A DAY TRIP TO SINTRA

For our final day in Lisbon we decided to get out of the city limits and explore the sweet, little town of Sintra. On recommendation from one of Lucy’s new friends from the hostel, this town came with glowing reviews and listed as a ‘must-see’ day trip from Lisbon

We woke early, boarded the rickety tram and switched to the train when we reached the city centre. It only takes 50 minutes on the train weaving it’s way through the countryside before you reach the mountainous town of Sintra.

Sintra is a picturesque Portuguese town high up in the mountains of the Serra de Sintra and only a short ride away from Lisbon. A quaint little town filled with monuments and beautiful old architecture, Sintra is also surrounded by exquisite palaces, extravagant residences and decorative gardens that were built by rich families a hundred years ago.

We slowly wandered around town before deciding to climb the mountain to explore the Quinta da Regaleira,  a huge residence with gardens, caves, monuments and grand house.

 From climbing the many towers, to wandering the tranquil gardens and venturing deep underground to explore the caves, Quinta da Regaleira was a wonderland to be discovered.

After several hours of basking in the beauty of the grounds, we finished our self guided tour in the manner house. Beautifully painted rooms and ornate windows over three stories, the house was a thing of Devine beauty. My favourite part was the rooftop studio with huge glass windows overlooking the valley.

When we were finished at Quinta da Regaleira, we parted ways for a few hours to explore different sides of the city. Lucy was off to see the Pena Palace, but unfortunately for us we had already exhausted our daily budget so we decided to get off the beaten path in town, finding quiet streets and quirky shops.

We stopped to buy some 50 cent popcorn off a street seller and sat on the wall watching and feeding the pigeons. Eventually we started to get a little chilly so we walked further back towards the train station to a sweet little cafe with free wifi and home-made lemon tea. Before meeting Lucy again and making our way home to our cosy Lisbon apartment. It was one of my favourite day trips from the entire trip (definitely tied with Cesky Krumlov in Czech Republic!). It’s somewhere that shouldn’t be missed if you’re visiting Lisbon.