The first three days of our 4 day holiday in Lisbon has been in simple words, fantastic. Since we loved every bit of what we experienced of the city, we were now eager for this day out. A Sintra & Cascais day trip from Lisbon, Portugal.
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Despite a late night the previous evening, spending some wonderful moments experiencing Lisbon Nightlife at Bairro Alto, we got up very early at 5 AM. Our reporting time for the tour was 8 AM. Therefore we had enough time for a relaxed coffee, freshening up, a nice bath and our simple ‘Ritz & Freud’ breakfast thereafter.
Ritz & Freud Breakfast
And there we go
Having experienced the Lisbon Buses, Trams, Metro, Transtejo ferry & Hop-on-hop-off buses in the last three days, it was now our turn to avail the ‘Black & Blue Taxi’. We hired one from R.Paz, the street next to our B&B. Taxis in Lisbon are not very highly priced and therefore for short trips, when you wish to save time, it’s a good idea. You shell out Euro 0.47 per km and the minimum fare is Euro 3.25. We paid exactly that reaching our pick up point at Avenida da Liberdade around 3 kms away from our place. Of course you also have other cab options that you can book in advance.
Lisbon Cabs
Avenida da Liberdade neighborhood
Avenida da Liberdade meaning “Avenue of Liberty” is a 90-metre-wide, 1100 m long boulevard in central Lisbon famous as one of the most expensive shopping streets in Europe. It is home to numerous luxury stores, boutiques, hotels, embassies and diplomatic missions. We had time to look around a bit before we boarded our bus.
A quiet morning
With action still to start at ‘Hard Rock Cafe’
Hotel Ritz
Monuments of Writers & Music Composers
World War I Monument
We first travel to Pena National Palace, Sintra
The Pena Palace or Palacio da Pena is a Romanticist castle in Sintra, on the Portuguese Riviera. The castle stands on the top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains above the town of Sintra. It is a national monument and constitutes one of the major expressions of 19th-century Romanticism in the world. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. It is also used for state occasions by the President of the Portuguese Republic and other government officials.
Pena Park
Here we reach
With a blue sky & green Sintra
Pena Park
With lovely flowers
Pena Palace
Pena National Palace
The castle’s history started in the Middle Ages when a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Pena was built on the top of the hill above Sintra. According to tradition, construction occurred after an apparition of the Virgin Mary. In 1493, King John II, accompanied by his wife Queen Leonor, made a pilgrimage to the site to fulfill a vow. His successor, King Manuel I, was also very fond of this sanctuary, and ordered the construction of a monastery on this site which was donated to the Order of Saint Jerome.
A palace built in Neo-Manueline, Neo-Gothic and Neo-Renaissance styles
For centuries Pena was a small, quiet place for meditation, housing a maximum of eighteen monks.In the 18th century the monastery was severely damaged by lightning. Don Fernando II, king consort to Queen Dona Maria II, bought the defunct monastery in 1838. The cloisters were repaired and incorporated into a new royal summer residence. Let’s go around this overwhelming structure.
Have a look
Here are some views
And some more
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Let’s experience Pena Palace from inside
Beautiful views of the city
And the Grand Palace from inside
Lots to experience
History through Art
The Dining Room
As I rest a while after the ups and downs
And then time for some drinks & bite
Bidding Goodbye
Castle of the Moors
Our next stop is the Sintra City Center. And the first view as we move is the Castle of the Moors or Castelo dos Mouros, a hilltop medieval castle. Built by the Moors in the 8th and 9th centuries, it was an important strategic point during the Reconquista, and was taken by Christian forces after the fall of Lisbon in 1147. It is classified as a National Monument, part of the Sintra Cultural Landscape, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Castle of the Moors
Sintra City
We were now at Sintra City center near ‘Praca da Republica’. And we had one and a half hours to ourselves before the bus picked us up again for our next destination. Therefore had put a prior plan in place. On how to make the best use of our time. A plan to quickly go around and then take a bus. To get a feel of the city, visit a very special place and be back before time. This special place is a foodies delight which I discovered while researching.
