A day out in the pretty Belem and Sintra

I previously wrote an article about my time in Lisbon, where I spent some time this summer. During that same period, I also got to spend a day out in the pretty Belem and Sintra. In this article, I tell you more about how I spent the day there. Both places are so cute, you could easily spend a full day in each but if you only have one day, try to make it to both places!

If you’re coming from Lisbon by car and the weather is hot, I advise starting with Sintra. Depending on how you want to experience it, there might be some walk included so you don’t want to do it when it’s too warm. You can also get to Sintra by train. It takes 1h from the city center and it’s about a 30 minutes drive.

Sintra is a charming town located on the hills of the Serra de Sintra. Well known for its castle, palace, fountain, and garden located along the road. One of the most impressive is the colorful National Park and Palace of Pena. But there is much more to discover and to visit. You can do it as a sort of road trip in the car and drive on the mountain road. Roads are very narrow it’s difficult to park and you can’t turn back but it can be a nice way to see it.

There are a lot of tourist companies that do tours, you can take a tuck tuck to go there. It’s 10 euros per person and it can be a cool way to explore as a group.

But if you are up for a good hike, there are some incredible paths! Ideally, you want to get there early in the morning and park in the city center. From there you can find the path to Castelo de Mouros passing Vila Sassetti. Along the way, you will find direction and can get to the palace of Pena. It’s a long walk, go and return, can easily take 4 hours and it’s uphill. The view is magical!

As it’s a tourist attraction, a lot of companies have made it a way to make money so information is not easy to find about how to get to the palace with a car but it’s definitely possible. It takes some time as the roads are narrow and directions are not so clear. This website can be helpful https://www.komoot.com/smarttour/5298897

Once you’re done with all the wonders of Sintra, you can make your way to the famous Belem. From Sintra by car, it’s a 30 min drive and 20 from Lisbon city center. And by public transport, it’s a good hour from Sintra and 40 minutes from Lisbon.

Belem is located right on the Taj River it isn’t big but if you have time, you can take a day to explore. The most famous monument is probably the tower of Belem. A medieval fortified tower was built in 1519 that looks pretty incredible! There is a second tower not far, Padrão dos Descobrimentos, considered more as the monument. And in the city center, the Jerónimos Monastery, a huge building well preserved with a beautiful park and close to it the well-known Pastéis de Belém where you have to eat a pasteis, they are so good!

Belem is also where a lot of embassies are located, they are quite impressive and it’s also where the president lives in the national palace of Belem. It’s also a beautiful building! On top of all these monuments, there are many worth visiting museums in Belem.

I hope you’ll enjoy your time there as much as I did and if you want some ideas of things to do in Lisbon, you can check my article: https://elvinechloe.com/a-weekend-in-the-beautiful-city-of-lisbon/