Sintra and its region
Explore Tours
Organized trip to Portugal: 8 days/7 nights in Sintra and its surroundings.
- Program all year round from Sintra
- Duration: 8 days
- Min 2 and max 8 people
- Charming hotel in Sintra: 7 nights with breakfast
- 5 lunches
- With local guide
- With your vehicle, rental or not, OR with the guide’s car, from Sintra
- All guided tours and entrances included according to program
- This trip can be tailored to your wishes
Why this trip to Sintra
To savor Romanticism in Portugal
It was at the end of the 18th century that the romantic spirit exulted in the magic of Sintra and its surroundings, as well as in the exoticism of its landscape and its climate. Located west of Lisbon, 30 minutes; the village of Sintra, an independent municipality of Lisbon, is like a fairy tale with its atypical dream palaces, its breathtaking landscapes, exceptional and unequaled spaces.
A World Heritage Site, listed by UNESCO, Sintra is the only place in Portugal where history has become a garden!! The monuments are an integral part of the exotic and breathtaking greenery.
For its precious and atypical cultural and natural landscape
Sintra reached its peak during the reign of D. Fernando II of the Saxe-Coburg-Gotha dynasty (1836-1885). Very associated with Sintra and its landscape, this artist-king established romanticism here with a splendor unique in the Mediterranean regions. It anticipates the famous Neuchwanstein Castle, built by Ludwig II of Bavaria. D. Ferdinand II also surrounded the Palace of Pana with a vast romantic park planted with rare exotic trees, decorated with fountains, streams and chains of ponds, chalets, chapels and fake ruins, and traversed by magical paths unequaled elsewhere. The king also took care to restore the forests of the Serra (mountains): thousands of trees were planted, mainly native oaks and pines, Mexican cypresses, acacias from Australia and countless other species that have made an exceptional contribution to the romantic character of the Serra. Mediterranean and Nordic flora have been combined with hundreds of exotic trees and flowers in a truly unique setting of gardens, parks and forests.
Your experiences during this romantic and mystical journey:
- Discover the atypical parks and monuments of Sintra: Regaleira Palace, Moorish Castle, Sintra National Palace , Biester Palace , Pena National Palace , Monserrate Palace, Capuchin Convent.
- Visit the Queluz Palace : The little VERSAILLE of Portugal
- Swim in the Atlantic Ocean and admire the magnificent beaches: Praia Grande, the Azenhas do mar, Praia da Adraga which received the distinction “Beach with golden quality”.
- Also discover the westernmost point of the European continent: Cabo da Roca
- Experiencing Sintra Electric: The Sintra tramway is one of the region’s ex-libris.
- Exploring nature on a hike: The Sintra Mountains
- Visiting unique sandy vineyards, and tasting emblematic wines in a Colares winery.
- Savor the gastronomic heritage of Sintra. Meat dishes include Leitao, suckling pig, from Negrais. Carne de Porco as Merces, pork meat in small pieces with fillets. The coast of the Sintra region is abundant in fine fish, crustaceans and molluscs. In the sweets, the highlight inevitably goes to the Queijadas de Sintra, sweet ancestor of the Middle Ages.
- Sleep for 7 nights in one of the 2 symbolic places of Sintra, subject to availability: – Sintra Marmoris Palace , which is the soul of a property designed and built at the end of the 19th century and carefully restored 100 years later by a family who for several generations has been linked to the marble industry. Surrounded by 14,000 m2 of sumptuous gardens, the comfort and privacy of a dwelling house, it combines the famous romantic 18th century model that sets Sintra apart. OR – Lawrence’s Hotelfounded by the English Lawrence family in 1764 is the oldest hotel unit on the Iberian Peninsula and where Lord Byron wrote the book ‘Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage’, in which Sintra is described as ‘Eden Glorioso’. It appears as a script in the “Maias”, by Eça de Queiroz, and here have passed other personalities of Portuguese literary culture: Ramalho Ortigão, Oliveira Martins, Camilo Castelo Branco, among others.
PROGRAM
From Lisbon or another city in Portugal, you have the choice between: 1: Take the train to Sintra and your guide will meet you at the station and drive you to your hotel. The entire stay will be in the guide’s vehicle, by tram and on foot. 2. Come to Sintra with your car , own or rental, and your guide will take you to your hotel. All the stay will be done with your vehicle and the guide, EXCEPT day 1 which will be done by tram and with the car of your guide. Hotel: The Marmoris Palace or the Lawrence s hotel , both in the city center, for check-in. Rest of the day free.
