Sintra is a magical destination, a place where whimsical palaces and ancient castles rise from lush, forested hills. Once a summer haven for Portuguese royalty, its stunning natural scenery and collection of wondrous monuments make it the most popular day trip from Lisbon.

However, a visit to this fairytale town can come with a surprisingly high price tag. A typical day trip often includes the vibrant Palácio da Pena (€20), the mystical Quinta da Regaleira (€15), and the historic Castelo dos Mouros (€12). When combined with the 434-tourist bus fare (€13.50), train travel from Lisbon, and food, the total cost for a single day can quickly exceed €85 per person.

Fortunately, experiencing the charm of Sintra does not have to be expensive. Beyond the main ticketed monuments lies an alternative side to the town, filled with dense forests, dramatic coastlines, and spectacular viewpoints that can be explored for free.

This guide will detail how to visit Sintra on a budget. It will highlight the best free activities, suggest an inexpensive day trip itinerary, and provide practical tips to help you save money on transport and dining.
Related articles: Introduction to Sintra - A day trip to Sintra

• See Pena Palace for Half Price: If you are more interested in the famous architecture and stunning views than the palace interior, buy the 'Park-Only' ticket. At just €10, this ticket grants you access to the palace's famous exterior terraces and battlements, as well as the entire 200-hectare forested parkland.

• Stick to the 434 Bus: While the €13.50 24-hour bus ticket may seem expensive, it is the most economical way to reach the hilltop palaces. A one-way taxi from the station to the palace costs around €15, making the bus significantly cheaper than a return journey by any other means.

• Pack Your Own Lunch and Water: Food options near the Palácio da Pena and Castelo dos Mouros are very limited. Restaurants in the historic centre can be expensive and are often aimed at tourists. Bringing your own supplies is the easiest way to save money.

• Eat Where the Locals Do: For an authentic and reasonably priced meal, head to a local favourite like the Apeadeiro restaurant. It's known for serving generous portions of classic Portuguese dishes at prices that are very fair for the area.

• Hike, but Be Prepared: The cheapest way to reach the palaces is on foot, but it is not for everyone. The walk from the historic centre is a very demanding 50-minute uphill trek that will use up a significant amount of your time and energy.

• The Ultimate Money-Saving Tip: The single biggest way to save money is to skip entering the hilltop monuments altogether. Forgoing entry to the Palácio da Pena (€20) and the Castelo dos Mouros (€12) will save you the need for the 434 bus (€13.50).

1. Vila Sassetti and its Gardens - A secluded 19th-century villa inspired by Italian architecture. Its romantic gardens provide a peaceful escape with winding paths, moss-covered granite boulders, and lush greenery, offering a quiet alternative to Sintra's busier sites.

2. Historic Centre of Sintra - A maze of narrow cobblestone streets lined with traditional shops and historic buildings. Wandering through this area is the best way to absorb the town's unique fairy-tale character and admire architecture like the Seteais Palace and Sintra National Palace.

3. Cabo da Roca - The westernmost point of mainland Europe, a raw headland where rugged cliffs meet the Atlantic. A stone monument bears the words of poet Luís Vaz de Camões, "Where the land ends and the sea begins," capturing its dramatic spirit. Cabo da Roca guide

The powerful lighthouse standing atop the Cabo da Roca cliffs

4. Caminho de Santa Maria - A demanding hiking trail provides a scenic route from the Sintra centre up to the Moorish Castle. The steep, stone-paved trail winds through the forest, offering a peaceful walk with excellent views away from the main roads. Caminho de Santa Maria guide.

The shaded and cooing path heading up to the Castelo dos Mouros

5. Sintra's Viewpoints (Miradouros) - Scattered across the hills, these many viewpoints, or miradouros, offer panoramic vistas. Locations such as Miradouro de Santa Eufémia and Miradouro da Ferraria are reachable on foot and provide great perspectives of the palaces, town, and coastline.

6. Praia da Ursa - The Praia da Ursa is often cited as one of the most beautiful wild beaches in Portugal. It is famous for its dramatic sea stacks, particularly the 'Rocha da Ursa' or 'Bear Rock,' which gives the beach its name. Reaching the sand is an adventure, requiring a steep and challenging hike down an unmarked cliffside trail.

7. Azenhas do Mar - A picturesque coastal village that appears to be built directly into the cliffside overlooking the ocean. The view of the white-washed houses above the cliffside is one of the famed images of the region while at the base is an ocean fed swimming pool.

