Sintra, Portugal is a UNESCO World Heritage site full of castles, gardens, and palatial villas dating back to the eighth and ninth centuries. A blend of Romantic, Moorish, and Gothic architecture styles makes Sintra pretty, almost beyond belief.
Surprisingly there’s also a quirky side to this small town of 3,000 people that you may not expect. Lucky for me, I’m all spending time in unusual places. A couple of highlights over the years have been touring the abandoned Packard Automotive Plant in Detroit and hanging out with the Bruce Lee Statue In Mostar.
Sintra Portugal Photos, A Quirky And Beautiful Place
Sintra’s an easy day trip from Lisbon (about 30 KMs away) and the perfect place to come and relax in a peaceful and quiet atmosphere.
You can hang out in castles, see how the rich and famous once lived, and have a romantic picnic in the park.
Walking through town, you’ll come across all sorts of modern art, one hell of perverted statue, and an extraordinarily beautiful bus stop. For some reason, this satyr (part goat and man) is anatomically correct, much more so than necessary. Our group of travel bloggers stood staring at this statue in disbelief for quite some time. There may even be a picture of me inappropriately “cupping him” floating around the internet. A reflection of Portugal’s Moorish influence, I couldn’t help but wish there were more bus stops like this in the world.
This is Sintra National Palace, restored during the 1940s and now stands as an important national monument.
The beauty of Sintra, Portugal only continued. This building is across the street from the palace and I just loved the blue on blue.
Next, we stopped by a small shop for some tasty treats, drinking a cherry-flavored liqueur from a chocolate cup! I was further entertained by their odd collection of merchandise including “healing wine” and a story about the Legend of the Cock.
Before leaving town, we stopped by Hotel Tivoli Palacio de Seteais to gaze at the stunning building and take in the romantic surroundings.
We also stopped to take one last “farewell shot” of Monserrate Palace.
If you’re looking for a place to party like a rock star, Sintra might not be the place for you. If you’re looking to immerse yourself in beauty, culture, and romance and have a penchant for the quirky side of life, then you’re going to fall deeply in love with Sintra.
What do you think of our Sintra Portugal photos? Do you have any tips on Sintra that we should know about? Drop us your best tips in the comments below.
Good To Know
1) If you decide to do more than a day trip from Lisbon and stay in Sintra for the night, find a place to sleep with booking.com.
Booking.com2) If you’d like to go on a guided tour when you’re in Lisbon, check out the offerings with Get Your Guide.
3) If your road tripping through the country, be sure to rent a car in Portugal.
4) If you like this beautiful country as much as we do, see our other Portugal posts.
- Cascais Portugal Photos, Snaps From A Short Visit – A brief stop in Cascais made me fall in love with this Portuguese town. View my Cascais Portugal Photos to see why you should visit.
- Feast At Restaurant Casa No Campo In Arouca Portugal – Hidden deep in the mountains of Northern Portugal is Restaurant Casa No Campo, serving up regional cuisine in an old barn-turned restaurant.
- Urban Exploration, A Walking Tour of Lisbon – Take a walking tour of Lisbon to sample Portuguese cuisine, take in notable landmarks, and explore some of its multicultural neighborhoods.
*Disclosure – This post contains some affiliate links. If you book a tour, car rental, or hotel, I’ll earn a tiny commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for your support!
Sintra is one of my favorite places in Portugal, particularly the palaces and whimsical gardens. Nice revisiting through your post!
Sintra looks a beautiful town worth exploring Cheryl and your pics really give a feel for the place. I love the mask statue and as for Dr Wine that sounds like my kind of medicine. I wasn’t even aware of Sintra but I’m sure it would be preferable to exploring some of the bigger cities.
Looks so lovely!!! The fellow has been to Portugal before (I haven’t) and it’s one of the top places he wants to take me. I am excited to eventually explore it too!
@Cat – Thanks, glad you enjoyed the memories. 🙂
@Natalye – It’s very lovely. The two of you will have a marvellous time in Sintra and well, Portugal in general. 🙂
I love your photo of the blue building, Cheryl. Sintra looks beautiful!
@Adam – Thank you Adam. 🙂
@Iain – It’s very lovely! Wish I had been able to stay longer than an hour or two. Hope you see it someday for yourself …
I love it! This is the type of place I could spend a week or two just relaxing with my family.
Yeah, I think it's a perfect place to relax and get away from it all. Especially, with family. 🙂
Gothic architecture and cherry liqueurs always get me.
@Nat – Ha ha! 🙂
Love your eye for picking out the quirky. Sintra looks lovely.
@Laurel – Ha ha! I love quirky mostly because I’m quirky. 😉
I enjoyed the town at Sintra so much more than the castle itself…lovely photos!
@Andrea – Thanks and me too! It’s a lovely place to explore and wander.
How could you not make a comment about the Legend of Cock?
@Stephanie – Figured there was enough commentary about that bizarre statue!
I’m so jealous of your trip. I went this year in January and it was all foggy and rainy, couldn’t see much! Great pictures!
I'm so jealous of your trip. I went this year in January and it was all foggy and rainy, couldn't see much! Great pictures!
@My Travel Affairs – It just means you need to go back again. 😀
Beautiful! It looks like the kind of place I could just walk around in for days.
@Dean – Yes, it certainly is … there are some nice trails for hiking too.
Beautiful. Portugal is high on my list and Sintra is one place I’d love to visit.
@Jenna – Thank you! Portugal is one of my favorite countries ever! 🙂
Thanks! I hope you can make it back when it's sunny. 🙂
It’s so beautiful and so close to Lisbon! The Sintra Castle is one of its kind… But from your photos we get a detailed, deeper look at how Sintra’s other architectural beauties look like.
I really enjoyed Sintra! I want to go there again and explore more someday. 🙂
Our time there was far too brief.
Your Blog is fantastic!!!
My name is Hugo and I am an official guide in Lisbon. I loved your article about Sintra.
I invite everybody to came to Portugal. It’s a country to be discovered, like you did when you went to places where even some Portuguese are not.
Thanks
Hugo Gonçalves
Hi Hugo,
Glad you like my blog. I work pretty hard to keep it going. 🙂
I adore Portugal and do hope to get back there someday! I hope that more people visit as well. It’s one of my favourite places in the world.
Best,
Cheryl