Portuguese sintra. Sights of Sintra (Portugal), a convenient route around the city. Capuchin monastery in Sintra

Sintra is a picturesque and vibrant Portuguese town, located not far from the capital, between the hills covered with pine needles. It is considered one of the most interesting places to visit in the country, and you can spend more than 1 day exploring the surroundings. The sights of Portugal and Sintra from year to year attract a large number of tourists from all over the world, including from Russia.

The city is located on the slope of the mountain of the same name, not far from Lisbon. In the past, it was a favorite place for the royals to relax, so today Sintra is decorated with numerous palaces and villas, sheltered by the shade of pine trees. Sintra is much larger than it might seem at first glance, and its landscapes are varied, from green hills to picturesque uncrowded beaches.

About 377,000 people live in the city, most of whom speak Portuguese as their first language. The only currency in use is the euro, and from this country you can bring special, Portuguese coins for the collection, which can be spent in any country of the European Union. The time difference with Moscow is 3 hours.

How to get to Sintra

Sintra (Portugal), whose sights have a special flavor, does not have its own airport. Therefore, most tourists get there from the capital. There are a large number of convenient and inexpensive flights to Lisbon from both Moscow and St. Petersburg. There are several ways to get to Sintra.

For people who are not going to move around the suburbs on their own, it is better to give preference to rail transport. This is due not only to the high congestion of the highway, but also to problems with parking in the central part of the city.

Weather in Sintra

The special microclimate of Sintra, due to the proximity of the Atlantic, makes the boundaries between seasons very inconspicuous. Despite being a resort town, it is cooler than sunny Lisbon. The tops of the hills are often shrouded in fog, and the sky is covered with clouds, so even in summer it is better to have a sweater with you.

The warmest and most comfortable month for holidays is August, when the average temperature is 19.5°C, and the maximum reaches 23-24°C. The least suitable for relaxation is a cool and rainy January, when the thermometer drops to 6-7°C.

Where to stay

Sintra (Portugal), whose sights deserve at least 1 day of leisurely walks, offers its guests a large selection of hotels for accommodation. But in most cases, the best choice is small hotels in the form of guest houses, which attract not only high guest ratings, but also pleasant architectural solutions.

Local kitchen

Mostly local cuisine consists of simple dishes based on meat, fish and seafood. Guests of the city should also try Portuguese cheeses, which are widely represented in shops and restaurants.

It is impossible not to mention local pastries and desserts: the most popular products are made with the addition of cinnamon and almonds.

Attractions

Sintra (Portugal), whose sights are mainly concentrated in the historical center of the city, can be seen in 1-2 days.

Excursions

The most popular excursions in this city are walking tours. Their organization can often be negotiated at the hotel or guest house chosen for the stay, this is a popular and not very expensive additional service for tourists.

The sights of Portugal in Sintra can be seen not only on your own, but also as part of an excursion, accompanied by a guide. Moreover, you can find not only English-speaking, but also Russian-speaking.

One of the most interesting excursions is "Romantic Sintra", the route of which covers the historical center of the city, the Pena Palace, the picturesque Guincho Beach, Cape Roca, Boca do Inferno and the town of Cascais. It takes about 7 hours.

Also, as part of a group, you can visit the newest of the city's museums - "Sintra: Myths and Legends", which will allow you to experience the romance, secrets and mysticism of this ancient city.

From walking tours you can choose "Tales of Old Sintra". The guide takes tourists through the most picturesque old streets, introduces local shops and Portuguese cuisine and the amazing Regailer estate.

Experienced tourists who have visited the suburbs of Lisbon more than once share the following tips with beginners:

The sights of Portugal in Sintra are worth seeing. Therefore, all tourists who go on vacation to this part of the country should get acquainted not only with Lisbon, but also with its surprisingly original suburb.

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Video about Sintra

Video tour of Sintra:

There is nothing difficult in how to get from Lisbon to Sintra - this can be done on the usual familiar transport. Trains, buses and even a special "tourist" tram leave for Sintra. You can also use taxi services. Taxi drivers carry passengers to Sintra and back very willingly.

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The distance between the two cities is 23 km in a straight line on the map, but this, of course, increases when traveling. In fact, Sintra is 31 km away from Lisbon.

What to ride?

Most often, travelers use the train, but this is not the only way to travel from Lisbon to Sintra, and not the fastest and most convenient.

Buses run to the ancient Portuguese city, a special tram route has been laid, and taxi passengers are willingly transported there. Of course, you can also go with a rented car.

Trains

There are two ways to get to Sintra by train - straight and with a transfer.

The advantages of traveling in a car with a driver are obvious - this is the opportunity to stop for a while in a place you like or if necessary.

The car, as a rule, has air conditioning, thanks to which the journey will not be either hot or cool. And, of course, the most important advantage of this method of travel is the absence of reference to stopping points, the time of departure of the transport and its routes.

