Lisbon Day Trips: Sintra & The National Palaces of Portugal

The Best Lisbon Day Trips: Castles, Palaces, and Scenery

Discover the best Lisbon day trips to extend your exploration in one of Portugal’s most beautiful areas! Sintra is located 30 kilometers from the bustling city of Lisbon. Known for many romantic moments of architecture from the 19th century, it’s also home to several of Portugal’s royal palaces and was dedicated as a World Heritage City by UNESCO for this very reason.

Visiting Sintra and the colorful hilltop palace of Pena National Palace has become a very popular day trip out of Lisbon, and it was one I thoroughly enjoyed. I think you will, too.

While I’m sharing all the details on day tripping from Lisbon, you may see affiliate links to products and services I’ve hand-picked for my readers. If you choose to make a purchase, you’re helping me earn a small commission at no cost to you and keep the lights on around here! Thank you!

How to Take Lisbon Day Trips

Arriving into Sintra can be done by tour, hired car, or public transit.  The train Station is 1.5 kilometers from town with a shuttle bus to town, making it convenient to get there from Lisbon. Set out early to avoid the largest crowds!

The town center is a colorful and bustling collection of small streets lined with shops, cafes, and wine bars. You’ll also find a fabulous selection of colorful wares, mosaic tiles, ceramic dishes and artisan crafts.

Tip: Save shopping for later in the afternoon as the palaces get very crowded after 11 am.

Lisbon Day Trips Idea #1: Pena National Palace

Situated high on a hilltop in the Sintra Forest is Pena National Palace. This World Heritage Site is also a National Monument and one of Portugal’s Seven Wonders. Surrounded by more than 200 hectares of forest land, it also gets to call the Castle of the Moors its neighbor.

Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to explore if you want to visit both castles, the stables, and the forest. It’s worth blocking out more time on your day trip to fit it all in!

Watch my video below to learn more about exploring the castles of Sintra. 

Getting to the Pena National Palace

From the train station or town center, take shuttle bus 434. This one takes you up the hill to the Castle of the Moors and Pena National Palace for €5. Departures are every 15 minutes from 10am – 5pm.

The shuttle will drop you at the entrance to the palace grounds, where you can purchase tickets to one or both castles as well as book other activities in the palace grounds.

Tip: The palace is located up a steep hill and for those not inclined to walk far, there is a shuttle for an additional fee. You can also choose to rent a golf cart.

The castle speaks for itself in beauty and especially views. It can get really foggy in the mornings, so don’t be surprised if you are helmed in by clouds in the morning hours.

History of the Pena National Palace

The Sintra forest was a magical, mysterious and peaceful place for many members of the Portuguese Royalty and average citizens. As Sintra National Palace at the base of the hill was used as a summer residence by the Royal Family, the Sintra Forest was a place much visited over the years.

For centuries, however, the only building at the site of the castle was a modest tower for Monks. Built in the middle ages, it had been a sight of spirituality and peacefulness for centuries.

The Monastery, however, was damaged to near demise in the great earthquake of 1755. It was many years later that King Ferdinand II decided to build Pena National Palace in its place in 1842. It was to be a summer residence for himself, his queen, and their children.

They turned the tower that once housed monks into their royal chambers and built many exterior walkways to view the surrounding countryside. The unique architecture was a mending of French, Greek, Islamic, and Roman architecture with lots of design input by the King and Queen. They wanted to highlight the many cultures that played into the history of Portugal as well as save as many things from its Monastic history as possible.

Libson Day Trips Idea #2: Sintra Forest

The best of Pena National Palace for me is the Sintra Forest land that surrounds the castle. With dozens of trails, hundreds of different tree and plant species, and a labyrinth of hidden buildings and structures to find, it is still as magical today as it was a few centuries ago.

Stables and farm animals also live within the forest. If you are lucky, you can go on a horseback riding adventure through the forest lands.

Lisbon Day Trips Idea #3: Castle of the Moors

To get there you can simply hop back on the shuttle, or walk through the forest and exit at the Entrance to the Moorish Castle.

Sharing a hilltop with Pena National Palace is the Castle of the Moors. It was built by the Moorish Rulers of Portugal in the 8th and 9th centuries. At the time the surrounding lands were mostly farms and the Moors built this watchtower to look out for invaders who could be approaching from any direction.

With its high location, they could see for miles in every direction. Its 450-meter-long wall runs along the hilltop perimeter and is a fantastic place to get pictures of Pena National Palace.

Lisbon Day Trips Idea #4: Sintra National Palace

Your last stop on your day trip to Sintra should be to Sintra National Palace. Located in town, this is the oldest of the Royal Palaces in Sintra and has amazing mosaic azulejo tile throughout the Palace.

Lisbon Day Trips Idea #5: Cabo de Roc

Depending on your tour or transportation, on your return to Lisbon, you may want to visit Cabo De Roc. By driving west from Sintra, you can visit this viewpoint on the ocean. Although it’s a little out of the way, it is well worth it. It’s the westernmost point in mainland Portugal and beautiful ending to a magical day trip to Sintra.

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