At first, visiting the palaces of Sintra seemed a perfect way to spend a 12-hour layover at Lisbon, on the way travelling between West Africa and Berlin. After all, the fabled, UNESCO-designated Sintra is only about an hour away from the airport.
But meanwhile, we have read Nextbiteoflife’s post on overtourism in Sintra. So, combined with the bad weather (and our clothing situation, think “Sandals and T-Shirts”) we are having second thoughts. On the other hand, the tourist crowds shouldn’t be such a problem on a rainy winter day? When we arrive just after 9 am at Sintra station, the rain has stopped for the time being. Neverthelessthe puddles on the street prove a challenge for our flimsy sandals and loafers. Mind you, Northern Togo was around 40 °C, and no, we didn’t bring an umbrella on our West Africa travel …
Mediaeval palaces, romantic atmosphere, and a picturesque mountain village! Sounds good, doesn’t it? So we had read the travel guidebooks’ descriptions but did not get any proper idea of what awaited us.
Heading out to the palaces of Sintra
Sintra is indeed relatively mountainous, considering it’s so close to the sea, and on the rocky outcrop above the village, the ruins of the Moorish castle are visible in dense clouds. Cute old houses are huddled on the side of the mountain.
To avoid the next bout of rain, we hurry into the National Palace of Sintra. It is an impressive mediaeval castle right in the village, arranged in clusters of buildings around shady courtyards. The palace, built from 1281 onwards on the remains of a Moorish castle, combines sturdy gothic stone architecture with oriental fountains. In addition there are round Moorish arches, blue azulejo tiles with cuerda seca tiles, on which the girih patterns are based on Islamic mathematicians’ calculations
. A number of student groups are pushing past us. But in most rooms we find the space and time to look closely at the interior and exhibits.
On the bus to the Pena Palace of Sintra
A heavy downpour forces us to linger in the shop for a while. Eventually we dare to run to the bus stop right through the puddles. Again – with increasingly wet feet –, we wonder whether it is worth going further up the hill to the Pena Palace in this weather. At least the bus is so full by the time it finally leaves that it gets relatively warm inside.
Many serpentines later we emerge into the cloud and to the end of a queue at the ticket office, only to wonder again whether this is really worth it. Should we perhaps take the next bus down and go back to the airport? But then we reach the ticket window earlier than a decision on this matter – and hurry up through the Park of Pena, towards the very top of the hill. That’s about a ten-minute walk, during which we keep fearing another cold shower.
But when the Palace of Pena comes into view, with its turrets and gates, archways and balconies, we stop questioning and debating that decision (or lack of decision). No, the books hadn’t prepared us for this great kitsch!
A romantic castle
We stand in front of a romantic dream castle of a German aristocrat. Hebuilt it in the 19th century and ordered his architect to incorporate as many architectural styles as possible, from Germany and Portugal, from the Middle Ages to the present. Dom Fernando II, king of Portugal, was a contemporary of the Bavarian King Ludwig II, and had a similar taste. His bonbon-coloured castle in Sintra parallels the eclectic and romantic style of Ludwig’s famous Neuschwanstein Castle.
On the inside as well, it features a fascinating mix of Moorish, mediaeval, early modern Portuguese and impressionist styles with some Art Deco influences.
By now it is noon, and considerably more visitors are lining up to peek into the rooms, chapels and courtyards. Most of the time it is imperative to shuffle forward slowly, so as not to disturb the flow of travellers and sightseers. Nevertheless, we get a good view of the interior. By the time we get out of Pena Palace the fast-moving clouds even leave some blue sky and occasional rays of sunshine – very welcome as we are by now seriously cold and shivering in our wet shoes.
Final questions: Is visiting the palaces of Sintra worthwhile?
Yes, yes, yes! And one day is not enough! There are more castles to explore than the National Palace and the Palacio de Pena. We will have to come back! And yes, we caught a nasty cold on this trip.
Visiting the palaces of Sintra from Lisbon on public transport
Sintra is easily reached by suburb train from Rossio or Oriente in around one hour’s time. From the airport we took the subway to Oriente (three stations) and changed there. The Oriente station by Santiago Calatrava is a sightseeing point fo itself. Within Sintra, it would be time-consuming, but possible to walk. We took a local shuttle bus from the centre to the top of the mountain. The bus was 5,50 € for the round trip, the palaces 9 € and 11,50 €, respectively, and that is for off-season.
+++Our travel to the Palaces of Sintra was entirely self-organised. We paid for it ourselves. We got press tickets to the palaces, courtesy of Parques de Sintra+++
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Oh yes, definitely worth visiting Palacio de Pena.
Your intrepidness paid off but not the best conditions for a visit. I was there some years ago and could drive up to the entrance steps in my campervan. By chance it was a Sunday so free entrance but I don’t remember many visitors there at that time. It was a lovely sunny tranquill day which enticed me to spend several hours absorbing the strange but beautiful ambience.
I hope you return when you can.
Oh, you were lucky!
But of course it’s only reasonable that many people want to see this place…
Wow! How beautiful despite the initial weather issues. Sometimes getting stuck inside a store has its benefits. My family got stuck in a store near the Haunted Mansion ride at Disney once. We ended up looking around and getting skeletal holographic photos made of each family member. These are so cool, we leave them up all year round as conversation pieces.
I find the palace in Sintra unique, however, I’m not sure if I find it really beautiful. In its bold colors, it looks a bit like constructed from Lego bricks. The gardens and the location, however, are just wonderful. I visited also some other – definitely less outstanding – palaces in the area, but la Pena was a highlight of my visit to Sintra for sure.
Dear Renate, I totally agree. The Pena palace leaves one with a weired overwhelming feeling. If we have the chance we would like to explore more of the area. A day trip was certainly not enough.
Sintra really is a jewel outside Lisbon. I know that it’s so well known but I love the palaces there and the atmosphere. It’s so romantic even if you visit alone! An incredible destination.