To me, Sintra was a very alluring and quaint town. About a 45 minute train ride from Lisbon, we decided to spend three nights here while many tourists only take a day trip from Lisbon. Our hostel, Nice Way Sintra Palace was the perfect fit for this enchanting town, whose decor consisted of quirky photos and a whimsical backyard. As if we were in a fairy tale, our room was even called the “apple room”, whose bed frame consisted of branches and fake apples.
Sintra not only has natural beauty, but is surrounded by beautiful palaces and castles that could truly have been inspiration for any Disney movie. While we avoided the touristy Pena Palace and Moorish Castle, we were fortunate to still be in awe of them from a distance, as they were perched on hills overlooking the town.
I had the pleasure of having a personal guide through Sintra and met up with “Aunty” Marion, who has been greatly inspired by Sintra’s beauty and had decided to stay here for a month and explore her love of photography. Have a look at her work.
Marion knew all the spots to show me, and a day in Portugal can only start off with pastries. We went to this adorable cafe called Piriquita and then explored a few of the streets. Quinta da Regaleira was our next stop, and the garden was filled with grottos, statues amongst greenery, and the “Initiation Well” which meant a journey down into the darkness to explore each level. The palace’s timeline was interesting as well, and was actually built in the late 1800’s with the intention of having an architecture style that was centuries older. There was one particular floor with intricate tile work, but different than the other style we had seen throughout Portugal, that created shapes of animals and mythical creatures.
We then met up with Kezia and headed to Marion’s cottage for dinner, and if Sintra wasn’t charming enough, this cottage was the icing on the cake. Situated on one of the hills, it gave us the perfect view of the town and was a great ending to our evening.
