We overslept that morning, and since I had adjusted my phone’s time manually, it just so happened that the time displayed was an hour late. So we ended up leaving our Airbnb at around 10:30 am, and got distracted by a market on Praça Figueira near the train station. That’s where we had our breakfast bifana pork sandwich and sangria (no shame). The market was a gem, a tourist-trap I gather, but with good food and pleasant vibes.
dav
dav
We then headed to the station, rushed to the platform, and off we were for a thirty-minute long ride to Sintra.
We were surrounded with tourists, it felt like I was back in Paris in a train headed to Versailles. In a way, this fact made it easy, since we hadn’t really prepared any precise itinerary, we could just follow the crowds.
As we arrived in Sintra, and left the station, we discovered a quaint little town, with houses and churches sprouting from its hills.
dav
dav
We didn’t know much about Sintra, but since we were limited in time, we had to choose between visiting the Palacio da Pena or the Castle of the Moors. We chose the former, a castle standing on the top of a hill in the Sintra mountains. In case you’re planning on visiting this place, get yourself some good shoes because man are you going to walk. It’s only 3 km from the station , but the road is steep. Very steep.
We followed the other tourists and found ourselves in what seemed to be sort of a Plaza Mayor. Right next to the plaza between the tall houses were a bunch of narrow pedestrian paths streets. It reminded me of Montmartre in a way, or Mont-Saint-Michel actually because of the hilly nature of the town.
dav
dav
We wandered around there for a bit, and started the climb to the Palace. We’re warriors, so we wanted to do it all by foot – of course the only reason we ended up taking a tuk tuk up was because we thought it’d save us time, not because our legs could no longer bear the steepness and length of the way. I mean come on, we were on holiday. So after a rocky tuk tuk drive next to a bunch of Russians, we made it! …only to discover there was more walking to do.
The reward is great. I have never seen anything like that in my entire life. It’s like all the Disney princesses are supposed to live there. The colours were vivid and the building was dreamlike. Absolutely astonishing. We spent almost 3 hours walking around and staring at the beauty of this place. Apparently the place started off as a Chapel in the Middle Ages, and the last touches were brought to it in the 19th Century by the Portuguese King. I mean, just look at how impressive it is. It makes me wonder what French constructions would have looked like if the monarchy hadn’t fallen.
Sintra is definitely a must-see. If you spend the week-end in Portugal, just go for it, your eyes will thank you and you’ll be able to tone your legs at the same time. And if you can, try and spend a couple of days there to explore the area, I hear it’s absolutely worth it.
A day in Sintra, Portugal We overslept that morning, and since I had adjusted my phone's time manually, it just so happened that the time displayed was an hour late.