You can get to Sintra from any Lisbon hotel, without looking for bus stops and without adjusting to the train schedule, not only in a taxi, but also in a rented car. You can do this on .

The number of kilometers that will have to be traveled will be from 30 to 32, depending on the place where the trip starts and ends, that is, the entire trip will take less than 10 liters of gasoline and about half an hour of time. the cost of a liter of fuel in Portugal ranges from 2 to 3 euros. There are no toll road sections between Sintra and Lisbon.

Video: travel tips - Lisbon, Sintra, Cape Roca.

There are two more travel options - private single-engine aircraft and bicycles. The aircraft covers the distance in 20 minutes, taking into account pre-takeoff troubles and immediate exit after landing. However, they order such air travel, as a rule, not with the aim of getting as quickly as possible, but with the aim of inspecting the Portuguese Riviera from above and taking pictures of the coast for their own social networks or just as a keepsake.

Air taxi costs from 70 euros, there are no exact prices for such services, cost issues are resolved privately. You can find the plane on the Sintra city website or at the Lisbon airport.

Jose Carlos Cortizo Perez / flickr.com

As for cycling, it is a popular and fashionable means of transport in Europe. Ecotourism - cycling between cities - is preferred by Europeans. Bicycle parking stands at stopping points along the route to Mauritanian sights and directly at them. You can rent a bike through.

However, this way of traveling requires physical preparation, a calm attitude to one's own unpresentable appearance and, of course, the lack of comfort when traveling.

The cost of renting a car in Portugal is about 25 euros, while the price of renting a bicycle varies from 10 to 15 euros.

The Portuguese town of Sintra all consists of magnificent palaces, exotic parks and picturesque natural landscapes. From here, the famous Cape Roca and the Sintra-Cascais National Park are within easy reach. The city is 27 km. from the Portuguese capital, so getting there is quite easy.

Sintra has a milder climate due to the proximity of the ocean, a calmer and more peaceful atmosphere, and the abundance of historical monuments and a large flow of tourists do not seem to disturb the peaceful flow of provincial life at all. Since the 12th century, the city has been the summer residence of the Portuguese aristocracy. People came here to enjoy nature and clean sea air, think about the meaning of life and calm their nerves.

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What to see and where to go in Sintra?

The most interesting and beautiful places for walking. Photos and a short description.

In the 16th century, on the site of the palace, there was a monastery built in honor of the birth of the heir to King Manuel I. But the monastery was destroyed by an earthquake in 1755. Only the chapel and the altar survived. In 1840, a palace began to be built on the site of the ruins, which was later used as a royal residence. The architectural complex is surrounded by a magnificent landscape park with exotic vegetation.

The palace complex was erected under the ruler Joan I in the 14th century and rebuilt in a pseudo Moorish manner under Manuel I. The walls of the building are decorated with unique Seville tiles of the 15th-16th centuries. The interior of the palace is quite modest, of particular interest are the carved wooden ceilings, made in the Arabic style. The complex was declared a national monument at the beginning of the 20th century.

A park complex with a neo-Gothic palace, one of the most visited attractions in Portugal. Previously, the estate belonged to a member of the Masonic lodge and millionaire Monteiro. According to his idea, the architecture of the palace and park design had to meet his philosophical ideas about life. As a result, a project was realized in which styles, unusual fantasies and whims of an eccentric Mason were mixed.

In the park of the Quinta da Regaleira complex there is an amazing place that is wildly popular with tourists. This is a wide well, a stone "underground tower" with stairs and arches, built in accordance with the ideas of the Masonic teachings about the structure of the Universe. The “well of initiation” is an allegorical staircase connecting heaven and earth, at the bottom a person is in darkness, and at the top he knows the light and goodness of spiritual knowledge.

The castle stands on top of the Serra da Sintra and is surrounded by a picturesque landscaped park. The construction was erected in the VIII century, when the entire Iberian Peninsula was under the rule of the Arab conquerors. In the XII century, the fortification went to the Portuguese. Until the complete expulsion of the Moors, the castle served as a defensive function. After the earthquake of 1755, the building lay in ruins for a long time, restoration took place in the 19th century, but the castle lost its historical appearance.

The history of the building dates back several centuries, the last serious restoration took place in the middle of the 19th century by order of the English industrialist and millionaire F. Cook. The palace is a bizarre and harmonious interweaving of several architectural styles, with Indian and Moorish influences in the interior and exterior. In the middle of the 20th century, the complex passed into the possession of the state and became available for visiting.

The monastery is located on the territory of the Sintra-Cascais National Park. It was founded in the 16th century and existed until the 19th century (until the order to dissolve the monastic orders). Nowadays, the monastery has fallen into decay, and is gradually being destroyed - the walls are overgrown with ivy and moss, only facades remain of the buildings. The monastery complex is located in a rather secluded and remote place, which can only be reached by car or on foot.

