A Day Trip to Sintra, Portugal and Palace of Pena

When in Lisbon, one of the easiest and most fun day trips you can take is an easy 40 min train ride to Sintra, Portugal

During our one full free day in Lisbon, I knew that I had to be focused with planning to maximize the available time. So, instead of worrying about getting to Porto and back, I focused on a day trip to Sintra.

After walking from the H10 Duque de Loulé to Balcao de Macques for breakfast, it was easy to get an Uber from Marquis of Pombal Square the main train station, Rossio.

Stepping out of the ride share at Praça Dom Pedro IV, I was overwhelmed with a profound sense of place.

This, was Lisbon. And it was absolutely, visually delicious.

Rossio Train Station

After making our way to Estação de Rossio train station and purchasing tickets to Sintra,  we realized we’d just missed the train to Sintra. The next train wasn’t for 40 minutes! What were we to do?

Give me time in a new city – on the one day I have to explore – and I will definitely make the most of it. Instead of standing around Rossio, sitting on a chair being bored AF, I led us on a walking meandering around the area.

I visually devoured Rossio, taking photos of everything that gave me a sense of space and presence.

Needless to say, we yet again missed our next intended train to Sintra. But, I captured the shots I wanted in the area.

What’s even better is that  the next train to Sintra  departed only 10 minutes later than our intended one. So, without much delay, we were on our way.

Once we departed from the train station, I literally had NO idea where we should go. So, I basically followed a group of tourist being led by a guide.

Before I knew it, I was at the Palacio Nacional de Sintra.

Palacio Nacional de Sintra

The architecture was incredible. I also loved the views.

After a quick stop at A Padaria on Largo Dr. Gregório de Almeida, we continued up to Starbucks, to get a “Wish You Were Here” Lisbon cup.

Then, after securing a Tesla for our ride share, we made our way to the Palace of Pena.

Palace of Pena

Now, getting to the Palace is a windy adventure within itself. Arriving and getting your tickets and figuring out what to do? Another story.

I’ve seen enough interiors of castles to know that the main thing I was interested in was the architecture. For that specific ticket, you need a timed entry for. So, we bought tickets to see the gardens, which included the outside areas of the Palace. This was much more meaningful to me.

Now, there are two ways to get up to the palace. You can walk (why) or you can take the shuttle. You can buy a ticket on the shuttle for cash for 3 euros. Well worth it, in my own opinion. Instead of taking 30 minutes to get up the hill to the Palace, it takes – what – 3 minutes? Save time and pay. You have nothing to prove to anyone.

The views – wow the views. The details! The textures! It was brilliantly beautiful to visually comprehend.

I had a clear view of Castelo dos Mouros, which made for splendid images.

Getting back to the train station was easy. It’s pretty limited to get an Uber from up at the Palace. But, I didn’t want to risk it with taxis. So, we easily took a bus down to the station.

As we waited for the train to return back to Lisbon, I felt a deep appreciation for the day’s adventure.

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