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Guided Tours of Sintra from Lisbon

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John Roberts

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We are starting the Camino Portuguese from Lisbon in September. Can anyone recommend a one day tour to Sintra? I understand that that is the best way to experience it.
Thanks
John
 
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Sintra is very easy to do without a tour. I did it as a day trip using the train from Lisbon in June. Even in early mid June it was very very busy, queue for train tickets, bus, entrance, 1.5 hours to get into the Palace. If a tour lets you skip some of the queues it may be worth it otherwise probably much cheaper to do it independently and you can take your own time. YMMV
 
Decide which of the places you want to see. I picked 2 for the day, without a tour and was fine. Took train from Lisbon and back. Next time, I will stay a say or 2 in Sintra. Bom Caminho
 
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Getting the train from Lisbon to Sintra and back is easy, and very cheap (about 2.50 euros each way). The tricky part is transport around Sintra once you're there. If you want to visit the Pena Palace or the Moorish Castle, it's a very long and steep walk, and you might have to wait a long time for the bus. I would consider taking a tuk-tuk instead. They are not as prevalent as in Lisbon, though, so you might want to contact a company ahead of time to arrange it. http://tukonme.pt operates in Sintra.

For a first-time visit, I would recommend going to the Moorish Castle and the Pena Gardens, but probably not inside the Pena Palace. It will be very crowded inside, and the best part is the outside anyway, which you can see with just the gardens ticket.
 
Sintra is a must do. I was there recently with my daughter and had a wonderful day. As others have said a tour is not necessary although I would recommend an early start to minimise crowds. We just caught the train from Sta Apollonia and the bus up the hill to Sintra. Lunch in the restaurant in the exotic palace and then spent hours walking peacefully in the extensive beautiful gardens. A tour would detract from the experience and would be of no benefit.

 
I'm glad you enjoyed Sintra! Just a small clarification: the train leaves from Rossio station, not Santa Apolónia.

Also, to contradict what I wrote above a few months ago, I recently did the hike up to the Pena Palace and Moorish Castle and didn't find it that steep. Any pilgrim should be able to handle it, and it's a lovely walk.
 
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Ahh yes. You are quite correct it was Rossio. We were glad to take the bus but spent hours walking around the beautiful gardens.
 
Visited late May 2018 without a tour guide and loved it! When you arrive at the Sinatra train station, there will be a line of fixed-price tuktuks - jump in the first one and head up the hill! You'll get plenty of exercise walking around the various sites as well as back down to the city center.

I would limit the visit to two sites, though, and definitely pre-purchase your tickets to avoid some lines. Also, there are some nice places to stay within a block or two of the train station so consider an overnight excursion: it's magical once the tourist crowds leave in the late afternoon.

Finally, there is a hiking path from Porto for those truly adventurous pilgrims...
 
We just caught the bus from the station which was quite easy. There were a lot buses running an efficient shuttle service. At Sintra there was almost no waiting either. We were reasonably early and it was a Friday, 16thNovember, it may be much busier at the weekend or perhaps we were just lucky. We also went back the same day as we had limited time. It was the most enjoyable thing we did in Lisbon.
 
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I agree that Sintra is a very beautiful place. But its beauty and its many attractions have produced a level of tourism that is currently, IMO, at the breaking point. The National Palace and the Pena Palace have extremely long lines. Though the numbers are not as high as Versailles or Notre Dame before the fire, the sensation is identical. It’s a continuous stream of people, and you just keep moving. I personally would not go to either of those places unless you can somehow find a day with no crowds. There are many other great things to visit in Sintra that do not involve huge crowds — the summer mansion of Montserrate and the convento dos capuchos (a tiny place for about 10 monks, with the walls lined in cork) are my two favorites. The moorish castle gets crowds, but not so overwhelming. It has great views and is fun to climb around. This English language website has a drop down menu on the top left and you can get information about all of the places to visit. Totally agree with @Vacajoe that being in the village when the tour buses have left gives you a chance to really enjoy this pretty little place, at night with the twinkling lights it is very peaceful. So I would recommend an overnight if you can swing it.
 

We're staying two nights, so I was wondering if we went to the Pena Place first thing in the morning as it opens, whether there would be fewer tourists?
Also the Convento dos Capuchos is closed until early June 2020, so we'll miss out on that visit.
 
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AJGuillaume said:
We're staying two nights, so I was wondering if we went to the Pena Place first thing in the morning as it opens, whether there would be fewer tourists?
Also the Convento dos Capuchos is closed until early June 2020, so we'll miss out on that visit.
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IMO, that would be a very good idea. Most of the people come on buses from Lisbon for a day trip, so I assume you would be fine. We saw the Parthenon with no crowds by using that strategy, and I know that Pena Palace has far fewer visitors than the Parthenon! Sorry to hear about the Convento dos Capuchos, but you will enjoy Sintra no matter what. And at night, expect it to be almost empty! So pretty at night, too.

Bom caminho! Laurie

p.s. it looks like you can buy tickets online at the official site. https://www.parquesdesintra.pt/en/commercial-area/ticket-office-2/
 

Thank you Laurie!
 
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