My Life in Travel

If you plan a trip to Sintra, be ready to reschedule your trip, as it may depend on different factors, mainly from the unpredictable and fast changing weather. People, who make careful research, know that if you plan to go to Sinta, even in the hot summer days, you’ll have to be prepared and take warm clothes with you, because you never know how Sintra will greet you.
Since all my plans were changed unexpectedly, all the initial daytrip plans were also shifted. On this day I still didn’t know what I will do, because I was initially planning to go to Sintra on Monday to have it less crowdy. But when I checked the weather, noticed that leaving that trip for the next day is not a good idea. The weather was going to be not the best. So, in just a few minutes I changed my mind, took all necessary things with me and hurried to the train station (luckily it was close to my hotel). In a few minutes I was there, in a queue to buy a ticket. I already checked the ticket price online and knew how much should I pay. But when I asked the lady to give me 2 tickets (one for Lisbon-Sintra and another for the way back), seems she understood that I need 2 roundtrip tickets and gave me 2 pieces of papers and a terminal for cashless payment. I didn’t check the total price, paid (that happens 😀 ) and ran to check the next train departure time. Unfortunately, it moved few minutes ago and I had to wait for the next one, which will run in an hour. But what can I do? 🙂 Took a coffee with croissant and sat in a cafe in the train station. Slow morning ritual filled the spot of missed hour in my upcoming trip. Train came in time, and less than an hour we arrived to Sintra.

Stop 1: Pena Palace and Gardens

It is highly recommended to buy the tickets online, but since my trip was spontaneous, I had to check my luck in place. I had big plans: to see at least 3 palaces in one day, so had to rush a bit. Right from the train station I bought a day ticket for the local buses and took the first available one (bus 434). My first stop was Pena Palace. At the ticket desk I saw that there are no tickets available to visit the palace itself for the next several hours, but I could buy a ticket to visit its gardens, which allowed me also to walk around the palace itself, the chapel and the huge gardens around.
The colorful Palace looked like a big Lego house, made for royal people. Red and yellow bright walls of the Palace were decorated with sculptures and carvings. The most interesting and powerful one was the sculpture of the Triton, a mythological monster that is half-man and half-fish, sitting on one of the 3 shells. The Palace area itself didn’t take much time to see, unless you want to take pictures in every corner 🙂

Little by little I walked towards the Gardens, which was like a huge mysterious forest, full of lakes, especially in the area called “The Valley of the Lakes”, adjacent buildings and viewpoints. This botanical orchestra was curated in the 19th century by King Ferdinand II, who fell in love with trees, and collected species from Japan, North America, Australia – planting them here like postcards from across the world. The only sounds here were birds, your own breath, and sometimes – nothing or no one at all. It was only you walking on the paths under the shadows of tall green trees, going up and down. The highest sound of your breath you could hear while crawling to The High Cross (Cruz Alta), from where the most spectacular view to the Sintra was opened. Even the waves of Atlantic ocean could be seen from this height.

I spent around 3 hours wandering in this living fairytale and could stay more forgetting about the time, but I still had some more places to visit today, so it was time to move forward.

Stop 2: Quinta da Regaleira – A Playground of Mystery

Back in town, I had a quick lunch with local fried snacks. I could take the 435 bus (which was also free with the day ticket I had), but I decided to walk some 10-15 minutes to reach the Quinta da Regaleira. This isn’t just a palace; it’s an architectural masterpiece wrapped in a forest, built in the early 1900s by a wealthy Brazilian who was entangled in mysticism. The palace is well known for its Masonic symbolism, alchemical signs, and a sense of theatrical mystery. I didn’t have bought the ticket in advance but I don’t know I was lucky enough or it is always like this, there were still available slots for the timeline I arrived, so I stayed around 10 minutes in a queue and had a ticket in my hands. So let’s see what secrets whisper the stones here 😉

The palace was surrounded with a garden full of trees and flowers, that hide behind some other buildings such as chapel, towers greenhouse and of course the legendary Initiation Well. I believe most of the visitors are coming to Regaleira to see this mysterious spiraling down staircase, filled with Pagan and occult symbols. It has nine levels down (around 27m) and was designed to represent the nine circles of Dante’s Inferno. At the bottom of the well the floor was decorated with colored tiles in shades of ochre. Here, the tiles depict the cross of the Knights Templar, a symbol exclusive to Free Masons who believe in the Christian doctrine. Once you reach the bottom, you will have access to the grottos which will lead you to the hidden waterfalls.

If you’re already here, don’t hurry to leave the place without visiting the main Palace, which is built with the mix of Gothic and Neo-Manueline, and Renaissance Revival styles with detailed carvings and gargoyles. The ground floor of the palace includes the main hall, dining room, library, and billiard room while the upper floors have some salons and bedrooms. Don’t miss also the chance to walk in all hidden paths of its garden, where you can pass by the Promenade of the Gods, which is full of stone statues of Ancient Greek Gods and Goddesses, such as Venus, Hermes, Dionysus and else. But as you remember, I still had another palace to sea today, means it’s time to move again!

Stop 3: Monserrate Palace – The Quiet Masterpiece

Most tourists skip Monserrate Palace, but this was that unique place I didn’t want to miss. It’s a bit farther out, and fewer buses go there, but my day pass covered it. I hopped back on the 435, and about 10 minutes later I arrived. Monserrate is the quietest, most romantic palace in Sintra, less crowded, more serene, and arguably the most beautiful. You may easily recognize it with its architecture, which is a blend of Moorish, Gothic, and Indian architectural styles. The interiors of this small 2 story palace are lace-like—marble filigree arches, geometric tile work, and light filtering through stained glass. There are not much rooms here but even the ones that are open will make you admire with their gentle beauty.

Like the two previous palaces, this one also was hidden inside a big garden. I didn’t have enough time to walk along all the paths on this greenland, but noticed it has different zones – Mexican cactus gardens, Australian tree ferns, a rose garden, a Japanese bamboo grove. Some people were like me, came from far lands, visiting the palace and garden quickly, but there were also locals, which were relaxing on the ground, without any rush. I think I wouldn’t be wrong to compare this place with a piece of paradise, where only sounds of birds and waterwalls were heard.

Unfortunately, it was time to close the gates of this “paradise” and I had to leave it, but it was also needed to catch the last bus that will pass by and take me (and others) back to Sintra center, from where I had to take a train back to Lisbon. Each place today had invited me to slow down, to step out of linear time and into imagination. I was going back satisfied, fully recharged with energy of the nature.

Sintra didn’t just show me palaces – it reminded me how wonder feels. In a world built on convenience and speed, it’s a place that still rewards wandering, curiosity, and quiet awe. And honestly, that’s the kind of magic worth crossing oceans for.

P.S. When I was already in the train on the way to Sintra, I noticed the additional tickets in my hands that the lady gave to me (and I paid for them). Once I arrived, I tried to check here if it is possible to return the ticket and get a refund, but it turned out it has a time limit, which was reached. It wasn’t a big amount of money to worry about, but seems Universe had some other plans for me. Stay with me, and I will share with you where these tickets took me 😉