castle
Castelo dos Mouros
Ancient Moorish ramparts snaking along a forested ridge with commanding views over Sintra.
1 km · about 5 min drive
EuropePortugalLisbon
Sintra
Lisbon, Portugal · Europe
About Sintra
Sintra works well as a base: 5 minutes from Linhó, 1km from Castelo dos Mouros.
Sintra is in Lisbon, Portugal, with about 26,000 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Linhó, about 4 km away.
Sintra (, Portuguese: [ˈsĩtɾɐ] ), officially the Town of Sintra (Portuguese: Vila de Sintra), is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2021 was 385,654, in an area of 319.23 square kilometres (123.26 sq mi). Sintra isRead more
one of the most urbanized and densely populated municipalities of Portugal. A major tourist destination famed for its picturesqueness, the municipality has several historic palaces, castles, scenic beaches, parks and gardens.
The area includes the Sintra-Cascais Nature Park through which the Sintra Mountains run. The historic center of the Vila de Sintra is famous for its 19th-century Romanticist architecture, historic estates and villas, gardens, and royal palaces and castles, which resulted in the classification of the town as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Sintra's landmarks include the medieval Castle of the Moors, the romanticist Pena National Palace and the Portuguese Renaissance Sintra National Palace.
Sintra is one of the wealthiest municipalities in both Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula as a whole. It is home to one of the largest foreign expatriate communities along the Portuguese Riviera, and consistently ranks as one of the best places to live in Portugal. The ECB Forum on Central Banking, an annual event organised by the European Central Bank, is held in Sintra.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Sintra?
Within an hour or so of Sintra: Castelo dos Mouros (1 km), Pena Palace (2 km), Quinta da Regaleira (2 km), Monserrate Palace (4 km).
Are there any good drives near Sintra?
The nearest famous roads are Sintra–Cascais Coast Road (N247), Cascais and Estrada Marginal (N6).
Where is Sintra?
Sintra is in Lisbon, Portugal, about 4 km from Linhó.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 26,193
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Portugal
- Region
- Lisbon
- Timezone
- Europe/Lisbon
- Coordinates
- 38.8010, -9.3783
Tags
Worth the detour from Sintra
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
castle
Pena Palace
A colorful Romanticist palace atop a hill in Sintra, representing one of the finest examples of 19th-century Romanticism in the world.
2 km · about 5 min drive
castle
Quinta da Regaleira
A mystical estate in Sintra featuring an initiatic well descending nine spiraling levels underground, surrounded by enchanted gardens.
2 km · about 5 min drive
castle
Monserrate Palace
Sintra's most exotic and least crowded palace: a Moorish-Gothic-Indian fantasy villa rebuilt in 1858 for Francis Cook, wrapped in botanical gardens with lawns, ferns, and Mexican and Japanese terraces. Byron praised the earlier ruin in Childe Harold.
4 km · about 5 min drive
racetrack
Autodromo do Estoril
A classic Portuguese circuit near Lisbon that hosted Formula 1 from 1984 to 1996, known for its fast and technical layout.
6 km · about 10 min drive
landmark
Convento dos Capuchos
A tiny cork-lined hermitage hidden in Sintra's forest, hauntingly austere and moss-covered.
6 km · about 10 min drive
coastal drive
Sintra–Cascais Coast Road (N247)
A wind-swept coastal drive past Cabo da Roca, wild beaches and the Sintra-Cascais natural park.
8 km · about 15 min drive
photogenic
Azenhas do Mar
Whitewashed village spilling down a sheer Atlantic cliff near Sintra, with a tidal ocean pool at its foot: the classic view is from the small lookout on the northern approach road. At golden hour the whole cliff face lights up.
8 km · about 15 min drive
Driving roads near Sintra
- Right hereSintra–Cascais Coast Road (N247)A wind-swept coastal drive past Cabo da Roca, wild beaches and the Sintra-Cascais natural park.
- Right hereCabo da RocaThe westernmost point of continental Europe, a wild windswept cliff 140 meters above the roaring Atlantic.
- Right hereCascaisA breezy seaside resort town of beaches, marina and old-town lanes at the end of the Lisbon coast.
- Right hereEstrada Marginal (N6)A breezy coastal drive hugging the Tagus shore from Lisbon out to Estoril and Cascais.
- 21 kmPonte 25 de AbrilA red suspension bridge evoking the Golden Gate, soaring across the Tagus into southern Lisbon.
- 23 kmTram 28 Route, LisbonLisbon's iconic vintage yellow tram rattling through the city's steepest and most atmospheric historic neighborhoods.
Driving in Portugal
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.78/litre
- Motorway tolls
- ~€9.00/100km
When to drive here
April to October
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