Two Days in Sintra, Portugal

If you have read my six days Portugal itinerary, then you know I spent two days in Sintra. Sintra is a UNISCO world heritage site. It has a very different vibe from Lisbon and it's very relaxed. It's really great for the summer as well because it's much more mild than Lisbon and the evenings get a little cold. You can do Sintra in one day for sure, but you won't be able to see more than three sights because each one would need two-four hours depending how fast you want to be. In this post, I am sharing the activities I have done and the places I have visited in Sintra. 

Palaces and Castles Visited: 

• Palace of Sintra
• Castle of the Moors
• Pena Palace
• Quinta de Regaleria

Other Points of interest in Sintra: 

• Cabo De Roca
• Praia De Ursa beach

The great thing is the city knows what people wants to see and they have three possible bus routes that goes from the city centre. Each bus has a specific route that passes by different castles. You might be tempted to walk since the distances aren't huge, but I wouldn't advice you to do so because the hills are very steep and the roads are not big enough for cars and people. 

The 435 bus takes you to the Quinta de Regaleria. It's a good idea to start with this bus because it stops by the sights located in the lower hill. It only costs 2.50 euros for each stop. 

The 434 bus takes you to the more popular sights and the queue to get on it is long. We had to wait for the second bus because the first one filled up quickly. It's every 10-15 minutes. It's affordable! It only costs 5.50 euros and it's a hop on and off style. 

There is a payment bundle that enables you to use all buses and there is a very easy to follow route plan on the bus. One of the buses also stops at the famous Cabo De Roca. That point forms the westernmost extent of mainland Portugal. From there you can walk to the beach! More infromation on that below. 

---

Powered by GetYourGuide.

Sintra Palace/ National Palace

This is just facing the historical centre of Sintra and it's the first thing you would see when you get to the city from the bus stop. Hence why I started with it. It was interesting inside and had very detailed designs and some geometric patterns that I loved! The palace used to be the royals residency place from the 15th to the 19th centuries and that's why it's very well preserved. So make sure you visit if you want to see how the royals lived. 

Entry fee 10 Euro

Moorish Castle/ Castle of the Moors

I was very excited about this one because I thought there will be a lot of Moorish influence and patterns, but there wasn't. It was still really good to go up there and walk around. It was more like a fort rather than a castle. 

Entry fee 10 Euro

Pen Palace

This is the palace you see in most of the Sintra marketing material. The Palace with the sticking yellow and red on top of the hill. I can see why everyone is crazy about it. It is gorgeous and it has colourful patterns and a nice park attached to it. When you get there I would advice you to get their own shuttle bus up to the castle and save some time. It is busy as you would expect, but it was still nice and a little quiet by the end of the day. 

Entry fee: Joint Ticket with the Moorish Castle 11 Euro

Quinta de Regaleria

The Quinta de Regaleria mansion is what fairytale dreams are made of! It was stunning in every way. It was whimsical and magical. I would happily go back there again (with a few more dresses because it's a good photoshoot location as well!) My only regret is going there midday. It was SO busy and there were so many loud teenagers who thought this mansion was a game not a piece of art to be appreciated. I would either go there really early or at the end of the day. 11pm is prime time. The funny thing about this mansion is it wasn't built by royalty or someone from history. It was some rich businessman with a wild vision. He is my spirtit animal! lol

Entry fee 10 Euro

Dresses I would wear next time I go to the Quinta de Regaleria 😂

Other Points of interest in Sintra are the Cabo De Roca and the Praia De Ursa beach. These two are the main reason we stayed the second day in Sintra. Getting to the Cabo De Roca on the bus is a little long. It took over 40mins to get there. The wind there was so cold. It was cool to see it, but the total time spent there was half an hour. We saw that there is a beach nearby on Google Maps called the Praia De Ursa. Google Maps wasn't much help in term of directions. All we knew was we are on the way to it. We randomly walked down the steep hill and wearing sandals wasn't an ideal thing to do. After walking for an hour and a half (I think we took the very long way down) we got to the beach. It was as quiet as I hoped and I LOVED IT! Getting there at 3pm meant that sun was already light and the water was FREEZING! I would get there for 11pm if I ever go back. It was worth the climb down and UP! 

Beach goodies anyone?

Find a place to stay in Sintra:

Booking.com

More posts about Portugal: 

Over to you: What would you like to visit in Sintra? 

