From Lisbon, we took a 30 minute Uber ride to the town of Sintra Portugal. Our self-guided tour started at the Park and National Palace of Pena; the crown jewel of Sintra. This brightly colored, whimsical castle sits on the top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains above the town of Sintra.
In the park, winding paths lead to secluded corners and landmarks — such as the High Cross, the Temple of Columns, the Monk’s Grotto, the Valley of the Lakes or the Queen’s Fernery. We chose a pathway that was uphill but not so steep and without any steps to climb.
A visit to the castle is timed and we had about an hour and a half before out entry time. While waiting we walked up to the terraces that had breathtaking views. There’s the Queen’s Terrace that is perhaps the best vantage point for taking in the overall architecture of the palace; and the Triton’s Terrace, which is named after the mythological monster sculpted over the neo-Gothic archway.
Our time in the castle was short. Even though the castle was huge, we walked through only 4 rooms. However, I will say, our time spent viewing the outside of the castle was the best and most picture worthy.
Leaving the castle area, we had to get back down the mountain. Luckily, there was a bus that did that and doubled as a hop on/off bus. We chose this route but once we got off the mountain, the bus was taken out of service, and we were told to wait for the next one, which never came.
We walked through town a bit and found a lunch spot, which happened to be across the street from the regional train station. We discovered that we could take the train back to Lisbon, and much better would take us to the Metro blue line where we could walk a few blocks to our hotel.
The town of Sintra wasn’t much to see or do, but a trip to the castle is worth it.
