Sintra day trip from Lisbon: palaces, gardens and Cabo da Roca
Sintra is the most popular day trip from Lisbon, and with good reason: fairy-tale palaces on a forested hill, mysterious gardens and a World Heritage town, all 40 minutes from the capital. It gets very busy, so the order of your visits matters. This plan beats most of the crowds and ends by the sea.
Sintra, Cabo da Roca and Cascais
Take an early train from Lisbon's Rossio station (about 40 minutes) or drive. Go straight up to Pena Palace for opening time, with a timed ticket booked online. Walk down to Quinta da Regaleira and its initiation well, then have lunch in the old town with a queijada or a travesseiro. In the afternoon head to Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe, and finish in Cascais, where trains run back to Lisbon along the coast.
Pena Palace → Quinta da Regaleira → Sintra centre → Cabo da Roca → Cascais
Night: Lisbon · hotels in Lisbon
Practical tips
- Go on a weekday if you can, and arrive early: by late morning the queues at Pena and Regaleira grow long.
- Do not drive into Sintra's old town: streets are narrow and parking is very limited. Use the train and the local buses, or a tuk-tuk, between the palaces.
- The walk up to Pena is steep. Most people take the bus up and walk down.
- Sintra is often cooler and mistier than Lisbon. Bring a light jacket.
Want to go deeper?
This route is also a full circuit with more stops, a map and hotel suggestions.