8. Santuário da Peninha - Set within the exposed western side of the Serra de Sintra, this sanctuary includes a historic chapel and palace ruins. The site offers stunning panoramic views of the coastline and surrounding landscape.

The view of the Serra de Sintra coastline from the Santuário da Peninha

9. Parque da Liberdade - A public botanical garden that offers a quiet alternative to the busier palace grounds. Its winding paths lead through a diverse collection of international plants and trees, complemented by small fountains and sculptures.

10. Sintra Town Hall - The Câmara Municipal de Sintra resembles a fairytale castle more than a civic building. The delightful Neo-Manueline building includes a tower and whimsical conical turrets, and mock gothic windows.

The interactive map below shows the best free and inexpensive sights and attractions in Sintra and the surrounding region. Note: Zoom out to see all of the points

Legend: 1) Vila Sassetti 2) Caminho de Santa Maria 3) Parque da Liberdade 4) Parque das Merendas 5) Penedo da Amizade (rock climbing cliffs) 6) Historic centre of Sintra 7) Palácio Nacional de Sintra 8) Câmara Municipal de Sintra 9) Igreja de São Martinho 10) Fonte Mourisca 11) Palacio de Seteais 12) Queijadas da Sapa 13) Sintra Tram 14) Praia das Maçãs (beach) 15) Capela de Nossa Senhora da Peninha 16) Cabo da Roca 17) Praia da Ursa (beach) 18) N247 road (scenic drive)

The Palácio da Pena is a magnificent palace and the most famous sight of Sintra. Due to its popularity, visits to the palace are via a timed ticket, which provides a 30-minute time window to enter the main building of the palace.

During the peak season, the most popular time slots are booked, and it is advisable to book tickets at least the day before. Tickets can be purchased from Getyourguide.com for €20 - click here.

There is a cheaper ticket (€10) that provides entrance to the gardens and forests that surround the Palácio da Pena, but not the actual palace. Surprisingly very little of the palace can be seen from the grounds, and the cheaper ‘Park Only’ ticket is not recommended if this is your first visit.

Many visitors to the Palácio da Pena head to the palace for their time slot, see the main building and terraces and then leave, but there is actually a lot to see within the grounds. Half a day could be easily spent here, making it a much better value tourist attraction. Highlights of the Pena Park include the Cruz Alta viewpoint, the Alto de Santa Catarina viewpoint, the Chalet e Jardim da Condessa d'Edla and the Lago dos Peixes, along with the many forested footpaths.

The general confusion, queues and traffic at the entrance to the Pena Palace - and this is on a quiet Monday in October!

A day trip to Sintra need not be overly expensive. Here are some tips and advice to make it cheaper for you.

The train is the best and cheapest way to travel from Lisbon to Sintra. There are two services to Sintra, with one departing Lisbon from the Estação do Oriente and the other from the Estação do Rossio. The latter route is more popular with tourists as Rossio train station is in the Baixa district, close to the tourist centre of Lisbon. A return ticket costs €4.60, and a full guide to the train services can be read here.

Insight: Never drive to Sintra. There is limited car parking, and the narrow roads are not designed for the huge amounts of tourist traffic in the summer.

The cheapest way to reach the Palácio da Pena and Castelo dos Mouros is to catch the 434-tourist bus. This bus service follows a one-way, circular loop from the train station up to the Palácio da Pena, passing the historic centre of Sintra and the Castelo dos Mouros.

Insight: When exiting Sintra train station, you will be pounced on by many tour guides and drivers trying to sell all manner of different trips and tours. Try to ignore them all. It is a scenic (and flat) walk from the station to the historic centre of Sintra. If you want to visit the Pena Palace, take the 434-bus or walk the Caminho de Santa Maria (this is a very demanding walk!)

The 434 tourist bus service waiting outside the train station

The restaurants in the historic centre of Sintra are very expensive (as they are designed for tourists) and are extremely busy in the summer. Much better and cheaper options are found on the Avenida Alfredo da Costa (the road below the train station) and the Avenida Heliodoro Salgado (northeast of the station). The Casa dos Frangos restaurant is a good choice for inexpensive traditional Portuguese food, and is close to the station.

The Cintia snack bar/restaurant, opposite the train station, is a great café where all of the locals and workers go for coffee and quick meals.