Surfing in Portugal (Ericeira)

If you have been reading this blog for a while, then you know that I don't really do extreme sports or adrenaline pumping activities. I usually go visit castles and go on city walks. This time on my trip to Portugal, B and I decided to do something very sporty especially after we got a great recommendation by our host at the Lanui Guesthouse. We went SURFING!!!! I was playing with the idea for a while especially when I went to Sri Lanka and was told that surfing is becoming big there, but time wasn't enough so I didn't. Surfing was completely unplanned for this trip, but we are extremely glad we tried it! We were even due to fly that same night. We woke up early, went for some shopping in Sintra then we packed and headed to the Bus station. We took the 12:25 bus from Sintra Train/bus station to Ericeira. The bus took longer than expected and we were late for the lesson, but thankfully we made it there a few minutes after everyone else. 

The lesson started at 1:30pm. We started with learning the three main moves on land and then we were taken to the water to try them. There was a small class of us of eight and two instructors. We queued up in the water with our boards and it was go go, but exactly what we needed to get on with it and used to the moves. By half way, we were able to stand on the board and even have full surf moments (yes I just made that name up!). I know how to swim, but I am usually scared when I go deeper into the sea, but this beach was PERFECT! The ground of it was great for standing. After a while, I got used to the water and was just floating with my board. Everyone else was a beginner too, which was fun for us all to try and encourage each other.  

The wet suite was the right size, but the gripe on the neck felt so weird, but I forgot about it once I was in the water. The beach was COLD but thankfully with the movement and the suit I couldn't feel it. I got back with hands and feet tan lines. That beach was busy with surfers but I would have loved to spend a few extra hours just chilling there too. 

I would highly recommend that you try it! 

Company: Activity Surf Centre Ericeira
Price: Two Hours Surfing Lesson: 1pm to 3pm for 30 euros each including wet suite and equipments. 
Bookings: directly on their website. 

Over to you: Have you been surfing before? Where did you do it and what did you think!!

Recommended Eats in Sintra

I don't usually write extensively about food on this blog, but since I found that the food in Lisbon and Sintra was a hit and miss, I thought I will share the hits. In the six days I was there, I got a couple of mouth watering meals and a couple of really bad meals that I couldn't even finish. Be warned this post will make you hungry! I am already craving them and it's only been a day since I left! 

The same pointers I mentioned in the recommended eats in Lisbon applies, so if you haven't read that post, it might be a good to do so! 

Lunch in Sintra

We had a few lunches that were just sandwiches and pastries. All were nice but nothing special to report back expect for one place below! 

Ekvilibro: Vegan Restaurant in Sintra

After all the indulging above, we thought, we will go for a healthier option. We saw Ekvilibro, a vegan place on the road and we were intrigued. They also had a good offer of wrap + salad + a hot drink and a cold drink all for 5 euros. They were all very delicious. They only had four tables urging the lunch service, but you can grab it and eat it wherever if it's too busy. 

Ps. This place offers yoga lessons, massages and vegan and organic products. 

Vegan lunch in Sintra, Portugal

Vegan dessert in Sintra, Portugal

Dinner in Sintra

Tasca de Xico

This was a recommendation from one of the nice shop keepers that we met in Sintra. It was a good place that served fresh fish and a few other options. They served traditional desserts that were OK. The cod on toast starter and the main were worth the trip and the price though. 

Incomum by Luis Santos

I left the best for last! The food in Incomum by Luis Santos was so good we wanted to cry. I am just glad the people next to us left by the time we got our mains because some ahs and ohs must have escaped us! The starter was sautéed shrimp in the best sauce ever. It took some self restraint not to lick the plate. Then I had the shrimp linguine, which was excellent and ended with a gorgeous dessert of pineapple cake with lychee ice cream and some sort of yummy orange cake. If I was staying longer in Sintra, I would have loved to eat there again!

Incomum by Luis Santos in Sintra

Sauteed Shrimp in Sauce - Starter

Shrimp Linguine

Orange cake with chocolate sauce

Pineapple cake with lychee ice cream 

Sintra has a must try pastry as well, Queijadas Finas. It's like a smaller pastel de nata made of sweet cheese and sprinkled with cinnamon. It was so yum! You get like eight in that roll of paper that finished in half a day! 

Hope you find these recommendations useful and I really hope they remain as good by the time you try them! 

Over to you: What were your favourite places that you have tried and absolutely loved in Sintra and the areas around? 

