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Voykit pocket guide · Portugal
Sintra
Day-trip from Lisbon on a weekday, first bus up at opening; sleep one night only if you want Pena and Quinta da Regaleira without the crowd.
Sintra is a hill town 28 km northwest of Lisbon, a UNESCO cultural landscape of palaces and forest. Most travellers see it as a day trip from Lisbon by commuter train; the palaces sit uphill from the station and the buses that reach them fill early. One night buys you the first entry slots and an empty town after the last train leaves.
- Country
- Portugal
- Best months
- Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct (weekdays)
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug weekends, public holidays, Easter week
- Stay
- 0–1 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- EUR
- Money
- Currency is the euro (EUR, €). Cards are widely accepted; carry cash for small cafés, markets and rural places.
- Daily spend
- Budget €45–70 excl. bed · Mid €70–120 excl. bed · High €120+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EU plans roam at home prices; others should check or buy an eSIM.
- Emergency
- All services 112
- Plugs
- Types C, F · 230 V · 50 Hz · Round two-pin plugs; UK and US plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Café or pastelaria: Nothing, or leave the small change.; Restaurant: 5–10% for good service.; Taxi: Round up.; Hotel porter: €1–2 a bag.
- Water
- Safe to drink from the tap everywhere; tap water in restaurants is on request.
- Toilets
- Few public toilets; use cafés. Station and shopping-centre toilets are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee (bica) at the counter | €0.80–1.50 |
| Pastry (queijada or travesseiro) | €1.50–3 |
| Sandwich or bifana | €3–6 |
| Sit-down lunch, one course | €10–18 |
| Beer: draught / supermarket can | €2–4 / €1–2 |
| 434/435 24 h bus ticket | €13.50 (check) |
| Pena Palace adult ticket | check the official site |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | €8–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- LIS · Lisbon Humberto Delgado
- Metro or taxi to Rossio, then the CP Sintra line; about 1 h 15 min door to door
Typical fares
- Rossio → Sintra, CP train
- about €2.20 each way, about 40 min (check)
- Sintra station → Pena, 434 bus
- covered by the €13.50 24 h ticket (check)
- Taxi or rideshare centre → Pena
- €8–15 (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
The 434 loop runs station → centre → Moorish Castle → Pena; the 435 runs station → centre → Regaleira → Seteais → Monserrate. Both are one-way circular, about every 20 min, and a 24 h ticket covering both costs about €13.50 (2026 estimate, check). The walk from the centre to the Moorish Castle is 1.1 km (0.7 mi) with about 200 m of climb; to Monserrate it is roughly an hour. Tuk-tuks wait near the centre for the uphill run.The 434 loop runs station → centre → Moorish Castle → Pena; the 435 runs station → centre → Regaleira → Seteais → Monserrate. Both are one-way circular, about every 20 min, and a 24 h ticket covering both costs about €13.50 (2026 estimate, check). The walk from the centre to the Moorish Castle is 0.7 mi (1.1 km) with about 200 m of climb; to Monserrate it is roughly an hour. Tuk-tuks wait near the centre for the uphill run.
See and do
Known for
- Pena Palace
- Castle of the Moors
- Quinta da Regaleira
- Sintra National Palace
- Monserrate Palace
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Cabo da Roca | Scotturb 403 toward Cascais from Sintra station | About 40 min |
| Cascais | Scotturb 403 continues to Cascais; or train from Sintra via a change | About 1 h |
| Mafra | Bus from Sintra or via Ericeira; check the current operator | About 1 h |
| Lisbon | CP Sintra line to Rossio | About 40 min |
Sleep
- Historic centre (around Palácio Nacional)
- Walk to the palace and the 434/435 bus stops; noisier, few rooms.
- Estefânia / Portela (near the station)
- Cheaper, 10–15 min walk uphill to the centre; easiest with bags.
- São Pedro de Sintra
- Quieter, on the 435 route toward Regaleira and Monserrate.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Good morning | Bom diabong DEE-ah |
| Thank you | Obrigado / Obrigadaoh-bree-GAH-doo / oh-bree-GAH-dah |
| How much is it? | Quanto custa?KWAN-too KOOSH-tah |
| The bill, please | A conta, por favorah KON-tah poor fah-VOR |
| Where is the bus stop? | Onde é a paragem?ON-deh eh ah pah-RAH-zheng |
| I have a ticket | Tenho bilheteTEN-yoo bee-LYEH-teh |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Two kisses on the cheek socially; handshake in business; avoid: Hugging strangers
- Language: Start with 'bom dia' or 'boa tarde'; avoid: Assuming Spanish will do
- Queues: Wait your turn; take a ticket at pharmacies and post offices; avoid: Pushing onto trams
- Titles: Use 'senhor' and 'senhora' and professional titles ('Doutor'); avoid: First names with older people until invited
- Meals: Relax — service is unhurried; avoid: Asking for Spanish-style tapas late at night in small towns
Scams and watch-outs
- Pena and Regaleira sell dated, timed tickets; popular slots go days ahead in summer — book on the official sites.
- The 434 is often full by the time it reaches the historic centre; board at the station or walk up.
- Parking in the centre is very limited and the roads are narrow; if you drive, park below town and walk up.
- Mist and rain arrive fast on the ridge; the palace terraces are exposed.
Sintra is a safe, well-policed tourist town. The real risks are pickpockets on the crowded 434 and in the palace queues, and the slippery, uneven paths on the ridge in rain.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Sintra yet. Suggested stay: 0–1 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Pena Palace
- Castle of the Moors
- Quinta da Regaleira
- Sintra National Palace
- Monserrate Palace
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Municipality of Sintra: cm-sintra.pt/
- CP — Portuguese Railways, Sintra station: www.cp.pt/passageiros/en/train-times/Stations/sintra-station
- Visit Portugal — Sintra: www.visitportugal.com/en/destinos/lisboa/patrimonio
- Wikivoyage: Sintra, revision 5257963 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5257963
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Sintra
Para este endereço, por favor
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- All services112
No embassies in Sintra; the US, UK, Canadian, Australian and Irish embassies are in Lisbon (check addresses).
112 works from any phone, including locked handsets.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/sintra). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.