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Sintra

Portugal travel guide

What to see in Sintra

Fairy-tale palaces among forests, about 40 minutes by train from Lisbon.

Updated 19 October 2026 · How we make our guides

Photo: Kent Wang · CC BY 4.0

Sintra highlights

The places you can’t miss. In the app we sort them by day and close to each other.

  1. Pena Palace

    A colourful Romantic palace on the hills.

  2. Quinta da Regaleira

    An initiation well and esoteric gardens.

  3. Moorish Castle

    Moorish walls with views of the Atlantic.

  4. Cabo da Roca

    The westernmost point of mainland Europe.

  5. Cascais (coast)

    A seaside town; train from Cais do Sodré.

Where to stay in Sintra

The handiest areas for getting around and going out.

  • Recommended areas

    Sintra centre · São Pedro

Day trips from Sintra

We take you straight to the best-rated tour on GetYourGuide, with its reviews and dates.

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When to travel to Sintra

Any time of year is good to travel to Sintra: our data shows no months with weather, closure or crowd warnings.

  1. Jan no warnings
  2. Feb no warnings
  3. Mar no warnings
  4. Apr no warnings
  5. May no warnings
  6. Jun no warnings
  7. Jul no warnings
  8. Aug no warnings
  9. Sep no warnings
  10. Oct no warnings
  11. Nov no warnings
  12. Dec no warnings

Typical food of Sintra

The dish you have to try there and how to make it at home, to whet your appetite before the trip (or to go back to Sintra from your kitchen).

Travesseiros de Sintra
Photo: Philip Mallis from Melbourne · CC BY-SA 4.0

Travesseiros de Sintra

Sintra’s “pillows”: puff pastry filled with almond and egg cream, dusted with sugar. They’re eaten warm, straight out of the oven, alongside queijadas.

  • Serves 8
  • 45 min

Ingredients

  • 1 sheet of puff pastry
  • 100 g ground almonds
  • 100 g sugar
  • 4 egg yolks
  • 50 ml water
  • Sugar for dusting

How to make it at home

  1. Boil the water with the sugar to make a light syrup.
  2. Off the heat, add the almonds and yolks and cook over a very low heat, stirring, until thick.
  3. Leave the cream to cool.
  4. Cut the pastry into rectangles, put a spoonful of cream on each and fold them like a cushion, sealing the edges.
  5. Bake at 200 °C for about 15–20 minutes and dust with sugar while hot.

The trick: In Sintra people order them in twos: one isn’t enough.

Where and what to eat

To eat like a local: a tasca. The dishes you can’t miss are in the Portugal guide.

  • InCommon

    Centre

    Modern Portuguese.

  • Tascantiga

    Centre

    Petiscos.

Frequently asked questions about Sintra

What to see in Sintra?

Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira, Moorish Castle, Cabo da Roca and Cascais (coast).

What to see in Sintra in one day?

Don’t miss Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira, Moorish Castle, Cabo da Roca and Cascais (coast). To split it into days and areas without crossing the city back and forth, the Bagintravel app plans your trip in a minute.

Where to stay in Sintra?

The handiest areas to stay are Sintra centre and São Pedro.

What’s the best time to travel to Sintra?

Any time of year is good to travel to Sintra: our data shows no months with weather, closure or crowd warnings.

What day trips can you take from Sintra?

Pena Palace and Cabo da Roca and Cascais.

What is the typical food of Sintra?

Travesseiros de Sintra. Sintra’s “pillows”: puff pastry filled with almond and egg cream, dusted with sugar. They’re eaten warm, straight out of the oven, alongside queijadas.

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Guide reviewed 19 October 2026. Places, areas and seasons: the same data the Bagintravel app uses. Sources and method.