Magical Sintra

Sintra is a must on most Lisbon visitors to do list. I had visited once before but really on the way to the beautiful surf beach Praia Grande. My son and I took the train to Sintra and did the fairly long walk to town center where we had breakfast at a nice restaurant on the square with views of castles and town. We then got a cab to the beach and were enchanted by the countryside and charming little town of Colares ( necklace). Our day at the beach was wonderful.
 
When I expressed my desire to revisit the town itself I had been discouraged by people who told me the distances and hills would be too much for me with my walking issues so I put it off. This year my daughter and I decided to give it a try limiting our expectations of what we might plan to see. We thought we’d stay away from actual castle tours and just try for the gardens of Penha Palace and the castle of Monserrat and its gardens. 

So we took the train from Rossio station to Sintra, a comfortable ride. We called an Uber from the Sintra station to the Penha Palace and were glad we did as it would have been an extremely long walk just to the ticket entrance. One had to have timed admittance to the palace itself which we passed up and instead paid for entrance to the gardens. The hike up to the palace was arduous for me but later we learned that there is a shuttle to the entrance which we took advantage of to return. The hike was hard for me but the views superb. When we returned to the ticket office we were approached by a young TukTuk driver and we were able to arrange a great day with him that suited us fine. He charged us 100 euro for our ambitious itinerary ending in Cascais with stops.

We first went to Monserrat castle. The gardens were wild and beautiful but treacherous to navigate with my balance issues. Worth it though. The castle was open, no lines or extra charge. It was light and beautiful. They were hosting a jazz concert that weekend which would have been charming to attend.

When we returned to the entrance our TukTuk driver was waiting for us and we returned through town and took the road heading to Colares and the beaches. It was a long but delightful ride along the coast and through small towns. On the way to Cascais we stopped at Cabo de Roca which is the westernmost point in continental Europe. It is known as “where the land ends and the sea begins” (It sounds like a line from Fernando Pessoa but it is originally from Luis de Cameos' Os Luciada's).

It was extremely windy but spectacular.

We continued on to Boca do Inferno just outside Cascais. Again spectacular. Both of these sites really exhibit the rocky terrain of Portugal that Jose Saramago emphasizes in his book A Journey Through Portugal. The man loved stone!

When we arrived at Cascais train station our TukTuk driver left us and we thanked him for a great tour and lovely visit. It was around 2:30 and we were starving so we walked toward the beach and on our way discovered a perfect place on a tree shaded patio featuring what they called Portuguese/Italian food. It was delightful and their house made pasta delicious! After an incredible meal and with very full stomachs we walked back through town and by the beaches where we called an Uber for a ride back to our place in Lisbon. By the way, we actually made another trip to that restaurant in Cascais just to repeat the culinary experience! 

Needless to say, we were both very happy we decided to arrange our own doable and delightful visit to Sintra.