The mansion was built at the request of the second wife of King Fernand II - Eliza Hensler, Countess of Edla. She remained in the memory of the Portuguese as an artist, actress, singer, architect and botanist. Her cozy chalet is nestled among the lush vegetation of Pena Palace Park. In 1999 there was a big fire, as a result of which the back was destroyed. In 2011, after a partial restoration, the place became available for visiting again.

The tram runs on a 13-kilometer line from Sintra to the city of Praia das Masans. It makes eight stops along the way. The line was laid in 1904 and eleven historic tram cars run regularly on it. The tram is mainly used as a tourist attraction. For more than 100 years of existence, the line has been repeatedly closed due to lack of funding for modernization.

The extreme point of the Eurasian continent is 18 km. from Sintra. The cape is located on the territory of the Natural National Park of Sintra-Cascais. The place is a rock towering 140 meters above the ocean; it has always been fanned with legends and a romantic halo. A lighthouse is installed on the cape and there is a small souvenir shop where for a few euros the traveler will be given a certificate of visiting the westernmost point of Europe.

Sights of Sintra. The most important and interesting sights of Sintra - photos and videos, descriptions and reviews, location, sites.

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Cape Roca

Cape Roca is the perfect place to admire an amazingly beautiful sunset, when the sun sets right into the Atlantic Ocean, coloring the water surface in incredible tones and shades. The Portuguese poet Luis Camões described this place as follows: "This is the place where the land ends and the sea begins."

• Sintra is one of Portugal's top tourist destinations for day trippers. This becomes especially noticeable on weekends, in summer, when you have to carefully plan your sightseeing route in order to avoid crowds. True, to be honest, it is almost impossible: Sintra is so magnificent that it is simply unrealistic to be here alone.

  Pena Palace is the brightest and most visited of the sights of the city. It is also one of the seven wonders of Portugal and should not be missed in any way. And it won't work: a majestic multi-colored palace rises on a hill above Sintra, so eclectic and flamboyant that it brings to mind Gaudí's work in Barcelona (although he does not look like them at all). The palace was built in the middle of the 19th century. on the site of the former monastery as the summer residence of the royal family, and it is surrounded by a magnificent exotic park.

  From the Pena Palace, you can walk in half an hour to the highest point of the Sintra Mountains - Cruz Alta (528 m above sea level).

  Reminiscent of the Pena Palace and Montserrat - another romantic-style villa, only not royal, but millionaire. In the architecture of Montserrat, elements of Portuguese, Arabic, Indian, Moorish and God knows what other architecture were mixed in the same way. Montserrat Park is also very interesting: after all, it was created by an English gardener for an English lord, and he used plants from all over the world for this. True, the latter is characteristic of all the famous manor parks of Sintra.

  The National Palace of Sintra is easy to distinguish from the city landscape thanks to a pair of snow-white tall pointed cones. Even knowing that these are just kitchen chimneys, one cannot help but admire the view of this former royal palace.

  The Moorish castle of Sintra looks completely different - because, unlike the aforementioned palaces, it was built not for entertainment, but for protection. And also because, unlike them, now only ruins remain from the castle. True, well-groomed and partially restored. It is worth visiting here at least for the sake of the height at which the castle is located: every tourist should take a photo of a narrow staircase that leads along the edge of the cliff to the tower, standing against the backdrop of distant expanses.

  Montserrat Park is also very interesting: after all, it was created by an English gardener for an English lord, and he used plants from all over the world for this.

  Another interesting palace, although less popular with tourists, is Quinta da Regaleira, dating back to the late 17th century. Its current appearance dates back to the late 19th century, when an eccentric capitalist who made his fortune in Brazil hired the Italian architect Luigi Manini to create a palace that combines all the architectural styles that were popular at that time with national historical, mythological and esoteric elements. As a result, you can see a huge number of Masonic symbols here and a particularly curious "Well of Initiation", which looks like a tower turned upside down.

  • Where to stay: With an eye on the "excursion" - of course, in numerous hotels and boarding houses, guest houses and hostels of the capital of Portugal, the many-sided Lisbon - here you can find an option for every taste and budget. Sun worshipers are invited to the resorts of the Lisbon Riviera - they are located just 15-30 minutes drive from the capital, so historical monuments and nightclubs are not far away. rest in

And again, Portugal, it would seem, is small, I would even say a small country, but it leaves the most vivid impressions!

The town of Sintra can probably be called one of the most charming, romantic and fabulous places in the world! This unique and ancient city attracts and attracts a huge number of tourists with its amazing and magnificent architectural buildings and parks around them.

