Sintra Two Day Itinerary Mid-March, 2025

For Pena, our strategy which we felt worked well, was to purchase the first block of tickets and then get to the line for entry about a half hour or so prior to ticket time. We walked up, it would be good to know when the shuttle bus starts.

I like your schedule. You shouldn't have difficulty getting an uber from National Palace to Monserrate. We did have difficulty getting an uber back to town from Monserrate, but that was a few years ago, and maybe its different now.

You might be able to visit the Moorish castle between Pena and Regaleira. You can walk between Pena garden and the Moorish castle. We thought the Moorish castle was interesting, and the views were lovely.

You shouldn't have difficulty getting an uber from National Palace to
Monserrate.

We were in Sintra in September and Uber was not allowed in the town centre around the National Palace. You'll need to walk outside of the restricted area to get your Uber.

I'd rethink the Tuk Tuk. It's expensive, noisy and the exhaust smell is strong.

Yes, I should have been more specific. It is easier to get Uber or Bolt from just outside the pedestrian only zone as opposed to trying to get to Monserrate from Pena or the Moorish Palace. Monserrate is out of the city and there are one way streets making it undesirable for some drivers to accept the trip. It may be easier to get to Monserrate from Regaleira because that is more on the edge of town and a more direct route.

Since you are spending time in Sintra and not doing a rushed day trip, we enjoyed this restaurant in Sintra https://incomumbyluissantos.pt/en/ If you'd like to go there, you'll want to make reservations.

Thank you. We are skipping the Moorish Castle as it does not look walking friendly for me as I am still recovering from a severe ankle break and surgery from four months ago.
No problem for us to walk out a distance from the town center to pick up an Uber .

If you find an entertaining driver, a Tuk-Tuk can be a lot of fun. We took one to Monserrate when the traffic was backed up and the buses were not getting thru, someone tried to take a large motor home where they really shouldn't have and ...... Anyways, he played the role of a tour guide while driving and it was a blast.

Would we be better off seeing Monserrate and Regaleira the same day, probably Thursday? We then would have Pena Palace and Sintra National Palace on Friday.
Also, would it be better to visit Pena Palace in the morning or late afternoon ? We are very flexible with our choices.

Like I said, we did Pena in the morning and it worked great for us.

The National Palace didn't ever seem to have a line, so IMO, it doesn't matter when you do it.

We did Regaleira in the afternoon on the day we arrived to Sintra. I purchased tickets online before we got there, there was a line for tickets but not admission. Regaleira was a bit busy and there was a line for the "palace". I didn't think the palace was worth the wait in line, it was super crowded and I had difficulty getting a peek in each room.The well was quite busy until about 3 or so, when tour groups left. Then there was barely a line. The gardens are quite interesting so it is worth a visit, IMO, and since you're there, do the palace.

For Monserrate, It may make sense to take an UBER/BOLT from Regaleira, or even first thing in the morning and maybe you would have an easier time getting an UBER from Monserrate, which could drop you at Regaleira. Perhaps, talk to the UBER driver that drops you at Monserrate and see if he/she would commit to picking you up. Monserrate is lovely and different and worth the difficulty getting there.

Incidentally we were there a couple years ago, at the end of March.

I was there in January 2024. I had no problem getting a Bolt from the center of town at that time. I stayed 3 nights and hiked up to PP to be in line before they opened. I only wanted to see the gardens and terraces, but the line to tour the palace didn't look bad as far as I could tell even a few hours after the park opened.

I was first in line to see Quinta de Regaleira because I wanted the initiation well to myself. There was one young, athletic looking couple who had the same idea. They pushed past me at the entrance and we nearly raced to the well! In the end, we took pictures of one another so it all worked out, but gosh did I get a workout trying to keep pace with them! The park was amazing with so many cool things to discover.

I visited Monserrate later in the day. It was almost creepy (but also cool) that I only saw a few other people the whole time I was there. For a bit I wondered what would happen to me if I got lost in the park since I seemed to be completely alone. Fortunately, when I was finished and ordered a Bolt to pick me up, one was waiting in the parking lot just across the road.

I agree that there never appeared to be a line at the National Palace. I also agree that the palace at QdR was underwhelming. I only visited it because there was no one else around when I wandered over that way, so I was let right in and a security guard who appeared to be bored walked with me for a bit, telling me about various rooms and some of the history.

I think Sintra is the most magical place I've ever seen. You're so lucky to have a few days to spend there!

Look for companies that does tours in Sintra as it is way more interesting to learn about the history of the place... and some include transportation, so it is stress free to you :)

The 435 bus goes from Regaleira to Monserrate and then back to Sintra station, a circular loop. Just thought I'd put it out there as another option. Perhaps Regaleira in the morning and Monserrate in the afternoon. There is a nice lawn to sit on and eat by the palace at Monserrate, if you pack a lunch.