If you are wondering how to go to Sintra from Lisbon, search no more, we’ll tell all about it in this article.
Sintra is one of Europe’s most picturesque and romantic jewels. Situated in a mountainous Natural Park, this UNESCO world heritage region is home to some of the most amazing monuments in Portugal, including what was considered the most beautiful Castle in Europe in 2014 and garden in 2013 by the European Best Destinations Organization.
How to go to Sintra from Lisbon?
Sintra is 25 km west from Lisbon and you have three ways to reach there: Car rental, train or a tour with pick-up. Bus is not an option since there aren’t any direct buses to Sintra from Lisbon. Keep reading to know more.
1. Car Rental
The journey to Sintra from Lisbon is about 40 minutes during quieter times, an hour or more perhaps in rush hour. Even though you might think this is the best way, we don’t recommend it. You’ll find a lot of hills and narrow roads, some of the accesses aren’t very easy. In fact, the roads weren’t projected to a large tourism influx, especially during the summer where it can be very hard to park the car. There is very limited car parking in the historic centre, and almost none near the Palácio Nacional da Pena.
2. Train
There are two railway routes to Sintra from Lisbon. Trains departure every 30 minutes on weekdays and weekends, from Lisbon’s city centre Rossio station and Lisbon Oriente station. Both journeys have similar durations (40 minutes from Rossio and 47 minutes from Oriente). You can find the schedules here.
Sintra is the final stop but the historic centre is 1.5km to the west, a 20 minutes walk. From there to the Castelo dos Mouros and Palácio da Pena you’ll find a demanding 45 minutes uphill hike which can be a complete waste of time if you have a single day in Sintra. You may use the tourist bus (434) but it can get very busy during the high season, and there can be long queues in the town centre.
The 434-bus service follows this route:
- Sintra train station
- Historic centre of Sintra (and Palácio Nacional de Sintra)
- Castelo dos Mouros
- Palácio Nacional da Pena
- Sintra train station
Due to the narrow roads, the bus service only operates in one direction.
3. Book a tour with pick-up and drop-off included
If you’re looking forward to take the best out of this village and its surroundings with no time limit, the best way do it is to book a tour with local guides that can show you some places where the tourist bus doesn’t go, like amazing off road site views.
When choosing a tour make sure that includes pick-up and drop-off at your location.
On Jump in Tours we provide flexible private tours, no time limit, providing all the historical information and local knowledge to really take the best out of Sintra.
As a tour guide operator, we have direct access to the ticket offices at the monuments, this way you’ll avoid cues and have more time to enjoy the beauty of Sintra.
We offer two different tours Sintra full tour & Cascais and Sintra Essential.
If you have any suggestions of additional information that should be in this article, please let us know. We’d be happy to complete it!
By the way, did you know that Quinta da Regaleira has night tours?