You can get to Sintra from Lisbon train station by train in just 35-40 minutes. There are buses from the railway station of Sintra, where you can go around and visit all the main attractions of this town. To do this, you need to buy a ticket that costs five euros, you can get off the bus at stops to visit the sights you like, and then board the next bus that arrives with the same ticket. But this procedure only works in one direction, following in the opposite direction, you will have to fork out for another ticket. In principle, castles and palaces can be reached on foot, but not everyone will be able to do it.

Since Sintra was the summer royal residence, the National Palace is located here accordingly - the place where the monarchs spent the summer period is outwardly unremarkable, the only thing that catches your eye is the huge cone-shaped pipes. Outwardly not interested in anything, this palace is simply passed by, but in vain!

The interior decorations of the palace amaze and delight! Stunning halls are not only painted, but also decorated and lined with ceramic tiles, whole paintings! I really liked the Swan Hall, where balls and performances were held.

The stunning and amazing Forty Hall was very amusing, it turns out that it was painted in such a way to punish the courtiers who loved to gossip about one of the monarchs.

The courtyards of the palace are very cozy, it is from them that one can determine that the palace was once the possession of the Moorish monarchs.

Not far from the National Palace is the City Hall.

Probably the most fabulous and magical castle in the world, which, it would seem, can only be seen in fairy tales, films, books or in a dream, but no, here it is - Pena Castle! For myself, I called it "marshmallow-strawberry". Pena Castle is unique and unrepeatable! Each side of the castle is completely different, it seems that in front of you is a castle assembled from different structures, a multitude and variety of turrets, arches and cloves, round, square, cone-shaped, as if it was assembled from a children's designer. All buildings belong to different styles, different shapes and colors.

Balconies and windows of the castle are decorated with incredible sculpting!

Inside, as befits a castle, everything is immersed in luxury. I was very surprised by the unusual ceilings, decorated with three-dimensional painting - it seems that this is modeling. The first floor is decorated with beautiful stained glass windows. It was very interesting to look into the kitchen and see a considerable collection of copper dishes.

Pena Castle is located on a rock and rises above Sintra. The views that open from its balconies to the city are captivating and amazing, it is so beautiful!

Getting to Pena Castle, the first thing that comes to mind: "WOW!". I want to go around it from all sides, climb every turret! you won't find this anywhere else!

Like the park surrounding the castle, because here you can walk for hours through the labyrinths of paths and paths, enjoying the beauty of plants, flowers, trees brought here from all over the world!

The Pena Castle offers a wonderful view of the Fortress of the Moors, which was built for defensive purposes - to protect Sintra. To get into the Fortress, you will literally have to crawl and climb, so this is hardly worth doing with young children. The Fortress of the Moors is a stunningly beautiful place where nature reunited with the fortress walls, the rocks merge and turn into the walls of the fortress, and then into century-old trees!

An incredible feeling that you find yourself in another dimension, several centuries ago. Surprisingly, despite the fact that the fortress was built in the eighth century, its walls have been preserved quite well. This is just an indescribably beautiful place, it is simply impossible to stop admiring it!

Well, the most mysterious place in Sintra is the Quinta da Regaleira estate. This is an amazing and bewitching, I would even say a mystical place. Being here, one gets the impression that he got into a fairy tale to an evil wizard. Among the huge park, there are many different towers and turrets, bridges, underground grottoes, caves, a house, a palace, a tiny chapel, and all this in gloomy dark gray tones. When descending into the wonderful world of underground caves and tunnels, you should definitely take a flashlight with you so that you do not have to make your way by touch, as they are not rich in lighting. Walking along the turrets and spiral staircases, you can go to the next level of the estate.

The main attraction of the Rigaleira estate is the Well of Initiation, which resembles a tower turned upside down, from which labyrinths of underground passages begin.

A very unusual, interesting and incredible place that is definitely worth a visit! By the way, a ticket to the Rigaleira estate costs only six euros, which is much cheaper than to other castles and palaces, along with the ticket they issue a plan for the location of the estate.

And another palace of Sintra - Montserrat Palace - elegant and beautiful, and most importantly, still secluded (there are not many tourists here). This palace is quite small in size, but at the same time quite cozy. Surprisingly beautiful molding and carving give the impression that the whole palace is made of lace.

With great pleasure I visited the kitchen, with all its utensils, as it was in those days.

The wonderful park that surrounded Montserrat, with streams and a waterfall, is divided into sections. Here you can find a garden of roses, cacti, gardenias and even a Christmas tree from New Zealand, familiar to us aloe, but at the same time of incredible size! The park is very interesting, thanks to the plants brought from everywhere!

Another thing that surprised and delighted me in Sintra was stops, I have never seen such stops in any city!

Sintra is a real treasury of Portugal, which has preserved stunning palaces and castles that have fascinated tourists coming here for more than one century!