Private tour Sintra Half day

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Pass By: Castelo dos Mouros, Estrada da Pena Parque de Monserrate, Sintra 2710-609 Portugal

Castelo dos Mouros - Sintra

Monuments

Winding over two ridges of the Serra de Sintra, the Moorish Castle dates back to the early days of the Moorish occupation of the Peninsula - the 8th Century.

After various attempts it was definitively taken by Dom Afonso Henriques in 1147, and there was built the first Christian Chapel of the borough, dedicated to São Pedro de Penaferrim.

In the romantic period, about 1860, the walls were restored under the supervision of Dom Fernando II, husband of Dona Maria II, who afforested the surrounding areas, and gave the old medieval ruins a new dignity. Of note are the Moorish Cistern in the interior, and the so-called Royal Tower.

Located about 3.5 km from the historical centre of Sintra.

Stop At: Park and National Palace of Pena, Estrada da Pena, Sintra 2710-609 Portugal

Palácio Nacional da Pena

Museums and Palaces

Pena National Palace

The fantastic Palácio da Pena is one of the best examples of 19th-century Romantic revivalism in Portugal.

Situated at the top of the Monte da Pena, the palace was built on the site of an old monastery belonging to the Order of St. Jerome. It was the fruit of the imagination of Dom Fernando of Saxe Coburg-Gotha, who married the queen Dona Maria II in 1836. After falling in love with Sintra, he decided to buy the convent and the surrounding land to build a summer palace for the royal family.

The king consort adopted Portuguese architectural and decorative forms for the palace, which he built according to the revivalist taste (neo-Gothic, neo-Manueline, neo-Islamic, neo-Renaissance), and, in the surrounding area, he decided to make a magnificent woodland park in the English style, with a wide variety of exotic tree species.

The interior of the palace is still decorated according to the tastes of the kings and queens who lived there, and its great highlight is the chapel, where it is still possible to see a magnificent alabaster altarpiece attributed to Nicolau Chanterenne (one of the architects of the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, in Lisbon). Special reference should also be made to the painting of the walls with a trompe l’oeil effect and the azulejos.

A restaurant has now been installed in one of the wings of the palace, with a terrace that offers a beautiful panoramic view over the Serra de Sintra and the coast.

Duration: 2 hours

Stop At: Centro Historico de Sintra, Sintra 2710-616 Portugal

In the historical center of the romantic village of Sintra, (Portugal), many buildings and vestiges of various periods and cultural movements remain. It encompasses a diverse area of diverse heritage, including palaces, castles, farms and parks with different classifications. From municipal heritage to World Heritage, duly classified by UNESCO.

Duration: 30 minutes

Stop At: Quinta da Regaleira, Rua Barbosa do Bocage, Sintra 2710-567 Portugal

Palácio e Quinta da Regaleira

Museums and Palaces

Very close to the historic centre of Sintra is Quinta Regaleira, one of the town’s most enigmatic sights.

The palace of Quinta da Regaleira was built in the early 20th century by the millionaire António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro (1848-1920), who managed to realise one of his dreams here with the help of the scenographic architect Luigi Manini (1848-1936). Surrounded by lush green vegetation, the Palácio da Regaleira is a fascinating discovery.

The palace was built in a Romantic revivalist style, in an imitation of Gothic, Manueline and Renaissance architectural and decorative forms, mixed with a mythical and esoteric symbolism.

A special mention is reserved for the Capela da Santíssima Trindade (Chapel of the Holy Trinity), where visitors can descend via a spiral staircase into the crypt to discover the monumental initiation well that, at the bottom, leads via a grotto to a surprising lake hidden in the middle of the gardens.

Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes