Quinta da Regaleira

In the mystic town of Sintra there lies one of the most loved attractions; not only loved by tourists, but by all who go there :Quinta da Regaleira. It lies some 10 minute walk from the town centre, a great space with a series of different buildings and other creations, all of different ages yet which all convey the mysticism in the air in the Sintra mountain range.

One tip: Sintra residents get free admission on Sundays! If you don't live there, then look for the normal discounts (student, couples, etc. )

The quinta itself is an enormous space. Study the map well, you are given one before you begin walking around, because otherwise you would certainly be walking in circles. On the map there are various points of interest highlighted for you. Don't miss the wells, underground tunnels, lakes, little waterfalls, towers or ancient buildings. It's a very cool place too since it's full of green spaces.

In my opinion, the best places are the wells and the tunnels. Despite being humid, dark and possibly slippery too, these are places which sit comfortably within this mystical place.

Much of the time, you can climb to the highest points and look out over the mountain range and other famous monuments in the area. These include: Palácio da Pena, Castelo dos Mouros and Palácio da Vila.

There isn't one specific place that I would advise to see above all others since they are all worthwhile seeing. If you have the chance to do a guided tour then do so, because this way you wil be guaranteed to understand better the story of all the little places and that mystic feeling that I talk about.

Transport

There are lots of Scotturb routes which stop in Sintra. There are even routes which do very desirable guided tours. I recommend the Villa Express 4 Palácios bus route. The route has 4 stops at 4 different monuments, which you can see here. You can get on or off on whichever stop up to the final one with the same ticket which costs, right now, 2, 50€ for a return trip. Affordable, isn't it? On the same site you can see other, alternative routes, in case you want to see several of the monumnets which Sintra has to offer.

The most popular mode of transport in Sintra itself is the train. Sintra has a terminal station, so it isn't difficult to find it. You will need to walk some 15 minutes from the station to the town. I believe that a ticket to Lisbon costs 2, 15€ for a one way trip.

If you decide to travel by car, please have in mind:

Parking

Parking in Sintra is piratically utopian. Then, in Quinta da Regaleira, only if the driver has a lucky four leaved clover. There are only 3 or 4 spaces in front of Reegaleira, therefore my advice is that you do not take the car there. You can also try to park in the Palácio de Seteais, a 2 minute walk from the entrance to Regaleira. Yet despite having many more spaces, it's also not really worth the effort trying to park there. My advice is that you travel with public transport. Leave the car far from the tourist areas or go very early, at least an hour before people are in the street.

Sintra is a very beautiful area and Quinta da Regaleira is just another piece of evidence of this. Visit it!