Featuring lush vegetation, Sintra is a pearl of nature located not far from Lisbon. It was the getaway of many Portuguese and European romantics, including Lord Byron who referred to it as “Glorious Eden”. The Romans described it as Mons Lunae, which translates to “Mountain of the Moon”.
Once a hunting residence of Portuguese kings, it’s now listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You’ll have some free time for lunch in the historical centre. There's also the opportunity to visit the Royal Palace* or the romantic Pena Palace*, and travel through the Sintra Mountains to the Castle of the Moors.
After leaving Sintra, we’ll stop for photos at the beautiful Monserrate Palace as well as Cabo da Roca, the most western point of mainland Europe. We’ll also stop to admire the beaches and wild dunes of Guincho and Boca do Inferno, and pass through the fashionable seaside resort towns of Cascais and Estoril. Finally, we’ll travel along the panoramic coastal road back to Lisbon.
*Please note that due to the huge amount of visitors, between the 1st. of April and the 31st. of October,the lines to visit the palaces in Sintra can be very long and time consuming. The guide can skip the lines to buy the tickets but can´t skip the line to enter the palaces. Our suggestion goes to the visit of the fantastic Queluz Palace, once summer residence of the portuguese kings. This palace is almost unknown by tourists.
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