What to do in Sintra in 3 days: complete itinerary
Three days in Sintra is enough to see all four major monuments without rushing, eat well, explore the historic centre at a leisurely pace and make it out to Cabo da Roca. 89% of visitors do it as a day trip; you'll have the advantage of being there once they've gone. Arrive by train from Lisboa-Rossio (40 minutes, around €2.40), book your timed-entry ticket for Palácio da Pena before you leave home, and plan your days from most to least crowded: Pena first, Monserrate last.
Before you go: what to book and know
Palácio da Pena sells timed-entry tickets through Parques de Sintra — in high season (June–September) if you don't book ahead, you may not get into the palace itself. Park + palace entry costs €20. The Scotturb 434 tourist bus (Circuito da Pena) costs around €13.50 for a 24-hour pass and runs from the station up to Castelo dos Mouros and Pena. The 435 covers Quinta da Regaleira and Monserrate. Parking in Sintra is genuinely difficult and the roads to the palaces back up every day; the train from Lisboa-Rossio is the sensible option.
Budget guide per day: coffee (bica) €0.80–1.20, set lunch menu €10–15, hotel night €120–150 on average. A warm travesseiro at Casa Piriquita costs €1.50–1.80; a queijada, €1.20–1.50.
Day 1: the summit first — Palácio da Pena and Castelo dos Mouros
Take the first morning train from Lisbon. From Sintra station, hop on bus 434 straight up to Castelo dos Mouros: the 8th–9th century Moorish ramparts give you a panorama of the entire Serra without the palace queues, and first thing in the morning it's nearly empty. Afonso Henriques captured the castle in 1147, the same year he took Lisbon.
From the castle, on foot or on the same bus, you reach Palácio da Pena. Fernando II commissioned it on the site of a Hieronymite monastery from 1511; construction finished around 1854. Baron von Eschwege designed that hybrid of neo-Gothic, neo-Manueline and neo-Moorish towers painted red and yellow — it was grey for decades until the original colours were restored. The surrounding park contains over 340 catalogued tree species.
Head down to the historic centre in the mid-afternoon. Stop by Casa Piriquita (founded 1862) before closing time: the travesseiro — puff pastry filled with almond cream — is made fresh daily.
Day 2: Quinta da Regaleira and Palácio Nacional de Sintra
Quinta da Regaleira is the most intellectually dense visit. Millionaire Carvalho Monteiro commissioned architect Luigi Manini to build it between 1904 and 1910. The Initiation Well — an inverted tower with nine landings, around 27 metres deep — is the most photographed element; the reference to the nine circles of Dante's Inferno is deliberate. The garden has galleries, chapels and ponds. Arrive early; in summer the queues to descend the well are long.
In the afternoon, head down to Palácio Nacional de Sintra in the heart of the Vila Velha. It's the oldest surviving royal palace in Portugal, identifiable by the two conical chimneys around 33 metres tall rising above the medieval kitchens. The visit is more relaxed than Pena, and the historic centre setting lets you wander between shops and cafés without a fixed agenda.
If you're visiting in August, the Câmara de Sintra organises the Feira de Artesanato in the Jardim da Correnteza, next to the Vila Velha — free entry.
Day 3: Palácio de Monserrate and Cabo da Roca
Palácio de Monserrate is the least visited of the four major palaces. Francis Cook commissioned it between 1858 and 1864, blending Gothic, Indian and Moorish styles — a combination unlike anything else in the Serra. The surrounding garden is partly wild, which makes it feel far less hectic than Pena. Bus 435 from the station brings you here.
In the afternoon, if you have a hire car or book a taxi, Cabo da Roca is around 18 km from Sintra. At 165 metres above the Atlantic, it's the westernmost point of continental Europe. The lighthouse has been operating since 1772. The wind is constant and there's nothing but ocean between you and America. Head back to Sintra or go straight to Lisbon depending on the train schedule.
When to go: best time and crowds
June, July, August and September are the busiest months — and the driest (July: 3 mm average rainfall, August: 4 mm). Temperatures in the Serra hover around 18–20 °C in summer, two to five degrees cooler than Lisbon thanks to the Atlantic mist. In peak summer the queues at Pena and Regaleira are long even with advance booking.
April, May and October offer good weather (14–17 °C), smaller crowds and green scenery. January and February are the quietest months (12 °C, moderate rain), ideal if you want the palaces almost to yourself. Avoid summer weekends if you can; the difference on weekdays is significant.
In June two events might interest you or complicate your logistics: the Festas de São Pedro de Sintra (around 28–29 June, free, in honour of the local patron saint) and the Festival de Sintra, Portugal's oldest classical music festival, founded in 1957, which fills the palaces with concerts.
Getting around Sintra
The Scotturb 434 tourist bus runs from the station up to Castelo dos Mouros and Palácio da Pena (24h pass: around €13.50). The 435 covers Quinta da Regaleira and Palácio de Monserrate. The historic centre is walkable.
Your own car isn't worth it unless you're heading to Cabo da Roca: the roads to the palaces are narrow and traffic in high season is brutal. If you drive, arrive before 9:00.
There's no direct train from Lisbon airport (LIS) to Sintra. The most practical option is the metro (red line) to Oriente, then the CP Sintra line; total journey time is around 1h–1h15. By taxi it's around 35–40 minutes and approximately €35–50.