Curate, connect, and discover
Sintra - Blog Posts
Magical and mysterious forest in Sintra, Portugal. One of the best places to film horror movies. Especially with fog around it! :) . . . . . #sintra #portugal #mysterious #forest #travel #travelgram #instatravel #adventure #travelphotography #traveling #magical #trip #traveller #tourism #tourist #travelingram #penapark #traveltheworld #travelblog #traveldeeper #travelpics #lovetravel #lovetraveling #travelblogger #travellife #nature #naturephoto #naturepics #naturepark #september (at Sintra, Portugal)
Magical forest in Sintra, Portugal. . . . . . #portugal #sintra #forest #forests #park #naturepark #travel #travelgram #instatravel #adventure #travelphotography #traveling #trip #traveller #tourism #tourist #travelingram #traveltheworld #travelblog #traveldeeper #travelpics #lovetravel #lovetraveling #travelblogger #travellife #nature #naturephoto #naturepics #adventuretime #tripstagram (at Sintra, Portugal)
Pena Palace located on the top of the mountain with amazing park arround it! Sintra, Portugal. . . . . . #sintra #portugal #penapalace #penapark #photoshoot #sky #portugalalive #palace #travel #travelgram #instatravel #adventure #travelphotography #traveling #trip #traveller #tourism #tourist #travelingram #traveltheworld #travelblog #traveldeeper #travelpics #lovetravel #lovetraveling #travelblogger #travellife #nature #naturephoto #naturepics (at Pena Palace)
Mysterious place somewhere in Pena park. Sintra, Portugal. . . . . . #sintra #portugal #penapark #park #mysterious #travel #travelgram #instatravel #adventure #travelphotography #traveling #trip #follow #followme #traveller #tourism #tourist #travelingram #traveltheworld #travelblog #traveldeeper #travelpics #lovetravel #lovetraveling #travelblogger #travellife #nature #naturephoto #nationalpark #naturepics (at Sintra, Portugal)
taken by me at the top of the quinta da regaleira, Sintra, Portugal, 2010
taken by me in 2008, in sintra, portugal
More Cabo da Roca and Praia da Ursa
Praia da Ursa Bear’s beach is famous for its distinguish rocks. Next to Capo da Roca (most western point of EU) you can hike there within 45min-1h. The route is often described as easy but if you’re not used to make an exception from the paths going down might be difficult.
It’s surprisingly popular and the traffic on the path is heavy. There are entire families with food, tents etc with them.
Please note that this beach is also known as a nudist beach and as it is located right on the Atlantic coast, the waves are big and cold. I recommend going here when the summer heat wave reaches its peak.
Lisboa / Sintra before covid
Lisbon before covid-19
I visited Palace of Queluz last January which is one of the best kept secrets in Sintra / Lisbon located literally between the the fairytale town of Sintra and the portuguese capital. This is the most beautiful room I’ve ever been visited. And the best part was that I was the only person there!
One of the Unesco World Heritage Site Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra with a romantic palace and small church + a big garden filled with wells, fountains, lakes etc. Gotta make a second visit just for the garden when there are less tourists!
Sintra - first impressions
A small town at the edge of Lisbon metropolitan area that has a story to tell. The royals’ favorite the Portuguese and foreign ones, inspiration for artists and number one destination today’s travelers in Portugal. Sintra holds the country’s most iconic castles that will stand out from the rest of the world’s royal palaces.
Castelo dos Mouros and Sintra
It was thanks to the royal family of Portugal who’d been chanted by Sintra mountains, fountains and the ocean around them for thousands of years. Many of the palaces served as ”holiday cottages” for several royal families during centuries. The most recognizable ones stand on top of the mountains,” of the moons” they used to call them in the ancient times and worth of every step you take uphill. The Palació de Pena used to be a monastery dating from Middle Ages and is today one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The transformation from a monastery into this colorful candy palace took place in 19th century by Prince Ferdinand. The castle has been forgotten and abandoned in between the centuries as impossible as it sounds. How can someone forget something so colorful, stands on top of the mountain and can be seen as far from Lisbon in a clear weather! The last Queen of Portugal spent her last night in the country in this very palace. Since Portugal turned into a republic the castle has been serving the public as a museum. Architecturally the palace has wide range of styles in it and can be divided into four sections which all enlighten its historical past.
Palació de Pena
Castle of Moors which no one quite knows where it started. Dating somewhat from the 8th and 9th centuries from the Muslim era, it is part of Sintra national landscape and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The original idea of it was to protect the capital as the country. It holds the best views I’ve seen in Portugal so far. Some people don’t appreciate it cause it’s just ”the walls” but it’s great to take steps somewhere as this historical and pass all the flags of Portugal that have represented the nation during 900 years.
There are bus connections up there you know. Or you can take a taxi or tuktuk of course. Or do it like I do walk all the way up and down and die pretty much after the 5 hour adventure. Or I might have been just out of shape since we’re not exactly talking about Mont Blanc or Everest here just a few hundreds of meters going uphill. If you happen to be in Lisbon in the summer don’t miss the chance to visit Sintra. But if you can, wait since you’ll be making the experience so much more pleasant with less tourists during the winter season.
Some of my favourite houses found on my way up to the mountain
The reputation as a fairytale is highlighted by the forests and gardens around these two castles. Take an hour or two while getting lost in them. They also offer a cool shade during a hot day. Sintra holds more castles also but I haven’t visited them yet so don’t bother to write about something I haven’t experienced myself. Sintra’s small town is also an UNESCO World Heritage Site but didn’t think much of it. Except that it’s super small. Along the streets and in the parks folks sell all sorts local products. Some would say they’re touristic junk but I definitely refer them as worth stopping for!
In case you’re not into the enchanted castles you can always hop on the bus to the most Western point of Europe Capo da Roca. The bus ride for an 1 hour was quite nice driving along the small Portuguese roads through small villages. The actual spot which stands as the westernmost point is quite small but there seems be to a lovely looking natural park surrounding it. Didn’t fancy much of a taking a stroll on a super windy winter day so that’s yet to be discovered. But for someone who comes from a country with lakes and as flat as Finland – the rocks and that gigantic ocean was a powerful view. Knowing that the next spot of dry land is thousands of miles away. It was a place to be experienced with all senses: feel the strong wind coming from the ocean, hear the powerful noise of the waives rushing to hit the rocks and see all of that with your own eyes.
Some shots from earlier this year in Lisboa and about! Including Cabo da Roca, the most western point of Europe. Some photos from Almada, the other side of the river.
I have Sintra sceneries for a lifetime!
Pics from magical Sintra!