What to see in Sintra

Crowning the Sintra Mountain, the Pena Palace, extreme example of the Portuguese romantic architecture, is due to the materialisation of the flamboyant and extravagant dreams of a Bavarian Prince, Ferdinand Saxe Coburg-Gotha (1816-1885), King Consort of Queen Maria II .

In 1838 he bought the ruins of the former Monastery of Nossa Senhora da Pena built in 1503. He then restored and enlarged them to achieve the palace corresponding to his romantic nature.

More ...

Often called the Portuguese Versailles, this Neo-Classic Palace, erected in the middle of the 18th century, was the Court summer residence.

Nowadays it is the residence of foreign personalities who are received by the Portuguese State.

More ...

Little romantic palace built in 1858, one of the most interesting examples of Sintra Romanticism.

Its surrounding park is an extraordinary botanical reserve.

More ...

Built by the Arabs in the 8th century and conquered by the first Portuguese King Afonso I in 1147, the Moorish Castle offers breathtaking views over the Sintra’s plain and the ocean.

It features a huge cistern, an impressive main tower and a roman chapel.

More ...

Built at the turn of the 20th century, this fascinating ensemble of constructions is the realisation of the mythical magical dreams of its millionaire owner.

The palace and other buildings disseminated in the estate are full of masonic, alchemic and esoteric symbols.

More ...

Nowadays a deluxe hotel , this Neo-Classical Palace was built in the last quarter of the 18th century by the Dutch Consul, Daniel Gildemeester.

At the end of that century the property was sold to the 5th Marquis of Marialva who added a second wing to the original construction and connected them by an arch commemorating the visit King John VI and Queen Carlota Joaquina of Spain in 1802.

More ...

This ancient palace, dating back to 1281 and dominated by 33 metres twin chimneys atop the kitchen, is the major landmark of Sintra.

Its current configuration derives from two different construction periods, the first of which in the reign of King John I (1385-1433) and the second in the reign of Manuel I in the 16th century.

More ...

The city hall was built in 1906 by Adães Bermudes, one of the major figures of the Art Nouveau in Portugal.

The building features Neo-Manueline windows and a pyramidal tower covered by Azulejos .

Azenhas do Mar, a picturesque valley with white houses perched on the north slope, is one of the most appreciated and interesting beaches of Sintra.

Its belvedere is built on cliffs that drop fearlessly to the ocean.

It is a popular place all year long, due to the grandeur of the view it offers. One can admire the Atlantic Ocean in all its splendor and, with a little luck, fishing trawlers sailing far away.

More ...

Coordinates: 38.8400585; -9.4623184

140 metres above the sea, Cabo da Roca is the westernmost point of continental Europe, "where the land ends and the sea begins" as described by the famous Portuguese poet Luís Camões

The 25 metres high lighthouse erected there started operating in 1772 and is the third oldest lighthouse of Portugal. Its light has a reach of 48 kilometres. It can be visited every Wednesday from 14:00 until 17:00. Free entry, but the number of visitors is limited.

On the side of the lighthouse, there is a tourism info desk where visitors can buy an old style calligraphy hand written certificate attesting their presence at the westernmost point of continental Europe.

Coordinates: 38.7801075; -9.3984496

Cabo da Roca on Wikipedia

Lighthouse on Wikipedia

The highest (529 metres) peak of the Sintra's mountain, in the Pena Palace's park, Cruz Alta (high cross) offers breathtaking views of Lisbon to the east, the Tagus Estuary to the south, the plain to the north and the sea to the west.

Coordinates: 38.7819935; -9.3913860

Delightful spot in a garden from which can be seen three hilltops of the Serra de (mountain of) Sintra: on the left, a revivalist privately owned villa known as Castelo de São Gregorio (not visible on the above picture), in the centre the Pena Palace and on the right the Castle of the Moors, .

Coordinates: 38.7947942; -9.3806424

This large elegant fountain of Neo-Romantic style was designed in 1922 by a master sculptor of Sintra, José da Fonseca, with Arabic features, decorated with neo-Mudéjar Azulejos , and colourful stucco works.

It was originally located on the same street, Volta da Duche, but closer to the Old Town.

In 1960 it was dismounted when the street was widened, but in 1982 the Town Council had it restored, in its current location.

Coordinates: 38.7962560; -9.3877154

Already existing in the 14th century, the fountain is located in Sintra's historical centre.

Restored in 1787, the spout was shaped into a barrel (Pipa), thus originating its name.

Coordinates: 38.7957373; -9.911902

The fountain dates back to Middle Ages, but was restored in the 18th century.

Its water, streaming out of two peculiar breast-shaped spouts, is famous because of its medicinal benefits.

There is a local saying that anyone who drinks Sabuga's water will never forget Sintra.

Coordinates: 38.7954115; -9.3873077

The fountain was erected in 1875 by Francis Cook , 1st Viscount of Monserrate and owner of the nearby Palace bearing the same name, for 'The Good of The People' as indicated in Latin on the top of the building.

It has been restored by the municipality in 1988.

Coordinates: 38.7900095; -9.4159376

This medieval church already existed in 1403 and was enlarged in the 16th Century (1565). It replaced the Chapel of São Pedro, the ruins of which are still to be seen inside the Moorish Castle, as church of one of the four first parishes of 1147.

It has a single nave with a 16th Century lacunar vault and the side walls are lined with magnificent panels of blue and white azulejos from the first half of the 18th Century and depicting scenes from the life of Saint Peter.

Also noteworthy is the Baroque doorway of the facade, carrying the arms of the first Patriarch of Lisbon of Lisbon, Tomás de Almeida (1670–1754), a prelate who endowed the church with important works.

In the body of the church one find a Gothic sculpture of Saint Peter (15th Century) originally in the Romanesque Chapel of São Pedro, one of the original parish churches of Sintra.

The sacristy features an ivory Christ from the end of the 17th Century, and a canvas by Bento Coelho, one of the most renowned Portuguese artists of the seventeenth century.

Built by Afonso I (1109-1185) after the Reconquista Reconquista of Portugal in 1147.

The church was completely remodelled at the end of the 13th and start of the 14th Century.

This Gothic building has three naves with ogival arches and finely worked capitals and expresses admirably the sacred space of medieval churches.

The main doorway, inscribed in a Gothic gablet, was added to in the early 16th Century - a double entrance with classical column in the centre. Also from that period are the choir with its lacunar vaulting and the font and stoup, which are Manueline .

To note is a sculpture of the Immaculate Conception, in polychrome wood (17th Century) in the Gothic chancel.

This parish church (like Santa Maria and Santo Pedro) was destroyed by the 1755 earthquake and rebuilt at the end of the 18th Century.

From the original building, only remains the Gothic chancel and three Portuguese paintings on wood from the middle of the 16th Century.

From its parvise , one can see sea.

This church with is circular plan is the centre of a very ancient folk pilgrimage that includes a traditional blessing of livestock under the protection of Saint Mamede .

Inside, in a central position, a podium might have been formerly a roman altar dedicated to Diana, the hunting goddess, an interesting parallel with the present patron, Saint Mamede , protector of the animals, an explanation to the fact that these had free entrance in the chapel up to recent times.