Sintra is one of the most popular destinations in Portugal.
Land of fairy-tale castles and palaces, medieval village nestled in the mountain, located short distance from Lisbon, is one of the preferred places for visitors in Portugal.
People travel all over the world to see the beauty of Sintra, it’s romantic mansions, historical fortresses and amazing royal palaces.
It’s indeed one of the most beautiful places on earth.
Some guests choose to visit Sintra by train.
The train departs every 30min from Lisbon, and takes around 45min minutes to reach Sintra. Taking the train from Rossio Station, is the easiest way.
But, not everything is good. You should expect several lines, crowded trains and not always on time (strikes usually happen). On top of that, don’t forget that most of the places in Sintra require transportation, and bus lines are big. If you just want to visit the old village, then you can easily reach walking from the train station, but if you wish to visit Pena Palace or Moorish castle, cannot be reached walking, unless you are a good hiker.
There is a bus taking up the hill to the palaces, but it usually packed and delayed. Uber is an option to consider, and there are also tour guides available at the train station.
If you wish to get private transportation from Lisbon, with a private guide assisting you,
Drop-me a message clicking here
Below are some photos of the Sintra train station and bus lines, outside and inside, that I have gathered from the web.
It is also important to arrive early at the Pena Palace. It gets very crowded. The last photos below are from the lines at the Palace that I gathered over the last two years.
Over the peak season, you should be at at Pena National Palace by 9AM, at the opening time, to avoid the crowds. This means that you should arrive in Sintra around 8AM/8h15AM, if still using public transportation, and should need to depart Lisbon by train around 7h30AM latest. If you are arriving to Sintra later, the photos below is what you will expect, sorry to be honest.
Gonzalo
Founder/Owner of The Lisbon Guide, one of the major blog references in Portugal, established in 2014 and receiving every year 250.000 visitors from all over the world, looking to provide the best experiences in Portugal. In partnership with Portugal Magik for all private tours and transfers across Portugal, Gonzalo loves a good seafood meal at Monte Mar Cascais, and all from Michelin Chef Avillez. Favorite Hotel in Lisbon/Portugal, Penha Longa Resort by Ritz Carlton.
For over 15 years, Gonzalo have been helping thousands of travelers yearly to plan a perfect trip to Portugal. Based in Lisbon/Cascais and working in this field for over 20 years, with multiple ongoing projects. Also an avid TripAdvisor user level 6 with more than 300.000 readers worldwide.
Many years working also as a Private Guide of Lisbon, Sintra, Fatima, Porto, Douro Valley, Evora, and other locations in Portugal.
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