visit to Sintra, to be honest. Pena Palace is really colorful and beautiful too and I'm glad I saw that also (I didn't go inside).
Posted by
Portland, OR
45 posts
I agree with Andrew, it’s easy to take the train to/from Sintra (although it is a milk run- lots of stops). We only planned one day in Sintra but ended up taking the train there on 2 days. We so enjoyed wandering through the gardens at the Pena place & strolling through town that we decide to go back another day for the Moorish castle and Quinta da Regaleira. It’s a lot of walking if you choose to walk (we took the bus up to Pena palace, but enjoyed walking the rest). And, Quinta da Regaleira was our favorite, so also recommend leaving time to visit there.
Posted by
Lubbock, TX
417 posts
I would definitely stay at least one night in Sintra. I did this summer and wished I had spent two nights there. On my previous trips to Lisbon, I always took the train to Sintra, but having a car allowed me to see other sights such as the Palacio de Monserrate and Cabo da Roca. You could see both of these places on the way into Sintra. I stayed at Casa do Valle and loved it. They have parking there and you can drive to it. Do be aware that from there to the town center is a pretty steep uphill climb. Bus 434 works fine to get up to the Pena palace and back down after you're done. The Casa do Valle was very quiet and had a lovely pool with a fantastic view of the Moorish Castle and the staff could not have been more helpful and kind. Stopping in Cascais on the way to the airport could work as well.
Posted by
Twin Cities of MN
6597 posts
We are picking up a car at Europcar's Sintra City Office (Morada Estrada Da Granjado). So, maybe that would be an option for dropping the car when you get to Sintra? Sintra does seem confusing, but I've been reading previous posts and the RS guide, and I think it sounds more complicated than it is. We are staying overnight at Casa do Valle, and they have been very helpful in terms of my planning. They also sell the tickets, for the same price that you pay at the palace. If you overnight in Sintra, I'm sure wherever you stay would be able to offer assistance. I asked Casa do Valle about a rental car, stressing that we are getting it as we leave town, and she commented that it was good plan to NOT drive into or in Sintra.
With the price of rental cars of lately, I wouldn't be too excited about paying for a car that will sit. Why not just return the car when you arrive to town? It is very easy to get to the Lisbon airport using public transportation. When we arrive Lisbon airport, we are going immediately to Sintra, and it involves just one change. I believe from a metro to a train. You could do that in reverse. We have rented a lot in Europe and our strategy is always to pick up/drop off either in a smaller city or on the very edge of a large town.