Praca da Republica
Nice place to walk around
Passing the Sintra festival venue
Some souvenirs, some drinks & bites for you
Town Hall Sintra, a 5 minute walk
As we enjoy the views from our bus 433
We walked 2 minutes from Praca da Republica to Newsmuseum and took bus 433 to Largo C.M.Sintra. 2 stops in 2 minutes and then a 100 meter walk, we were at Cafe Saudade. For a wonderful time satisfying our taste buds and our hungry stomach, after a very early breakfast.
Cafe Saudade
First some coffee
And then sharing this ‘Queijadas de Leite’
Followed by this delicious ‘Strawberry Dessert’
Don’t miss these original Sintra Desserts
Our take away order for these mouthwatering Queijadas from ‘Cafe Saudade’
Queijada is a traditional Portuguese pastry originating from Sintra and is prepared with a combination of queijo (cheese), eggs, milk, flour, and sugar. They can be bought at almost every pastry shop throughout Portugal.
Casa Piriquita
Once back to ‘Praca da Republica’ we headed to Casa Piriquita nearby which is a bakery shop which invented the other signature dessert from Sintra, Travesseiros in the 1940s. The original recipe is still a closely guarded secret. Travesseiros, which translates to pillows or cushions, are crispy sweet treats made with a combination of puff pastry and a rich cream that consists of almonds and egg yolks. They are best served freshly baked and lightly dusted with powdered sugar. We picked up some for later.
Travesseiros
Cabo da Roca
Our next stop is Cabo da Roca. Also called Cape Roca, it’s a cape which forms the westernmost point of the Sintra Mountain Range, of mainland Portugal, of continental Europe and of the Eurasian land mass. It is situated in the municipality of Sintra, near Azóia, in the southwest of the district of Lisbon. Notably the point includes a lighthouse that started operation in 1772.
Therefore it’s time now to first enjoy the wonderful views from our bus, then the walk, wander around the historical site, enjoy the beauty of Portugal from some great viewpoints and then click a few pictures for nostalgia later. Here we go.
Beautiful Atlantic
As we enjoy the views
Walk to the Cape Point
The Monument
It’s here where the earth ends and the sea begins
Guincho Beach
A short stop at ‘Guincho Beach’
A great place for both Wind & Board Surfers
The calmness of blue & green
And some memorable moments together
Cascais
We have just reached the former fishing town of Cascais. It’s a small town and hence just ideal to walk around and explore. Time to start our walk, check out the interesting architecture of the town and laze around the beach. With an hour with us we did venture into the sea as well for a while.
Cascais
A favorite holiday destination
For spending some relaxed days
On the beach
With the two shades of Blue
Complete relaxation for some
And a short sun nap for others
While some like us walk back
To our bus & then head back to Lisbon
The Night was Young
We were back to our B&B in Lisbon, had a nice bath and then a coffee with Travesseiros that we had got back from Sintra. It was our last night in Lisbon and so we had made plans to visit this South Indian Restaurant for Dinner which lots of visitors had talked highly about in their reviews. Costa Do Malabar. A look at their online menu card and I started feeling hungry.
Costa Do Malabar
A non vegetarian South Indian Restaurant
We took a 2 min walk to ‘Assembleia Republica’ from our B&B, took bus 706, alighted after 14 stops and twenty five minutes at Pe Chile, walked 4 mins and we were at the restaurant at R.Rosa Damasceno 6A. I had plans to move away from Dosas and order something unconventional. Here it is for you. My wife being a small eater, you can hence imagine how I would have freaked out being a foodie.
A platter of Tomato, Mix, Prawn, Chicken & Lamb Uttapams
Roasted Fish
Kottayam Fish Curry
Prawn Molee
And one of their specialties, a ‘Kaju Pista Kulfi’ to share.
