Madeline Klein

We visited on a Monday and it wasn’t crowded at all! We started in the gardens, which were the best we’d seen in Sintra. They had designated areas for different plants, like Fern Valley and the Mexican cactus area. The palace itself is generally unfurnished, but absolutely gorgeous! The stonework and the care put into its restoration is truly amazing- the building itself is a piece of art. The first floor has each room labeled with a sign explaining its original use. On the second floor they have signs and pictures explaining the history of the palace spread over the whole floor. We were there for about two hours looking around, and this was definitely our favorite palace in Sintra!

Beautiful church at the top of a hill! We took the stairs up, and there were many places to stop and rest along the way. The chapels on the way up before you get to the base of the famous stairs were also nice. They have a large patio at the top where you can buy drinks, snacks, and ice cream.

Beautiful historical palace in the center of Sintra. It was not crowded on a Monday morning, so we were able to take our time following the visit path. We enjoyed the signs explaining each room and loved looking at the different old tiles and furniture. They had a small bit of gardens that you could access without buying a ticket, but they weren’t anything special. We spent about an hour and a half here moving at a relatively slow pace.

The initiation well is a popular Instagram spot, but this place has so much more! The well had a line to get in, but it was probably only about a 15 minute wait. The rest of the gardens had several structures, fountains, a cave grotto, and beautiful plants. The mansion had nicely decorated rooms and information signs explaining the history of the place. We spent two and a half hours here moving at a relatively slow pace, and still didn’t even see the top corner of the gardens. They also have bathrooms and a cafe for anyone interested.