Sintra! Our trip in progress...
My daughter and I arrived to Lisbon last Thursday morning and spent 3 wonderful nights in Sintra. We stayed at the Tivoli Sintra Hotel conveniently located right across from the National Palace. Our room was spacious and it had a small balcony overlooking the verdant hills beyond. The staff were friendly and helpful, and the breakfast was truly delicious and hearty.
I’d considered visiting the Pena Palace the day after our arrival, however, after a nice “power nap” [borrowed from Ken (Vernon, B.C.] we were ready to explore this picturesque place in the late afternoon of our arrival day.
We boarded bus #434 right across from the National Palace. The bus became super crowded, fortunately we boarded in time to get some seats but the rest of the standing passengers were packed like sardines!
The bus makes a loop from the city center to the train station, then to a stop near the Castle of the Moors, and lastly to the Pena Palace. One can buy tickets from the driver (€3.90 pp each way).
When we arrived to the Pena Palace at around 4:20pm, there wasn’t a line at the entrance —
a great start to our trip.
Although I’d booked our tickets online (good idea in general), I bought tickets for the small shuttle that takes you to the entrance of the palace. We could have walked up the hill but we were still suffering from jet lag.
The Pena Palace has been described as a fairytale castle, and it definitely looks like one.
While touring the castle, I felt like we were transported back in time. The castle’s exterior is definitely more impressive than its interior but we enjoyed visiting both areas.
We only visited part of the gardens because the weather had become very windy and cold. When walking around the castle walls, the wind was blowing so fiercely that we felt like we would be blown away!
We spent a couple of hours touring this beauty of a castle.
Once back in our hotel, I contacted my friend Chani, and we decided to get together for dinner.
When we arrived to INComum,
We didn’t have reservations but fortunately they had a corner table for the 3 of us. We befriended the nice couple sitting at the table next to ours, and decided to order what they had ordered because it looked so delicious and they reassured us that it was.
As expected, our meal was absolutely scrumptious. Our best meal to date here in Portugal.
After dinner we took a taxi back to our hotel and we slept like rocks.
Day 2] After breakfast the following morning, we walked to Quinta da Regaleira, an enchanting place with winding cobbled roads surrounded by greenery everywhere. There are beautiful stone castle towers, a magical well with a spiraling stairway down to dark winding tunnels that lead to a cascade and stepping stones over a small pond.
This is such an amazing place! We felt like we were in an enchanted forest (imagine being in the enchanted forest described in the Chronicles of Narnia books). We spent a couple of hours exploring this magical place.
Be forewarned, this place is immense! When I stared at the map we got with our tickets, I felt so overwhelmed that I went back and asked which way we should start. The young man at the ticket counter suggested walking up to the (unfinished) well (the exterior looks like a pile of large stones) stopping at the various sights along the way, then going down into the well and taking the tunnel that leads to the water cascade. There are signs to the well (Poço), but once you’re down in the tunnels, just follow the others- that’s what we did anyway. Once at the cascade, we took the winding trails down to the small chapel and ended our tour at the palace.
[Make sure to wear comfortable walking shoes]
Please note: If you’re referring to RS book, note that the entrance (and ticket office) is located uphill from the mansion.