Lisbon, Sintra & Cascais. Three lovely destinations. Sometimes in Lisbon we felt we were in Goa with the food & culture and the trams made us feel we were in Calcutta. But the landmarks kept reminding us, we were in Portugal. Do visit Portugal if you haven’t yet. You should love it. We too look forward to experiencing more of this pretty country. If you missed the first 3 days of our trip to Libon, you could check it out here.
So lush and colorful! I’m sure this has been a trip to remember!
Yes it was Nkem.
Between the pictures of delicious foods (I’m now hungry) and the water, I am ready to book a trip now. Lisbon sounds like a wonderful place to experience the history and culture there. It is a place I would love to visit very soon.
Wow! This is nice. We would love to visit the Pena National Palace. Happy to know that it is now considered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and when you mentioned that it is part of the seven wonders — all the more I got interested to visit.
Thank you for sharing your experience and we will definitely add this to our bucket list.
Also, the queijada looks really good. Your post made me crave for some.
Yes Clarice Portugal is certainly worth a visit.
I’ve yet to visit Sintra, but would really love to! The fact that it’s a foodie paradise as you described it only makes me want to visit it more. So far, I’ve been very much in love with Portugal, from the food, the people, the cheaper prices, and the architecture. I’m sure I would love Sintra too. Thank you for this guide.
My pleasure Ummi. Yes you would certainly fall in love with Sintra.
Ah! Sintra is one of my FAVORITE places. There are so many palaces (hello, Pena!) and the town itself is so cute with its wandering streets. I want to go back, and it was lovely to revisit it in my mind through your post!
Thanks Jennifer. Happy to provide you some nostalgia.
Beaches, heritage, food, culture….amazing! What a perfect day trip option and I sure will take this up – largely due to Pena palace. I loved the shots you have shared. The beaches also look so pristine and lovely. In fact, I think I might convert the day trip to a day stay owing to that.
Yes Ami. It would be ideal if you stay for a night in Cascais after visiting Sintra. The beaches there are real cool.
Cafe Saudade looks simply elegant and cozy to me. What I love most about going to destinations is hunting for some nice cafes in town such as this. This day trip you made at Sintra Cascais looks packed but fun as you got to see wonderful sceneries. Casa Piriquita looks pisturique, like taken out of a postcard. Lastly, the Guincho beach. Beach bummer here! Id’ definitely lounge myself here all day long.
Yes Catherine these are two wonderful destinations. And they have it all. The beaches are really cool too.
I really wish I had gone to Sintra when I was in Portugal. I somehow spent most of my time in Lisbon and did not go anywhere unfortunately. I have heard so much about Sintra and its colourful buildings. But on the other hand I had never heard of Cascais before, I have added both these places to my list and I will ensure I visit them the next time I am in Portugal.
Both Sintra & Cascais are lovely places. You’ll certainly love being there.
Sintra is world famous for its amazing yellow colored palace. Thanks for sharing all tips on where to stay as your hotel Ritz looks amazing. Also the monuments and sculptures here are very beautiful. I loved the Pena Park as it is so green and with many flowers too.
Yes Yukti this hotel was amazing. Small but a homely touch to it. The owner too was a great gentleman.
Portugal has long been in our bucketlist. We would like to go there with out van. Lisbon and Sintra and Cascais all sound like good ideas before heading down to the Algarve. We would probably make it more than just a day trip too to Sintra and Cascais to really explore the area!
Yes you must stay for a night at least in Cascais after visiting Sintra. We missed doing that.
I loved our day trip to Sintra and agree isn’t Pena Palace simply incredible?! However, I never did the day trip to Cascais. It looks like we really missed out. I would loved to have visited this coastal town, the beaches, the food and soak up that friendly Portuguese atmosphere.
Yes Renee Cascais beach is really nice. And agree Pena Palace is truly incredible.