I literally typed “Sintra for the lazy” into Google while researching Sintra and didn’t get any results, so this is the article I wish I had been able to read.
I just couldn’t quite wrap my head around visiting all the castles near Sintra. How close together were they? How much walking should I expect? How many hills would I have to climb? Now I was willing to do all of this because I wanted to see these incredible castles. But I also knew I had limited time and limited energy, so I wanted to be as efficient as possible.
I know I may not be able to answer all your questions about Sintra because I’ve only been there one time, but I will share my experience and give you a better idea of just how much exercise to expect.
How close together are the castles?
They are not close together. Don’t expect to walk from castle to castle. Some blogs will tell you this is possible, but not if you are a lazy traveler. Some blogs will say it’s a nice walk up to Pena Palace. It is a 50-minute hike from the train station. You don’t have time for that! Just outside of the train station are the 434 and 435 buses that take different loops through Sintra. We jumped on the 434 toward Pena Palace, and I was amazed at how long the trip took. The bus followed a long, winding road up to the Pena Palace for about 20 minutes. I kept thinking, “I’m so glad we decided to take the bus!” Then when the bus drops you at the gate of Pena Palace, you will find another, smaller bus there waiting to take those who purchased tickets up to the palace.
[Confession: when we bought a bus transfer along with our Pena Palace tickets, we thought the ticket was for the first bus. Turns out it was for this second bus and we accidentally rode the 434 bus for free. Don’t worry though! We paid for a 24-hour ticket on our next journey.]
The smaller second bus takes you another 10 minutes or so up a tree-covered, winding hill until you get closer to the gate. But it doesn’t drop you off right at the entrance. You then need to walk up a long inclined path to get to the entrance. The biggest reason why all of this is important is that your ticket to Pena Palace is timed. Make sure you give yourself puh-lenty of time to get from the train station to the smaller bus and then up the entrance to the palace itself.
We definitely didn’t expect travel between the castles to take as long as it did, and it’s one reason why we were only able to visit two of the five castles in Sintra.
How many hills will I have to climb?
A lot. There are a lot of hills. As I mentioned, there’s a hill from the mini bus stop to the entrance at Pena Palace. The other castle we visited was Quinta da Regaleira, the incredible Gothic estate that is also home to the Initiation Well. After Pena Palace, we took the 435 bus to Quinta da Regaleira. You might think you are at the entrance when the bus drops you off because there is a gate right across the street. However, you can’t enter here. Turn to the right from the gate and start your incline up to the entrance. You’ll come to another gate as the road bends, but that’s still not the entrance. Continue up the hill just a little further and you will finally reach the official entrance.
To get to the Initiation Well, you’ll also climb some hills, but this isn’t too bad because there are plenty of things to stop and look at along the way. I was worried that if I went down the steps at the Initiation Well that I would have to climb them all the way back up and that just seemed exhausting. Good news! The Initiation Well is one-way only - down! You don’t have to go back up. Once you’re down at the bottom, you’ll exit through some amazing caves into a grotto area back in the gardens of the estate.
I did read on a different blog after our visit that there is a second entrance to Quinta de Regaleira that is closer to the Initiation Well and would save some hills. I love that kind of tip, so I thought I would pass it along.
Is Sintra worth it?
Definitely! When I searched for what it’s like to visit Sintra when you’re lazy, I just wanted to know what to expect. I find that when I’m hiking (either mountains or Lisbon’s hills), I need to know how much further it is. Being mentally prepared helps me physically. What I wish I had known about Sintra is that the bus drop off is not exactly the entrance - plan at least 10-15 minutes to hoof it up those hills. As much as I appreciated having a bus take us most of the way, I also wish I realized how long those bus rides would take! I really wanted to see Monserrate Palace during our visit as well, but there just wasn’t enough time. The castles all close around 5:30 pm, so time in Sintra truly is limited if you’re doing a daytrip there.
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