Sintra, the "Glorioso Eden" - Lord Byron

After arriving in Lisbon late in the day and getting something to eat at the cozy diner next to our hotel in the historic Lisbon Centro, we decided the next day's adventure would be a visit to nearby Sintra.

We headed to Sintra from Lisbon’s Rossio Train Station, taking the 30 km ride to its historic center. The center of the Vila de Sintra was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is famous for its 19th century Romanticist architecture, estates, royal palaces and castles.

On arrival in Sintra we boarded the local bus to get to the palaces overlooking Sintra. Along the way we saw the Palácio Nacional de Sintra (National Palace of Sintra), the Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors) and the Palacio Nacional da Pena (Pena Palace).

We stopped briefly at the Pena Palace - a modern example of Portuguese architecture from the Romantic period which looks like it belongs in a Disney fairy tale. As a natural extension of the Palace itself, there is also a 200 hectare park with a wide variety of exotic plants from the farthest corners of the earth. While it looked like an interesting stop, we weren't interested in waiting the 1 1/2 hours in line so we took a few pictures, looked at some of the information available to us and we were on our way.

We were most interested in visiting the Castle of the Moors which had its early beginings as a pilgrimage site in the middle ages before work began in 1503 to turn it into a monastery (which was damaged by an earthquake in 1755 and abandoned altogether in 1834). Shortly thereafter, the Royal family bought and remodeled the ruins of the monastery and the Castle of the Moors and built a connecting road linking the Palace to Sintra.
The Castle is a hilltop medieval fortress built by the Moors in the 8th and 9th centuries. It was an important strategic holding during Portugal’s military history and, over its 1300 year history, it has been occupied by everyone from the original Moors, to the Vikings, to the Portugese nobility, and even for a time by a local Jewish community. It was captured by Christian forces after the fall of Lisbon in 1147 and, as part of the Sintra Cultural Landscape, is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.


The castle was extensively rebuilt after the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 and again in the 1840’s when the Royal family acquired the property.  The latest restoration happened in 1940 for the ceremonies celebrating the founding of Portugal.



The castle has an irregular plan, a double set of walls, a 12th century cistern, a 12th century parish church, and a 10th-14th century Christian necropolis. You hike past the outside wall and guardhouse on the walk from the bus to the Castle, then through the 12th century main entrance (over which you see the 19th and 20th century reconstruction work). Once inside, you can walk the 450 meter long Castle walls to get stunning views of the Castle interior itself and of the nearby palaces located around the Castle.


After spending a few hours exploring the Castle, we decided to catch the bus and head back to the historic Sintra town center. Sintra is a lovely place to take in the views of the town itself, shop for souvenirs, and explore the narrow streets. The shops include many artist’s workshops, cafes, and local food and wine stores.  We did see lots of the local Portugese cork souvenirs here including purses, clothing, shoes and hats.

 After wandering the shops and visiting the local churches, we wandered back to the train station for the quick ride back to Lisbon.
Location: Sintra, Portugal

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