A Complete Guide to Taking a Sintra Day Trip from Lisbon

If you Google “things to do in Portugal,” there’s one thing that’s guaranteed to show up on just about any list you find: taking a day trip to Sintra.

Sintra is a town in the foothills of the Sintra Mountains, about an hour northwest of Lisbon. The region is hilly, forested, and dotted with fairytale-like palaces and villas – making it a must-see for most visitors to Portugal.

There are tours you can book that will take you around Sintra for the day, but I recommend making the trip independently so you can see things at your own pace.

Read on for all my tips for planning an epic day trip to Sintra!

Planning the perfect Sintra day trip

Getting to Sintra

First things first: I don’t recommend driving to Sintra. Parking at the palaces and…