Photo from Tourism of Sintra
Sintra is a fairytale town in every sense. The hillsides are cluttered with palaces and villas.We went to Portugal to visit very dear friends of ours that we worked with in Indonesia and I was amazed how beautiful and eclectic the country was. It’s really a mix of Moor, Spanish, and European. I can see why so many people choose it for a honeymoon spot.
But the town of Sintra was my favorite city. It’s magical in every sense: castles, cliffs, charming village, quaint shops. The hillsides are cluttered with palaces and villas.
Sintra Old Town
Photo was taken by Paul Courtel
Narrow streets built over a long period of time.
Places to Visit around Sintra:
- Pena Palace- Built in the 1840s is a random mix of German and Moorish archeticture sprinkled with Spanish influence.
- Regaleira Estate- known for its beautiful gardens and Gothic architecture.
- Moorish Castle- Built in the 8th century, it has fantastic views of the valley and fun to climb along its walls and wander the dark turrets.
- Toy Museum- A collection of more than 20,000 toys including 3000-year old Egyptian toys, Hornby trains from the 1930s, Nazi toy soldiers made in Germany during World War II, birthday and Christmas gifts given to royal children, and some of the first ever toy cars.
- Outside of Sintra is the famous cliff, Cabo da Roca. This cliff rises up to 460ft.
- Fantastic shopping! This is a great place to buy hand painted tiles, linen and linen tablecloths, and great soccer gear.
Photo from Tourism of Sintra
- Beaches- Adraga Beach- Its windy and go early because of parking but with the mountains and waves, it's gorgeous.
Also, I've lost all my good pictures of Sintra sometime in the last week! I think I deleted them all by accident. So I don't have nearly as many pictures as I was hoping for. Sorry! I'm so bummed.
