Top Things to Do in Sintra" a Picturesque Portugese Town, Sintra Is a Place Where Historic Landmarks Can Be Found Ensconced in Natural Beauty

"Top Things To Do in Sintra" A picturesque Portugese town, Sintra is a place where historic landmarks can be found ensconced in natural beauty. Here, the Sintra Mountains

cast their watchful eye over Moorish, Gothic, and Neo-Classical architectural gems.

Created by: Cityseeker

10 Locations Bookmarked

Sintra-Cascais Natural Park

"Nature, Architecture and Heritage"

Covering a total area of 14,583 hectares (36035 acres), the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park is one of Portugal's largest and most popular parks, with a diverse range of flora and fauna and many historical monuments. Declared as a protected monument, it is particularly noteworthy for its rich natural landscapes, rugged coastline, dunes, lakes and pine forests, all by Husond at English existing within the park. It is an ideal destination for a wildlife tour with Wikipedia the family as one can spot easily animals like weasels, badgers, foxes, wild rabbits and birds like peregrine falcon and eagle-de-Bonelli.

+351 21 924 7200 [email protected] Caminho de Rio de Milho, Sintra

Quinta da Regaleira "A UNESCO World Heritage Site"

Known for its beautifully outlandish architecture and collection of cryptic features relating to religious cults and ideologies, the Quinta da Regaleira is a balance of the bold and the bizarre. This palatial estate, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site, once belonged to the Viscountess of Regaleira, before Carvalho Monteiro purchased it in 1892, and by Nmmacedo transformed into the symbolic repository that it is known as today. After collaborating with Italian architect Luigi Manini, Monteiro re-built several parts of the 4-hectare (9.8 acres) estate. Speckled across its vast sprawl is a motley of buildings that span Gothic, Roman, Renaissance and Moorish architectural styles. The main mansion creeps up from between randomly strewn groves of smallish to large trees, an imposing stone structure replete with ornate elements, gargoyles, sculptures and even allegories associated with alchemy, Masonry, the Knights Templar order and Rosicrucians. Dotting the rest of the estate are semblances of statues, grottoes and ponds. One of the most intriguing features of this otherworldly estate is the subterranean group of wells that were built underneath the Quinta da Regaleira, a set of 'Initiation Wells' that eerily spiral down to unknown depths, seemingly inspired by Masonic principles and Dante's Inferno.

+351 21 910 6650 Rua Barbosa du Bocage, Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra

Pena Palace "19th-Century Romanticist Castle"

Located on the top of a hill, the Pena Palace is a prominent example of a 19th-century Romanticist structure. Dating back to 1854, the castle was built using Neo-Arabic as well as Neo-Medieval architectural style, making it one of the best examples of Romantic architecture. Intended to be used as a summer palace for the royal family, the interior of the castle is by Willtron characterized by impressive stuccos. Thanks to the aforementioned features, the Pena Palace is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was also declared as one of Portugal's seven wonders. +351 21 923 7300 www.parquesdesintra.pt Estrada da Pena, Sintra

Palácio Nacional de Sintra "A Well-Preserved Medieval Structure"

Better known as "Palácio da Vila," this monument lies in Sintra's historical center. It's one of the iconic attractions of this romantic village. One of the most notable features of this place is its conical kitchen chimneys. A well- preserved structure, the castle has served a residence ever since the 15th century. One of the major attraction of this castle is its impressive by Alvesgaspar collection of mudejáre tiles.

+351 21 923 7350 pnsintra.imc-ip.pt/ [email protected] Terreiro da Rainha Dona Amélia, Off Praça da República, Sintra

Castle of the Moors "The Region's Important Castle"

Dating back to the 8th and 9th centuries, Castelo dos Mouros was constructed to protect the Iberian kingdom from invasions and strengthen their position in the province. The castle walls follow the ridge's contour almost flawlessly. The castle has five rectangular-shaped towers and one circular one. The cistern here provided water to the entire castle. Located by Diego Delso here are several old towers including a chapel with a cradle vault with remains of frescoes.

+351 21 923 7300 www.parquesdesintra.pt/p [email protected] Off Estrada da Pena, Sintra arques-jardins-e-monumen tos/castelo-dos-mouros/

Monserrate Palace "A testimony of Romanic Style"

This palace was built in the 17th century, on a site where a neo-Gothic house stood. Its architecture is similar to a medieval castle, with visible Exotic and Neo-Gothic influences. The site gained for renowned as the place where renowned English writer William Beckford hosted a party. Afterwards, the Monserrate Palace was acquired by Francis Cook, in 1856, by Cláudia Almeida who through the architect James Knowles, made it into one of the greatest testimonies to Romanic style in the region. It's also in this period that Parque de Monserrate came into existence.

+351 21 923 7350 R. Visc. de Monserrate, Sintra

Chalet and Garden of the Countess of Edla "A UNESCO World Heritage Site"

In 1869 the Countess d'Ella, the German singer Elisa Frederica Henslea, married King Fernando II of Portugal. Designed by the Countess herself, and located on the western side of Parque da Pena, the building sparked Sintra's interest in chalets and made them quite fashionable. The house by SosCuriosidades with its rustic design is almost North American in style as the Countess spent part of her younger years overseas.

+351 21 123 8500 Off Estrada da Pena, Sintra Ursa Beach "Europe's Westernmost Beach"

Located close to the cape Cabo da Roca, Ursa Beach is regarded as the westernmost beach of Europe. The imposing cliffs are the source of panoramic views of the beach. The beach is marked by granite and Ursa rocks. Moreover, during low tides contiguous coves namely, Pesqueiro do Abrigo (north) and Palaia (south) are visible. Thanks to the by Hipersyl aforementioned features, Ursa Beach was declared by Michelin Guide as one of the world's beautiful beaches.

Praia da Ursa, Sintra

Museu do Ar "A Popular Aviation Museum"

One of Sintra's most popular aviation museums, Museu do Ar is housed within the Sintra Air Base. Though the museum was established in 1909, it was only opened to the public in 1971. The museum's exhibits include a wide range of combat aircraft, uniforms, flight gear, tools, and photographs, offering insight into the air base's history. Later, in 2009, the by rreis museum was shifted to a new site at Sintra Air Base due to growth in the museum's collection.

+351 21 967 8984 www.museudoar.pt/ Off Avenida da Aviacao Portuguesa, Pêro Pinheiro

Barreira Megalithic Complex "A Megalithic Marvel"

Unearthed in 1961, the Barreira Megalithic Complex which was discovered by archaeologists Eduardo Prescott Vicente and Gil Estevam Miguéis Andrade is characterized by monoliths, menhirs and megaliths. The most notable feature of this site are cylindrical stones of different heights, which goes on decreasing depending upon the distance from the central by Roundtheworld cylindrical structure. After facing damages over the years, mostly due to stones being removed for construction work, in 1993, Barreira Megalithic Complex was declared as a Site of Public Interest.

Avenida Professor Dr. Dom Fernando de Almeida, Sintra

JOIN US AT: cityseeker.com