Sintra Village and Cascais with multiple coastline stops

Park and Palace of Monserrate This fantastic Romantic park was created by William Beckford, who fell in love with the Serra de Sintra. Spontaneously growing species from Portugal (arbutus-trees, holly trees, cork oak-trees, amongst others) combine with others originating from all of the world’s five continents, inviting visitors to enjoy a stroll through plant varieties of the whole world, ranging from such countries as Australia to Mexico and Japan. Altogether, there are more than 2500 species. Particularly worth a mention inside the palace are the Music Room and the luxurious reception rooms, such as the Indian living-room, the dining-room and the library, all of which are to be found on the ground floor. The tour of the palace also takes visitors to the first floor, where the private apartments were located.

Pena National Palace The fantastic Palácio da Pena is one of the best examples of 19th-century Romantic revivalism in Portugal. Situated at the top of the Monte da Pena provides some of the best views and is the most visited monument in Sintra.

Very close to the historic centre of Sintra is Quinta Regaleira, one of the town’s most enigmatic sights.The palace was built in a Romantic revivalist style, in an imitation of Gothic, Manueline and Renaissance architectural and decorative forms, mixed with a mythical and esoteric symbolism. A special mention is reserved for the Capela da Santíssima Trindade (Chapel of the Holy Trinity), where visitors can descend via a spiral staircase into the crypt to discover the monumental initiation well that, at the bottom, leads via a grotto to a surprising lake hidden in the middle of the gardens.

The Sintra national palace is unique amongst the royal mediaeval palaces in Portugal and the town’s most distinctive building. Beginning with the nation’s first dynasties, Sintra was one of the preferred places of Portuguese kings and queensHere you can also find a brief history of the development of the decorative tile (azulejo) in Portugal, with examples ranging from the Spanish-Moorish tiles brought by the king Dom Manuel to the typical blue-and-white tiles of the 18th century.

The Moorish Castle dates back to the early days of the Moorish occupation of the Peninsula - the 8th Century. After various attempts it was definitively taken by Dom Afonso Henriques in 1147, and there was built the first Christian Chapel of the borough

At the bottom of the small promontory on which the village of Azenhas do Mar is located, on the coast of Sintra, there is a small beach with rocks that retain the water at low tide, forming a natural pool. The sea, the beach and the houses, framed by majestic cliffs, constitute one of the most beautiful scenes on the Portuguese coast.

Situated close to the sea and traditionally a fishing village, Cascais enjoyed an important period of development in the 14th century, when it was a major stopping off point for boats on their way to Lisbon, turning it into a very busy port at that time. It was, however, in the second half of the 19th century, when sea bathing became a popular activity, that Cascais was given the impetus that transformed it into a very fashionable summer resort.

Cabo da Roca is an important coordinate for those sailing along the coast, as it is the most westerly point of mainland Europe, a fact borne out by the certificates that visitors take away as a souvenir. Around 150 metres above the sea, here you can have a panoramic view over the Serra de Sintra and the coast, which makes it worth the visit.

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