Travel in Portugal

Travel in Portugal show some grandiose panoramas here are some outdoor hits

Castles in the Sintra Hills : One of the most attractive destination when travel in Portugal

The mountains of Sintra in Portugal are somehow like a jewelry box : castles , ruins and enchanted palaces with lush gardens line the roads in the north-west of Lisbon. The top architectural treasure of the region was created by a German. That is the Palace of Pena which looks a bit alike Neuschwanstein in south Germany, but Pena was completed in 1854 and the Bavarian castle was begun in 1869, which seems to be the other way around.

Palace of Pena at Sintra

Palace of Pena Interior

How to travel there?

The Pena Palace is one of the main attractions of Portugal and with its fairytale appearance a real attraction and easy to reach because only around 30 km northwest of Lisbon. Towering the hill at 529 meters the Romans called it “Mountain of the Moon" it is extending to the Atlantic Ocean and has its foothills at Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of Europe.

Cabo da Roca

From Rossio train station in Lisbon's city center, the streetcar departs every 20 minutes for Sintra. The journey takes about 40 minutes. At the terminus Sebastião Moura scooter rickshaws are waiting. First it virtually crawls the serpentine roads up to the Paço da Vila , a city palace from the 14th Century  with two 33 meter high conical chimneys placed over the castle's kitchen. The interior of the former royal residence is overwhelming. 

Paço da Vila

Villas -spotting in the mountains

In contrast to the polluted air in Lisbon Sintra has a real pleasant climate and temperature which is one of the reasons why the Kings spent the summer here. In spring and autumn it often rains heavily just right for the rich vegetation.

The Moorish Castle at Sintra

To enjoy the best views all the way down to the Atlantic, some effort is required. The driver has its limit at the entrance of the Castle of the Moors, from their a steep paved path makes it easy to walk . The Moorish Castle was built in the eighth century, it was conquered by the Portuguese at 1147 and now a ruin although a well-preserved one.

The Moorish Castle is a ruin now

A day trip to Sintra might be a bit to short, two days would be sufficient. The drive through the hilly landscape shows numerous interesting villas built by the nobility in the 19th Century. In an exceptionally beautiful garden with lush vegetation is the palace Quinta de Regaleira with a beautiful view it is an architectural jewel. 

Palace Quinta de Regaleira

The Pena National Palace is a Unesco World Heritage site since 1995 - as the whole area. According to the romantic spirit of the German architect Baron Ludwig von Eschwege who built the palace on behalf of the German-born Prince Consort Fernando II medieval and exotic architectural styles were mixed.

Portugal is a republic since 1910, the palace is open to visitors who like this visual jewel.