The Guesthouse I stayed in in Sintra: Lanui Guesthouse

La Nui means have a good trip in Hawaiian and it is the name of the guesthouse I spent three nights in in Sintra! Lanui is a family run guesthouse by Daniel and his wife. She is the creative brain and visionary of the place and he is the force that made it all possible while working another full time job! It took them a year to get the permit for this guesthouse to start working on it and making it liveable. Everything you see in there, they did it themselves. This family team have transferred the house into a stylish escape. You can see the work in progress images on their Facebook page. They are still working to transfer the back garden to a fairytale like space with beds and cushions under fruit trees and shades.

I know most websites recommend a day trip to Sintra but staying there for two full days was a great way to see the city without rush. We woke up and just took our time. We started the days by making our own breakfast and eating in the guesthouse's garden then taking off to explore a different part. I would have easily stayed there for a couple extra days. 

The guesthouse is a shared space with shared bathrooms, but there are a three of them, so we didn't have to wait on anyone. We can just go to the other available ones. Each room is named after a famous place in Sintra, which was a cute idea and it even gave us some ideas of places to visit that we haven't considered! Having a fully equipped kitchen was nice to prepare light things in the morning. I liked the living room as well. We got to meet other travellers and chat to them.  

Overall, we loved the atmosphere and the space. In addition, Daniel did his absolute best to make our visit as comfortable as possible! He was very kind and helpful. He even arranged some surfing lessons for us in the nearby fishing village. 

Lanui Guesthouse in Sintra 

Sintra Guesthouse

Lanui Master bedroom in Sintra

Twin Bedroom in Sintra

Alongside the clam and well maintained Sintra guesthouse, Lanui has three other properties around Portugal that you might be interested in:

• Belém Guest Apartment in Lisbon
• Porto Santo Beach House I
• Porto Santo Beach House II

To book your stay with Lanui, you can contact them directly through their website

or on booking.com

Disclaimer: This was a press stay, but all opinions are my own. 

Lisbon DIY Graffiti (Street Art) Tour

Lisbon has a great selection of public/street art. There are also lots of tour on offer that would take you around and lead you to fantastic pieces around the city. 

I spotted the first piece in Alfahma during the Lisbon Photography Tour I took. Just walking around that area was full of little (and big) colourful surprises. Most Street Art walking tour go around that area. In attempt to spread tourists around the city of Lisbon, Graffiti artists collaborated to paint across the city. To properly see them all, you would need a car. 

We didn't have a car, so we started by going to the Under-Dog Art Store, which is located inside the Montana Lisboa Art Store (Address: Rua da Cintura do Porto, armazém A, nº 20 Cais do Sodré, Lisboa). The Underdog section of the store has a big map that shows you where the major pieces of art are located. You can also purchase a paper map -for €1.50- with the main spots and locations. We didn't have a lot of time, so we went to the Hall of Fame, which had lots of major art that was completed in a previous event. It was basically a very long circular wall (photos below). We also found a few other pieces by chance and walking around. 

You can also arrange a tour with the Under-Dog Art Store, but that needs a minimum of three days notice! 

Fado Street Art in Lisbon

Street Art in Alfama

Graffiti on the metro in Lisbon

Graffiti in Lisbon

Artist: Utopia in Lisbon + other tags and throw ups

Artist: Utopia in Lisbon

Lisbon DIY Graffiti

This is a photo of the inside of the Montana/Under-Dogs Art Store and this is their self guided wall map 

Lisbon Public Art

Hall of Fame in Lisbon

Artist: Utopia in Lisbon

Big Scale Street Art in Lisbon

I love this multi story building street art

Restaurants in Lisbon

I don't usually write extensively about food on this blog, but since I found that the food in Lisbon and Sintra was a hit and miss, I thought I will share the hits. In the six days I was there, I got a couple of mouth watering meals and a couple of really bad meals that I couldn't even finish. Be warned this post will make you hungry! I am already craving them.  

Few pointers about eating in Lisbon: 

- I know Cod fish is very popular in Portugal, but unfortunately all the Cods I tried were very poor and came from the bottom of the freezer. I would advice you to get sea bass or sea bream instead since all the ones I had were VERY good! 

- All bread and little plates of cheese, cold meat, olives, butter and other things that come to your table when you sit down are NOT FREE! Thankfully, I knew that before visiting from the blogs I read.

