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Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra
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SintraTravel Guide

Portugal4 stories

A UNESCO-listed hill town of romantic palaces, misty forests and mysterious gardens just west of Lisbon — crowned by the candy-colored Pena Palace.

Is Sintra right for you?

When to come

spring

Around 25°C by day in August, 14°C in January — recorded at the local weather station.

What it costs

Mid-range. Comfortable without planning around money, expensive if you stop counting.

What we've planned, and who for

We have a weekend here planned hour by hour.

Sintra is inEnough for a long weekendDeepest in Europe
When to go
January: around 14 degrees by day, 5 at night, 101 millimetres of rain, wet.
February: around 15 degrees by day, 6 at night, 91 millimetres of rain, wet.
March: around 17 degrees by day, 7 at night, 57 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
April: around 17 degrees by day, 9 at night, 72 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
May: around 19 degrees by day, 11 at night, 57 millimetres of rain, some rain. We recommend this month.
June: around 22 degrees by day, 13 at night, 18 millimetres of rain, dry. We recommend this month.
July: around 25 degrees by day, 15 at night, 6 millimetres of rain, dry.
August: around 25 degrees by day, 16 at night, 7 millimetres of rain, dry.
September: around 25 degrees by day, 14 at night, 28 millimetres of rain, dry. We recommend this month.
October: around 21 degrees by day, 12 at night, 91 millimetres of rain, wet. We recommend this month.
November: around 18 degrees by day, 9 at night, 112 millimetres of rain, wet.
December: around 15 degrees by day, 7 at night, 128 millimetres of rain, wet.
Cold to hot, by dayDry to wetWhen we would go

spring

Average daily highs, recorded at Sintra Air Base, 1971-2000.

Where this comes from

Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera (IPMA) — Weather box in the 'Sintra' article; station is Sintra Air Base.

Budget level

Mid-range

Typical cost profile for visitors

Combine it with
  • Lisbon23 km

    an easy day trip · both good in March, April, May

  • The Algarve240 km

    a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in May, June, September · a different price level (mixed)

  • Porto270 km

    a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in May, June, September

  • Seville, Spain340 km

    a short hop — comfortable overland · both good in March, April, May

Plan itWhere to stay in Sintraad · Booking.comTours and tickets
On the map

Finding Sintra

Open in Google Maps Larger map
The stories

Reading Sintra

Aerial view over Lisbon's terracotta rooftops to Praça do Comércio and the Tagus river
01
The List

The best day trips from Sintra, ranked

Cliffs at the edge of Europe, seaside Cascais and the capital itself — where to go when Sintra's palaces are done.

Portugal · 2 min
The gatehouse and red-and-yellow towers of Pena Palace above the forested hills of Sintra
02
Itineraries

48 Hours in Sintra, Hour by Hour

Day-trippers give Sintra five rushed hours. Stay two days and you get misty palaces at opening time, secret gardens at dusk and the westernmost cliff in Europe.

Portugal · 3 min
The carved neo-Manueline facade and pinnacled turrets of the Quinta da Regaleira palace in Sintra, seen from its garden across a balustraded stone staircase, with palms and a statue in the foreground under a clear blue sky
03
Itineraries

Sintra in a day: the plan for the time-poor

One disciplined day in Sintra — palace, castle, gardens, pastry and the Atlantic — with the bookings, buses and running order that decide whether it works.

Portugal · 13 min
Pastel townhouses of Sintra in coral, cream and pink stacked up a wooded hillside, with the stone ramparts of the Castle of the Moors running along the ridge above them
04
Stays

Sleeping well in Sintra, whatever your budget

Most travellers do Sintra in a day, which is exactly why staying over is the connoisseur's move — here is which neighbourhood to sleep in, at every budget, and how to use the hours the coaches never see.

Portugal · 12 min
In pictures

Sintra, framed

The battlemented stone walls of the Castle of the Moors in Sintra climbing over huge granite boulders to its two towers, the Portuguese flag flying above and the plain stretching away below
Photo: Dominik Dancs / Unsplash
The yellow and red terraces of the Pena Palace above Sintra
Photo: heino eisner / Unsplash
Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra
Photo: 777 S / Unsplash
Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra
Photo: Tomás Evaristo / Unsplash
Our picks

What we'd do in Sintra

See and do

Before you go

Practical essentials for Portugal

Money

Euro (EUR)

Language

Portuguese; English is very widely spoken in tourist settings, Portugal ranking among the strongest non-native English countries in Europe

Power

Type C/F, 230V 50Hz

Getting around

CP trains link the cities, and each has its own card: in Lisbon the metro, buses, trams and ferries share the rechargeable navegante card, and the metro gates also accept a contactless bank card or phone.

Tipping

Not expected: round the bill up or leave 5-10% for a good meal, and note that the couvert of bread and olives is a charged item, not a tip.

Tap water

Tap water is safe to drink, supplied under EU drinking-water rules.

Driving

Right-hand side; an EU or UK photocard licence is accepted with no International Driving Permit needed.

Emergency

112

Country-level guidance, checked against official sources. Currency, fares and entry rules change — confirm anything time-critical before you travel.

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