OK straight talk now - Sintra is a tourist trap. It is crowded and expensive and a day out there feels a bit like you are battling the hordes but you still HAVE to go.
Sintra is home to a long list of world-class attractions including the Quinta da Regaleira, Palácio da Pena, Palácio de Monserrate and many others all within a few square kilometers of extremely mountainous but lushly forested terrain.
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One of the best spots to see everything without being too crowded is the Castelo dos Mouros or Moorish Castle. As its name suggests it dates back to the period when the Iberian Penisula was occupied by the Moors in the middle ages.
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If you are not afraid of heights, high winds or narrow stairs and don't mind a certain lack of safety barriers, a walk around the ancient castle walls offers some of the best views of Sintra in every direction. On a clear day it is said to be possible to see all the way to Ericeira in the North and Cabo da Roca in the West.
I personally didn't visit on a clear day but the clouds did break a few times and I was able to get some shots with the sun illuminating the mountainside leading down to the town of Sintra and Royal Palace way below.
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click on the image to view full screen
click on the image to view full screen
All of the main tourist attractions on the mountain are linked by a winding road that comes steeply up from the town. There is a bus but it is absurdly overpriced and visitors are crammed in like sardines for a very hot and uncomfortable journey. If you have the level of fitness required it is far better to walk, but be aware you will cover around 7km horizontal distance and 500m elevation on your journey. We opted to take the bus up and walk down but even then it took two days for my old legs to recover.
click on the image to view full screen
click on the image to view full screen
Since we only had a day in Sintra it was difficult to cover more than a couple of attractions. We chose to visit the Castelo dos Mouros and the famous Palácio da Pena, seen here from below:
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I have more images from that part of the trip which I'll save for a future post. Let me know what you think!
Equipment Used
- Nikon D7000
- Sigma 17-50mm f/2.8
- Adobe Lightroom
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