- It's very difficult to find decent lunch/dinner from 3pm to 6pm. The only places open are fast food or just below average food. So make sure you eat lunch before 3pm and just wait for after 6 or even 7 for dinner to get better options. 

Breakfast in Lisbon: 

Fábrica Lisboa

We stumbled across this gem by chance. It's small and it doesn't seat more than 20 I don't think, but it's cozy and very quirky. Plus, the croissants, which is their specialty is really fresh and just yummy. I had an egg, cheese and tomato croissant that was just YUM! They have a few other options too. 

Gelato in Lisbon: 

Fiori Gelateria
Cais Do Sodré, 1200 Lisbon

I know not a meal, BUT I really liked this little place and ended up going twice! 

Gelato in Lisbon

Dinner in Lisbon:

Sea Food dinner in Lisbon: Valbom
Avenida Conde de Valbom 104 112, Lisbon 1050-070, Portugal

Freshest sea food I have ever eaten! SO good that the fish melts in your mouth. They are such pros and you can tell from the fish on ice at the entrance and the special fish knives. The atmosphere was nice, but the interior is very basic. We went late at 10pm, so it wasn't too busy. This was out of the toursity area and had mostly locals. 

Fancy Dinner in Lisbon:

Bistro 100 Maneiras

Be aware this is not an affordable option, but well worth the money! It was a birthday treat for my partner and he loved it!! So if you are looking for a very special place to celebrate a birthday or an anniversary this is it! We were very lucky that we got a table without a prior reservation. They even have a list of delicious mocktails that are made to perfection. I got to try Dragonfly while waiting. You should say yes to their bread! It's so fresh and yummy. The starters and dessert were my favourite. I almost made a dance eating them! We tried the egg, mushroom and asparagus starter that came in a jar and the shrimp mini sandwiches without the ham. The mains we tried were very good. We had the vegetarian pasta and the shrimp risotto, but I would love to try something else if I ever go back. The dessert was the chocolate mouse with mint and berries in a jar. That was an epic finale! Their portions were really good and we were super stuffed by the end. By the way, the decor is also lovely! Their bar area and ground floor dinning hall are creative. The upstairs one is nice but not as gorgeous as the downstairs. 

Oh yes! And of course the Pastel De Nata was my addiction that whole week. I think I had two a day, which I thought was quiet good considering that I wanted two each time I have one... I confess, I didn't even make it to Belem and I didn't try them in the most pastry in Portugal, BUT I had one from almost every shop that sold them that I saw on my way! The only thing you need to look for is that they are fresh and warm. They were all so yummy and custard-y! Would love to learn the secret to learning how to make the prefect one. 

Hope you find these recommendations useful and I really hope they remain as good by the time you try them! 

Over to you: What were your favourite places that you have tried and absolutely loved in Lisbon and the areas around? 

The Guesthouse I stayed in in Lisbon

It was really hard to find a good priced place in Lisbon, but I knew they had a good metro system, so I expanded my search to include areas that are accessible by metro, which lead me to find this lovely gem, the Flower Court Guesthouse

The building itself is just an average building, but the rooms inside the flat were beautiful! Maria, the owner of the place has put in so much effort to personalise each room with gorgeous vintage pieces that she bought and refurbished herself from antique and vintage markets. She has a great taste and all the decor ideas are her own. I loved  supporting a local female who is working hard to provide and excellent service to the visitors of Lisbon. 

There a few rooms in the apartment with three bathrooms. The sunset shed -where we stayed- has its own bathroom. There is also a shared lounge and a fully equipped kitchen. Each room has a cute name and a little board that has the name of the country where the guests have come from! My absolute favourite thing was the recommendation folder that Maria has prepared for her guests of places to eat and visit. I tried one of the restaurants she recommended and it was as delicious as promised!  

The location of this guesthouse is fantastic. It is away from the touristy areas, which means the restaurants around serve really nice food with decent prices. Plus, it's not crowded at all and very accessible to other parts in the city and the airport. I would love to go back to the same guesthouse or that location when I visit again! 

Master Bedroom in Lisbon

Master Bedroom in Lisbon

Sunset Shed Room

Twin Bedroom in Lisbon

Flower Court Guesthouse Directory

To book your room at the Flower Court Guesthouse, go to booking.com. 

Disclaimer: I got a press rate for this accomedation, but all opinions are my own. 

Over to you: Where was your favourite place you stayed in Lisbon?