Insight: There are no good food options at the top of the Pena Palace and Moorish Castle hill. Before heading up there, make sure you have sufficient water and food. Otherwise, you'll find yourself paying more than €4.50 for some disappointing sandwiches.

If you're on holiday in Sintra, the best value supermarket is Pingo Doce, which is situated in the new town to the east of the train station. However, this is a long walk from the historic centre.

There are almost no good value food locations in the centre of Sintra

Casa Piriquita
Every Portuguese town has its own traditional sweet pastry, and the delicious speciality of Sintra are Queijadas (Queijadas de Sintra). These crispy, pastry tarts are filled with a sweet mix of cheese, eggs, milk and sugar and are the perfect treat during a long day of sightseeing!

Queijadas have been made in Sintra since the medieval period, but it was Maria Sapa in 1756 who first started to prepare them commercially. Her recipe was passed down through the generations, and the family shop, the Casa Piriquita, is the best place to try them.

Câmara Municipal de Sintra
The Câmara Municipal de Sintra (Sintra town hall) is one of the finest examples of the whimsical Romanticist style of architecture found in Sintra. The building was completed in 1909 and boasts a decorative Manueline-inspired entrance and a flamboyant clock tower. Sadly, the interior of the building is not open to the public, but the exterior is free to see.

The Palácio de Seteais
The Palácio de Seteais is a magnificent neo-classical palace that dates from 1783. The palace today is a luxurious hotel, but non-guests are able to visit the grounds. The grounds include a terrace garden with amazing views, hedge mazes and an impressive triumphal archway.

The N247 road
If you have a car, the N247 road between Azóia and Cascais provides one of the most spectacular driving routes of the Lisbon region. The road twists and turns through the Serra de Sintra hills and provides fantastic views over the region, before descending down into the pretty town of Cascais.
Related articles: The best driving routes in the Lisbon region

The Igreja de São Martinho
The Igreja de São Martinho is the main church in Sintra. The gothic church dates from 1283, but it was almost entirely rebuilt after the 1755 earthquake.

The interior of the São Martinho church is very similar to many other Portuguese Baroque churches

The Caminho de Vila Sassetti
This was a scenic hiking route from Sintra up to the Palácio da Pena, which passed through the grounds of Vila Sassetti and along the base of the Penedo da Amizade cliffs, providing some of the best views of the Castelo dos Mouros. This route is currently closed, having been deemed unsafe, and the gate from the Vila Sassetti gardens is locked. The path will hopefully be repaired, but this is doubtful.

The Penedo da Amizade cliffs
The Penedo da Amizade cliffs, situated below the Castelo dos Mouros, is Portugal's oldest and most famous rock-climbing locations. These bare rock faces provide challenging climbing routes for experienced climbers, and their ascents can be exhilarating to watch. The cliffs are accessible by the Parque das Merendas.

Exploring Sintra town centre – As obvious as it sounds, but exploring the historic centre of Sintra is free. You can see the exterior of the Palácio Nacional de Sintra, the uniquely styled town hall, wander the bustling shopping streets such as the Rua das Padarias or visit the peaceful parks of Parque da Liberdade and Parque das Merendas. Even the walk from the train station to the historic centre is pretty, and passes the Fonte Mourisca, a Moorish-inspired water spring.

The Gothic Palácio Nacional de Sintra, with its two distinctive chimneys rising from the kitchens

The Fonte Mourisca - there are many natural springs within Sintra

Capela de Nossa Senhora da Peninha – Possibly the finest viewpoint of the Sintra region, this little chapel perches atop a craggy rock outcrop and provides amazing views over the entire coastline. It's a dramatic and magical location, but you will need a car to get here.

The view southwards from Peninha overlooks the Praia do Guincho beach

The Sintra tram to Praia das Maçãs – The delightful tram route that connects Sintra to the pretty beach resort of Praia das Maçãs, with a cheery 1930s tram trundling along the 13km route. A tram ticket only costs €3, and at the end is the fantastic beach at Praia das Maçãs and a charming beach town, along with scenic coastal walking paths.

The tram ride and a trip to Praia das Maçãs is a fantastic, inexpensive activity if you're on holiday to Sintra, and the Praia das Maçãs is the best beach that is easily accessible from Sintra. Guide to Praia das Maçãs

The quaint tram from Sintra to Praia das Maçãs

The Praia das Maçãs is a fantastic beach

Our most popular guides to Sintra