Sintra (Sintra) is an ancient Portuguese city located 23 km northwest of Lisbon, whose history goes deep into the past. Here, many exotic parks, centuries-old forests, castles, palaces, monasteries are amazing. Sintra is a beautiful city with fabulous scenery and romantic landscapes that do not leave you indifferent.

In Sintra there is everything for recreation: golden sand beaches, clear Atlantic waters, and majestic coast, rich opportunities for surfing and fishing.

In 1995, Sintra was declared a World Cultural Monument by UNESCO.

How to get to Sintra

• by train: Sintra Station can be reached by using the services of CP Portuguese Railways, whose trains depart from several stations in Lisbon every 15 minutes: Santa Apolonia, Oriente, Campolide and Rossio .Distance from the station to the city of Sintra - 10 minutes walk .Round-trip ticket costs approximately 3, 5 EUR .Before you board a train, you must attach a ticket to the checkpoint and save it until the end of the trip, as it can be "recharged" and used for trips to Lisbon .Also from the station to the center can be reached by bus, the stop of which is located directly opposite .
• by tram: the historic 14-kilometer tram route starts from Praia das Maçãs, the westernmost resort of Europe, and ends approximately 1 km from the center of Sintra in Ribeira de Sintra, which is located near the Royal Palace. The line is served by restored trams dating from the beginning of the 20th century (working time Fri-Sat 9: 30-19: 30) by Sintra Tram, tel. +351 219238500. Trams run every hour, the journey time is 45 minutes.
• by bus: Scotturb buses (tel: 214 699 100; Avenida Dr Miguel Bombarda) or Mafrense (tel: 219 230 971), which regularly travel from Lisbon to Sintra. The Scotturb office is located in front of the station and is open from 9:00 to 13:00 and from 14:00 to 20:00.
• by taxi: by taxi you can get to any place of interest, of course, for a fairly high fee. The cost of a taxi ride from Lisbon to Sintra is about 20 EUR.

Weather in Sintra

Despite the fact that Sintra is actually a suburb of Lisbon, this city has a completely different climate. Unlike the capital, Sintra is great for a serene summer holiday in a comfortable environment. The proximity of the ocean and the protection of mountain ranges provide a slightly cool, slightly windy and fairly humid weather even in the midst of a hot summer.

Transport Sintra

The main collection of taxis can be seen at the train station or opposite the post office of Sintra-Vila. They work without a counter, for a fixed fee. One-way fare is approximately 8 EUR to Palácio Nacional da Pena or 16 EUR round-trip to Convento dos Capuchos. On weekends and holidays there is a 20% surcharge. Below Sintra-Vila there is a free car park, and also you can park near the Portela Interface and take the bus. It is best to travel to Sintra by bus, and then walk to get to the right place.

From the station to Sintra-Vila distance of 1, 5 km of scenic walks .Regular bus No. 433 runs from the Portela Interface to San Pedro (the fare will be 80 euro cents, the journey time is 15 minutes, every half hour from 7 am to 8 pm) via Estefania and Sintra-Vila .To get to Palais des Foires, take bus number 434 (circular bus route), which departs from Sintra railway station and passes through Sintra-Vila .The ticket for this route can be purchased from the bus driver, the ticket price is approximately 4 EUR for the whole day (15 minutes enroute, runs every 20 to 40 minutes from 9:35 am to 18:05) .The last bus from the Palace is back at 18: 20 .

For the price of 8, 50 EUR you can buy Day Rover - a ticket valid on all Scotturb buses. A one-day train and bus ticket (€ 12) operates on the Lisbon-Sintra line and on all Scotturb buses. Ticket booths are located at the Portela Interface (near the car park) and opposite Sintra Railway Station.

As for cars, but there are a lot of them in the city on weekends and holidays, parking is a problem, as the whole city is packed with cars and people, the only thing you can do is find a parking space below the city center, then walk to the center.

Bicycle for hire

Cycling in Sintra can be quite fascinating and interesting, but for those who already have some experience. You can rent a bicycle in Caminho do Castelo (Rua Consiglieri Pedroso, 15, working hours: 10:00 - 19:00).

Kitchen and restaurants

In any restaurant or cafe in Sintra, there is a famous cheese cake on the menu. It is prepared according to an old recipe from several varieties of local cheese and soaked with almond liqueur. Sintra is also known for the high skill of its winemakers.

Binhoteca (Rua das Padarias, 16, average account 10 EUR, working hours 12: 00-22: 00) is one of the best wine bars in Portugal. Jazz plays here, this place is considered truly glamorous.

Lawrence's Restaurant (Rua Consiglieri Pedroso 38) is an ideal place for romantic dates with classical music and candlelight. The restaurant is located in the hotel of the same name, serves modern Portuguese cuisine. A 3-course dinner costs approximately EUR 20.

Palácio Nacional de Sintra restaurant (Sintra National Palace) - elegant restaurant with vaulted ceilings and white starched tablecloths, serving delicious risotto, lamb and cod.

Páteo do Garrett (Rua Maria Eugénia Reis F Navarro, 7, price of main course 10-22 euros) - a colorful restaurant in a rustic style with multiple decor elements, the main feature is the patio in the shade of a huge tree, from where you can see the roofs of the houses of Sintra. The main dishes of this restaurant are spicy black sausages and clams with garlic and coriander cooked according to an old classic recipe.

