Seeing the sights in Sintra

We were all up fairly early, wanting to make the most of our only full day in Sintra. Our first concern, though, was waiting for the delivery of the fresh rolls that were promised by our hotel. They arrived, and we enjoyed our coffee and still-warm rolls with butter and jam for breakfast.


Once we were all showered and dressed, we thought we'd visit the National Palace in the center of town, not far from us. There was a big line waiting to get in, so we decided to take the bus up to Pena Palace instead. We later wondered at the wisdom of this, after waiting in long lines each step of the way, getting tickets and getting into the palace. Gail and I ended up being the only 2 of our group to tour the palace, after Gail saw other people jumping the queue, and decided we'd better do that too, if we wanted to see this place! As horrified as I was, she nonetheless coaxed me into doing the same.

Pena Palace was built for Prince Ferdinand in the 19th century. Ferdinand was German-born, and a cousin of Mad King Ludwig. Ferdinand hired a German architect to design a fantasy castle, and he got what he wanted. It's over-the-top ornate, and a mishmash of different styles.

Inside the castle walls

The view from the castle walls

The chapel

The Moorish castle in the distance

We met the rest of the group for a good lunch in the cafe there, and headed back down to catch the bus back into town. Of course, by then, the lines entering the palace were gone. On the way back down, Nancy and I hiked up to the cross in the park surrounding the palace to see the view from up there.

Looking back toward the palace from the High Cross in the park

The sea looks very far away

When we arrived back in our part of town, we still had enough time to visit the National Palace, and by this time there was no line. It was beautiful and ornate, and we were glad we’d seen it. This palace was built in he 15th century, during the reign of King Joao I, and is the oldest surviving royal palace in Portugal. It housed royalty for 500 years, until 1910, and is still used for official receptions. We're used to the elaborate tile work we've seen all over Portugal by now, but the beautifully painted ceilings are a stand-out of this palace.

A model of the National Palace

The view from the National Palace of a fancy home on the hillside

The palace kitchen

A little seating nook off of the Central Patio

The Grotto of the Baths off of the Central Patio

We found a little place for dinner that was recommended in Rick Steves’ guidebook, Cafe da Villa, and had a nice dinner there. We were all sorry that we’d only had one day in Sintra, but we made the most of it!

Light of a castle above town