Start your stay in Sintra with a tasty breakfast Then, just a few steps from the hotel, board the century-old Sintra tram from the Estefanea district, one of the entrances to Sintra. Initially it responded to the need to connect vila velha de Sintra to Praia das Maçãs, and began its functions in 1904. Today it operates as a tourist transport and continues to make the connection between Estefânea in Sintra and Praia das Maçãs at the ocean. It is plane trees, vineyards and orchards that give freshness to the visit. On a route stretching nearly 13 km through sycamores, vineyards and orchards, in about 45 minutes. Your guide is waiting for you at the tram terminus. Visit of the small village located on a cliff by the ocean: Azenhas do Mar.Magnificent and emblematic, this village surprises with its geographical location, with houses cascading over the cliff to the sea. By car with your guide, you drive along the coast, crossing the various magnificent and all different beaches: Praia Pequena do Rodizio , Praia Grande, Praia da Adraga, in Almocageme. Rough, wild and deep blue. All simply magnificent! A swim will be a must depending on the climate at one of these beaches… Lunch with fresh fish and seafood from the coast in a local restaurant will be a delight.
In less than 2 km further south, we arrive at Cabo da Roca: Upon your arrival, let yourself be impressed by the beautiful immensity of the Atlantic Ocean that unfolds before your eyes, in one of the most emblematic places in Portugal. At Cabo da Roca “…where the land ends and the sea begins…”, obtain a certificate of attendance at the westernmost point of the European continent at the local tourist office. Return to Sintra by car and free evening.
After your breakfast, road with your guide, to visit the vineyards of Colares, which are 6 km from Sintra. It is the westernmost demarcated region of continental Europe and the country’s smallest wine-producing region. An original viticulture with unusual and ancient cultural techniques. Unusual deep sandy soils, where even the philoxera bug could not thrive. The resulting landscape is extraordinary and unique in the whole world of wine. Tasting of single variety wines in the oldest cooperative winery in Portugal: Adega de Colares . Unique grape varieties (Ramisco and Malvasia de Colares) .
Breakfast in a local restaurant. We then continue to the Park and Palace of Monserrate. Countless foreign travellers, especially English ones, have extolled its beauty in travelogues and engravings. It is a masterpiece of romanticism. In 1858 by order of Sir Francis Cook, Viscount of Monserrate, the construction of the gardens made it possible to explore the microclimatic particularities of the Serra, thus obtaining a magnificent park in which more than 3,000 exotic species can still be observed today. The sublime aspect of the property was a source of inspiration for the poet Lord Byron. Through trees from all over the world, waterfalls and lakes, walking through Monserrate Park is to feel involved in a romantic mystique. Discover with your guide one of the richest Portuguese botanical gardens and one of the most beautiful landscape creations of Romanticism in Portugal. During this botanical tour of the five continents, camellias, azaleas, rododendrons and bamboos also stand out, evoking a garden in Japan. After visiting the palace, return to Sintra. Free evening.
After your breakfast, your guide takes you by car to the Moorish castle, a privileged place to admire the view that stretches from Sintra to the sea. Winding through two peaks of the Serra de Sintra, the castle dates back to the beginnings of peninsular occupation by the Moors in the 8th century. Strategically built on one of the highest peaks of the mountain which to the north functions as an insurmountable natural defense, the castle rises full of nobility and excellence.
We then drive up to Pena Palace, located on one of the peaks of the Sintra Mountains, in the heart of a 200 hectare park in the town of Sintra. Lunch at the Palace restaurant, and then guided tour of the park and palace.
- Pena Park is home to more than 2000 varieties of plants, most of which have been imported from different countries, representing a unique exotic garden. These include giant sequoias from North America, Lawson’s cypress, Ginkgo biloba from China, Cryptomeria from Japan, and many more.
- Pena Park is located on the highest peaks of Serre de Sintra where you will have incredible views of the town and its countryside. Designed by King Fernando II, Pena Park reflects the unique taste of romanticism as expressed in the park.
- Pena Park has been divided into several gardens with small decorative buildings, waterfalls, ponds, fountains and lakes populated by ducks and fish, a real feast for the eyes.
Pena National Palace represents one of the best expressions of 19th century romanticism in the world. Rising on a steep rock, it is the second highest point of the Serra de Sintra (above the palace is only the Cruz Alta, at 528m above sea level). Back in town. Free evening.