Restaurante Tirol Pastelaria (Largo Afonso de Albuquerque 9, the cost of snacks varies from 1 to 4.50 EUR, opening hours: 7.30-20.30) - a confectionery cafe that beckons with its desserts filled with air cream and almond cookies.

Beaches of Sintra

Golden sands, clear waters of the Atlantic and the coast with magnificent rocks make the beaches of Sintra a delightful place that will bring pleasure to everyone who has ever visited there. In addition to bathing and radiant sun, the beaches of Sintra have excellent conditions for practicing water sports, and the rocks provide the opportunity to perform paragliding jumps. On the beaches of Sintra, fishing and surfing are also common.

In addition to the most famous beaches - Grande, Magoito, Maçãs and Adraga, there are many others, they are all a true paradise on earth.

Praia do Adraga Beach - to get to this beautiful beach, you will need to drive along a winding road and only by car down the mountain. Going down, it will be easy to find out the blue of Adraga Beach between two huge hills. Despite the hard way, the beach is very popular. It is always difficult to find a parking place here.

Praia Grande - a beach known as the Portuguese "capital of water sports". Every year here, European and world championships are held. For several weeks in a row, Praia Grande sees the best of the best athletes in the world who ride on the unique waves of this beach.

Praia das Maçãs - a beautiful beach, which can be reached by a hundred-year tram from Sintra, the route runs through several fascinating villages. Golden sand, clear sea and a lot of cozy restaurants, located on a small rock, will provide a pleasant time for escort.

Praia do Magoito is a small seaside resort at the mouth of the Magoito River. There are many restaurants and cafes here.

Ursa is a small beach, many consider it the most beautiful in Portugal. This is not the most suitable place for swimming, the sea is cold, but here you can look at the banks and rocks around for hours.

Praia da Aguda - a small beach with a large parking lot, although there is no direct entrance to it. In order to get to the beach, you need to go down the steep stairs.

Entertainment, excursions and attractions of Sintra

The sights of this city are of interest not only for curious tourists, but also for historians and art historians. The historical center of Sintra is a labyrinth of streets, stairs, arcades and unusual palaces, so it is better to consider it on foot or from a walking coach.

Above it rise the conical pipes of Palacio Nacional da Vila, the summer residence of the royal family from the 15th century .The neighboring palaces of the nobility show the diverse architectural tastes of their owners .On the southeast side of the mountain range stands the fortress .This is the fabulous Pena Castle (Palácio Nacional da Pena), surrounded by a fantastic park that crowns one of the highest hills of Sintra .The interior of the palace is preserved in the form it was with the last Portuguese queen .The romance of the 19th century is filled with the entire composition of the hills, the castle and the magnificent park with exotic plants, flower beds of roses, coniferous century-old trees and ponds .The path to Palácio Nacional da Pena may seem complicated, it is a steep one-hour climb up the hill .But having ventured on such a journey, the reward will be worthy - an excellent view of the city, which opens from above $ $ .By the way, you can get to the palace by bus (cm .section "How to get there"), but on foot it's more romantic!

Several private palaces are open to visitors. This Casa dos Ribafrias, owned by the Marquis de Pombal and Quinta de Pena Verde, built in the 16th century, and the 19th century Palacio de Monserrate. In the 18th-century palace Palacio de Seteais is now a 5 * hotel. Several ancient churches have survived in Sintra. Of these, the most notable are the Romanesque church of St. Martin, the Romanesque Gothic church of St. Mary built in the 12th century and rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake, St. Peter Penaférim Penigny's church, tiled with tiles in the Baroque style.

In Sintra, there are many museums and art galleries: the Museum of Local Lore, the Leal de Camara and Dorita Castel Branco art museums, the Municipal Art Gallery, the Archaeological Museum, the famous Toy Museum, exhibits covering the 16th-20th centuries. (working hours 10.00-12.30 and 14.00-18.00, ticket price for an adult is 3 EUR, for children - 1, 5 euros). And not far from the city is the Convento dos Capuchos, a 16th-century dwelling in the rock, some rooms of which are studded with cork.

Being in Sintra, it is necessary to visit the botanical garden Jardins de Monserrate. It contains an excellent collection of subtropical plants, exotic trees and shrubs. Among other sights of Sintra, one can distinguish world-class winemaking, marble, traditional cakes and cheese cake.

Entertainment

In the cultural center of Olga Kadaval (Centro Cultural Olga Cadaval, address: Praça Francisco Sá Carneiro, tel .: 219 107 110) you can find entertainment for every taste, whether it's dancing, cinema, theatrical performance or a concert.

For lovers of outdoor activities, Cabra Montêz offers trekking (25 EUR per person), rafting (45 EUR per person) and canoeing (40 EUR per person). Centro Hípico O Paddock (Rua do Alecrim, Janas, operation mode 10: 00-13: 00 and 15: 00-18: 00 Tues-Sun from October to May, 10: 00-13: 00 and 16: 00-19: 00 from June to September) offers horseback riding in Sintra. The cost of the walk is 20 EUR per hour.

Photos of Sintra (27)