{"id":417,"date":"2020-02-26T03:55:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-26T04:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cookertv.com\/?p=417"},"modified":"2024-06-05T18:22:52","modified_gmt":"2024-06-05T18:22:52","slug":"an-unexpected-daytrip-to-sintra-portugal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cookertv.com\/index.php\/2020\/02\/26\/an-unexpected-daytrip-to-sintra-portugal\/","title":{"rendered":"An Unexpected Daytrip to Sintra, Portugal"},"content":{"rendered":"<\/p>\n
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In the past, it has been an understatement to call me a travel over-planner. There is no term really to describe the levels to which I would typically plan the fun out of a trip. It always came from a good place, an excitement for the adventure coupled with the desire to not miss anything. Except over-planning is one of the best ways to ruin a trip, whether or not you\u2019re able to tick everything off of your list. Truly understanding this theory of travel has taken me far longer than it should have, but when I visited Portugal I put my newfound acceptance of a more laid back style of travel into practice. It did indeed make me a happier person and enabled me to experience places I probably wouldn\u2019t have had I planned out every second of my day. The best example of this was my unplanned daytrip to nearby Sintra, a town any visitor to Lisbon should really have on their to do list. So how did I end up in Sintra and what did I find? Let\u2019s find out.<\/p>\n

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The Sintra Proposition<\/h2>\n

I was in Lisbon to join a fantastic river cruise with Viking along Portugal\u2019s Douro River<\/a>, but I arrived a couple of days in advance since it was my first time in the city. I had a general idea of the places I wanted to go and famous sights I wanted to explore, but nothing concrete and certainly not the complicated itineraries of previous trips. In conducting my pre-trip research I learned about Sintra, a commonly recommended daytrip option for visitors to Lisbon. It sounded interesting and certainly a place I would enjoy, I just didn\u2019t think I\u2019d have time to spend an entire day there while also seeing everything in Lisbon. The capital city was my priority and so I forgot about Sintra almost immediately. But then I arrived into Portugal and Sintra would not leave me alone.<\/p>\n

Checking into my hotel, the Corinthia Lisbon<\/a>, I was asked about my plans and when the concierge learned they didn\u2019t include Sintra, she seemed truly saddened. Over the course of two days this was a common occurrence, and almost everywhere I went people told me that I HAD to make time for Sintra. Feeling as if the universe was shouting at me, I decided to shift a few things around and committed myself to taking the short train ride out to Sintra to see what all the fuss was about.<\/p>\n

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Sintra Made Easy<\/h2>\n

My first inclination was to book a daytrip through a local
\ncompany that would include transportation and guiding. But the overtime length
\nof the trip was around 10-12 hours, and I didn\u2019t want to lock myself in with a
\ngroup for that long. From my experience those tours include too much free time
\nat uninteresting spots, so I started to research the logistics of going on my
\nown. Google once again saved the day and even directed me to blog posts from a
\ncouple friends of mine who, as luck would have it, provided excellent advice on
\nhow to easily and quickly travel to Sintra.<\/p>\n

The train ride from Lisbon to Sintra is only about 45
\nminutes and trains leave from the Rossio station frequently throughout the day,
\njust be sure to check the timetable before making plans. The tickets are very
\ninexpensive, about 5 Euro for a return trip but as I entered the station I
\nnoticed a poster for a Sintra package deal that I decided to purchase. In
\nconducting my very speedy research, I knew that once I arrived into Sintra I
\nwould need to get tickets for the circuit bus (#434) that follows the tourist
\nloop to the top sights around town. I would naturally also have to pay for
\nadmission to these palaces, so I\u2019m glad I noticed that poster for the Sintra
\nGreen Card. Prices change so I won\u2019t list them, but the card bundled everything
\nI needed to do conveniently and was even cheaper than buying everything \u00e0 la
\ncarte. Since I was unsure about the process of buying bus tickets, this was an
\neasy choice for me. The card worked seamlessly and really did make my day
\neasier than it would have been otherwise. Once I arrived into Sintra, I found
\nthe bus and started my adventure around this historic town.<\/p>\n

