Ready for a new trip around Lisbon? Let’s go to Sintra, a place with a very fairytale-like atmosphere, with brightly colored palaces and the Moorish castle perched on Mount Luna.
Before leaving for Lisbon, I had planned to rent a car, which luckily I didn’t do in advance because once I arrived, I realized that public transport is well-served and quite affordable. This morning I wake up early, as it will be a long day. The plan is to go to Sintra to see the Moorish Castle (Castelo de Mouros) and the Palacio e Parque da Pena, then take bus 403 which follows the Atlantic coast passing by Cabo de Roca, the westernmost point of the European continent, finally ending the journey in Cascais.
From here I will take the train to Algés, where I will get off and meet Sergio at the shipyard, who at 4:00 PM will launch his Class 40 “Calaluna” and bring it back to the marina, a unique opportunity to see Lisbon and its surroundings from the Tagus River. I will make a nice “round trip” using various means of transport.
The train to Sintra departs from Rossio station, just a stone’s throw from the apartment. It takes about 40 minutes. I take the 7:41 train, but once I arrive, I realize that the entire tourist “machine” of Sintra is still at a standstill.
The first bus to the two main attractions leaves at 9:15 from the station, so there’s time to walk to the historic center of Sintra for a coffee and to see the National Palace from the outside.
We’re off, the route that bus 434 takes to climb Mount Luna is winding, and the driver must have good experience for the very narrow passages, but especially for the natural obstacles on the road, like bent plants or rocks that force you to stay in the middle of the lane. I stop at the first attraction we encounter, the Moorish castle, but I later realize that the ideal would have been to go up to the palace, visit it, and then walk down to the castle. Both open at 10, so there’s a bit of waiting involved.
The castle is truly beautiful, from its walls you can see 360 degrees, all the way to the Atlantic coast.
In about 45 minutes, I saw all the walls, the cistern, and visited the archaeological part, which honestly wasn’t anything special. It was a quick visit, as time is running out.
I leave the castle and walk towards the palace. The entrance ticket also includes access to the 200-hectare park, where there are tree-lined walks leading to panoramic spots and hidden lakes. Unfortunately, I can’t see them due to lack of time.
The palace is truly enchanting, with an Arabian air, terraces with breathtaking views, and many tiles and bright colors. Inside, the state rooms have been preserved as they were in 1910, when the Portuguese royal court had to flee the revolution. It has a somewhat fairytale-like quality.
It’s now half past noon, and I need to catch the bus back to Sintra station. Here I have a quick lunch and then take
At 3:53 PM, I arrive at Algés train station, I still have a 15-minute walk to reach the shipyard. I meet Sergio, they are applying the antifouling on the last spots where it was resting, and then off we go, Calaluna goes into the water.
We motor along the Tagus and head towards the Lisbon marina. The tide is rising, so we have the current in our favor. In Lisbon, the tidal range reaches about 3.5 meters, so the currents can be significant. We arrive at the marina, and the bridge is still closed, we have to wait for it to open to enter. Once docked, we have a coffee and then say goodbye, with my intention to return and do a week-long course on this boat.
I haven’t yet seen the stretch of shore from the marina to the center of Lisbon, so I walk there, heading to Cais de Sodré station where I’ll take the subway home.
And today, I’ve walked my 18 km.
Tips |
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To properly visit Sintra and its surroundings, it would be ideal to dedicate at least a couple of days, staying overnight in the area. I visited the two main attractions, but there are many others worth noting and visiting. Remember that there are discounts on tickets depending on the number of attractions you wish to visit. For climbing enthusiasts, below the Moorish castle, there is the natural gym “Penedo de Amizade“, which with its 72 routes up to 45 meters high, is the oldest and most emblematic in Portugal. Various information on all the attractions in the region can be found on the official Parco de Sintra website. |
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