After breakfast, drive with your guide to the convent of Santa Cruz da Serra de Sintra, known as the Capuchin convent. It is located in an isolated and harsh place, 8 km from Sintra.
This Franciscan convent built in direct contact with nature and in accordance with a philosophy of extreme architectural and decorative simplicity is small and remarkable in its simplicity. Of reduced dimensions, with cells and a dormitory covered with cork and a chapel whose dome is formed in the rock itself, the convent would justify the declaration of William Beckford who, in 1787, said: “we followed for several miles a narrow shortcut on a wild hill that led us to the Capuchin convent which corresponds to the image of the residence of Robinson Crusoe” (William Beckford and Portugal. The journey of a passion).
Inhabited at the end of the 18th century, the convent of Santa Cruz dos Capuchos was abandoned in 1834, with the extinction of the religious orders that the liberal regime had determined.
Lunch in a nearby restaurant. Then we start a 5 km hike. The forest is probably the most important testimony of the primitive forest of the Serra de Sintra. This forest consists of a sub-Mediterranean arboreal formation dominated by deciduous oaks, with elements of Mediterranean maquis in the infiltration and a great profusion of ferns, mosses and epiphytes and vines that envelop and cover all in a dense tangle of plants. They also stand out as isolated specimens cultivated by man. Due to its rarity, state of conservation and the remarkable size of many specimens, this forest is an important natural value that must be safeguarded. Return to Sintra. Free evening.
After breakfast, visit on foot with your guide of the historic center of Sintra with the National Palace which sits in its center. The National Palace of Sintra, was one of the palaces used by the Portuguese royal family practically until the end of the monarchy in 1910. It is dominated by two large medium-sized chimneys which crown the kitchen and constitute the “ex- libris” by Sintra. It features Medieval, Gothic, Manueline, Renaissance and Romantic architecture. It has the largest set of Mudejar tiles in the country. Lunch in a local restaurant in the center. Then we continue on foot to the Regaleira Palace. Carvalho Monteiro, following in the footsteps of Italian architect Luigi Manini, transforms the 4-hectare farm into a palace surrounded by lush gardens, lakes, of caves and enigmatic buildings, places that hide alchemical meanings, such as those evoked by Freemasonry, the Templars and the Rose-Croix. He models the space with mixed strokes, which evoke Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and Manueline architecture. The guided tour includes the gardens and the palace. The verdant gardens, which are three-dimensional landscapes, are characterized by wells, caves, lakes and pavilions that reveal the taste of praise. Symbolic allusions abound, some of them of Masonic origin. The set formed by the palace, the chapel, the starting well, the lakes, the sculptures, the towers, the artificial caves, the viewpoints, the gathering spaces and other corners that enchant, take us away from the reality we experience in everyday life. Return to the hotel and free evening.
After a free morning, your guide will take you on foot, in the early afternoon, to the park and Palais Biester. More than a historical monument, the Biester Palace is a mysterious adventure in a fascinating and (still) little explored cultural labyrinth. The richness of stylistic influences results from a set of great historical and artistic importance, perfectly integrated into the romantic spirit of the landscape in which it is inserted, while asserting itself as one of the greatest representatives of the modernity at the end of the century.
But the universe of Biester is much more than meets the eye, with a story full of secrets and a mysterious and captivating spiritual dimension. All the events that gave rise to its construction, especially the chapel and the library, are a deep and complex mysticism, where art and religion meet, in a journey that is built through themes as intriguing as the Templars, Rome and Christianity, or even through esoteric links with occult spheres.
The richness of the Biester Palace extends from the interior to the exterior. The park, a specimen of natural exuberance, has a wide variety of exotic species, such as camelisols from China and Japan, green and red beeches from central Europe, acacias from Australia and firs from America. North. Rest of the day free.
On the way back, by car OR by train, just 16km from Sintra to Lisbon, is the Queluz Palace, another marvel, a luxurious royal residence, also called the little Versailles of Portugal. The palace reflects the evolution of tastes and styles, moving from baroque to rococo and neoclassicism.
PRICE: From 1160€/p.
Included in the price:
- Charming hotel in Sintra: 7 nights with breakfast
- 5 lunches
- local guide
- Your vehicle, rental or not, OR the guide’s car
- All guided tours and entrances included according to program
- This trip can be tailored to your wishes