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Why Visit Sintra<\/h2>\n

Sintra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to its
\nincredible cultural landscape; a history that spans the centuries from the
\nMoors to the Portuguese royals. This peaceful spot in the hills was the summer
\nretreat for the rich and privileged and over the years many palaces and
\nelaborate estates were built to show off that wealth and prestige. It\u2019s into
\nthis posh getaway that thousands venture every day, including myself. A major
\nreason why people visit is to admire the beauty of these spots, but on the day
\nI visited there was one glaring problem \u2013 the weather was terrible. It poured,
\nand I mean poured, almost all day and the fog greatly obscured the most
\nbeautiful of these famous palaces. The day was still fun though and the palaces
\nI detail below are well worth visiting, no matter what the weather is like.<\/p>\n

\"Sintra<\/figure>\n

Pena Palace<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the most important buildings in Portugal,
\nwalking up to this colorful fortress felt like approaching a real life fairy
\ntale castle. Built on the site of a ruined monastery, King Ferdinand II
\ncommissioned the opulent and strangely designed palace in the mid-19th century in
\nwhat is now recognized as the height of Romanticism. Islamic elements, vault
\narches, Medieval design and more all combine to create what really is a
\nbuilding you\u2019ll never forget.<\/p>\n

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National Palace of Sintra<\/strong><\/p>\n

Located in the center of Sintra\u2019s touristy old town,
\nit\u2019s hard to miss this massive building. The National Palace is the
\nbest-preserved medieval royal residence in Portugal and was the holiday getaway
\nfor royals from the 15th to 19th centuries. Like the other palaces, the tour is
\nself-guided and follows a well-marked path. Inside the rooms are elaborately
\ndecorated and offer a peek into what life was like for the super-elite.<\/p>\n

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Queluz Palace & Moorish Castle<\/strong><\/p>\n

This is where the weather really impacted what I was
\nable to see and do. Since the downpour was torrential, I decided not to visit
\nthese two sights \u2013 it just wasn\u2019t reasonable given the conditions. But, they\u2019re
\ncommonly included on the so-called Sintra circuit, which is why I mention them
\nnow. Queluz is just really a grand house and estate rather a palace per se, but
\nis known as a great example of Rococo design. The real draw here, and why I
\ndidn\u2019t visit, are the elaborate gardens that are worth a meander through if the
\nweather is decent. The Moorish Castle is actually just a collection of ruins,
\nand the reason to visit is for the incredible views across the region to
\nLisbon. Since the fog was pea soup when I was there, I decided the trek wasn\u2019t
\nworth the effort. And I was right.<\/p>\n

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Sintra Itself<\/strong><\/p>\n

What doesn\u2019t get enough attention, at least not that
\nI could find, is the town of Sintra itself. Undeniably cute, even on a terrible
\nday, I enjoyed wandering around the labyrinthine old alleyways and making my
\nown discoveries. I escaped the weather by enjoying a nice lunch, followed by
\nsome gelato before catching the bus back to the train station and my return to
\nLisbon.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, I\u2019m happy that I decided to switch some plans
\naround and spend the day exploring Sintra. Do I wish the weather had been
\nbetter? Sure, but it was December and honestly to be expected. It was nice to
\nleave Lisbon and see a different part of the region and Sintra is one of the
\nbest ways to do that if you\u2019re staying in Lisbon. I\u2019m proud of myself as well
\nthough for not overscheduling my visit and allowing for somewhat spontaneous
\ndecisions like visiting Sintra. I hope it\u2019s a new trend for me because it
\nreally did make the entire Portugal trip much more pleasant than it would have
\nbeen otherwise. <\/p>\n

The post An Unexpected Daytrip to Sintra, Portugal<\/a> appeared first on LandLopers<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the past, it has been an understatement to call me a travel over-planner. There is no term really to describe the levels to which I would typically plan the fun out of a trip. It always came from a good place, an excitement for the adventure coupled with the desire to not miss anything….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":419,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[14],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookertv.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookertv.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookertv.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookertv.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookertv.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=417"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/cookertv.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":420,"href":"https:\/\/cookertv.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/417\/revisions\/420"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookertv.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/419"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cookertv.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookertv.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cookertv.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}