“If you don’t climb the mountain, you can’t see the view.”
– Harvey Mackay
One of the best day trips from Lisbon is a visit to Sintra, a super charming little town situated in the high hills of the Serra de Sintra, one of Portugal’s 13 natural parks. Scattered all over the hills are beautiful palaces, extravagant villas and the ruins of an enormous Moorish castle. Sintra is simply a must-go and must-see whenever you are in Lisbon for more than 2 days.
The internet is full of organised tours to Sintra and this can make you feel that Sintra can only be done with a guide. I disagree. It’s an easy trip to undertake yourself, since public transport to and in Sintra is perfectly well organised and tickets can be bought online and on the spot. We did it all ourselves, took an early train to Sintra, had coffee with a pastéis de nata before taking the bus all the way up the Sintra hills. We visited 3 castles in one day at a leisurely pace and had a delicious light lunch in the charming old city centre as a break between our sightseeings.
If you want to explore Sintra without a guide too, please read on, since this week’s blogpost is all about possible ways to organise your one-day-trip to Sintra without a guide, without any hassle and with lots and lots of castles and food to enjoy!
