Sintra Excursion
3 September 2009
Sintra is a small town about 25 miles (40km) northwest of Lisbon.  Because of the natural
beauty of the area Sintra for centuries has served as the  home to Portugal's royalty and
Lisbon's elite families.  Sintra's two main tourist attractions are the Pena Palace and the
National Palace.
From our hotel it was a five-minute walk to Rossio, Lisbon's main train station.  Trains for
Sintra leave about every twenty minutes.  Almost all the way during our 35 minute ride to
Sintra we saw mile after mile of modern tall apartment buildings which appear to have been
built in the last ten or fifteen years.  As we approached Sintra the terrain became more
hilly and forested.
At the Sintra train station we got onto bus No. 434, for a ride of about 15 minutes to the
entrance of the Pena Palace grounds, where we transferred to a smaller bus better able to
manage the curvy narrow driveway up to the palace itself.   
Different sections of the palace were built at various times in the 19th century, each section
in a different architectural style, giving the palace a fairyland look.  Below are two views of
the exterior of Pena Palace.
The many rooms in Pena Palace contain
most of the original furnishings but
interior photography was not permitted.
After our visit to Pena Palace we went
by bus down to Sintra's town center,
where we had a snack lunch at one of the
many restaurants.  After lunch we
walked to the nearby National Palace.
The National Palace has more of a solid unified architectural style.  Most of the National
Palace was built in the fifteenth century and expanded later.  The National Palace served as
the official residence of Portuguese kings from about 1500 to the end of the monarchy in
1910, and is still used for official functions.  This palace also is still beautifully furnished;  
see below.
After touring the National Palace we took a five-minute bus ride back to the Sintra train
station and got on the train for the thirty-five minute trip back to Lisbon.  Below are photos
of the rail facilities linking Lisbon and Sintra.
The Sintra railway station.
Interior of the Lisbon to Sintra railway cars.
Interior of Lisbon's Rossio railway terminal.