Sintra, Portugal: Love at First Sight

Alfama District, Lisbon

I did a tour from the Holland America Eurodam called Lisbon sights, Sintra & Cascais. It was a great tour. My favorite place was Sintra.

Portal of Church before 1755 earthquake in Lisbon



This is the review I submitted to Holland America:

The Lisbon highlights were well presented by our guide. The gentleman we had the day before was not nearly as interesting or entertaining. This woman was lovely but unfortunately I forgot her name. All the women guides wore green scarves.

Guides with green scarves

Sintra is absolutely amazing, a true fairy tale place. We were dropped from the bus, given a short orientation and then allowed to roam around for a few hours. It is walkable but has very steep hills and may not be recommended for people with mobility problems. There were cute shops, museums and churches. I even took an additional train tour that rides around Sintra that is provided by the city of Sintra. The woman who drove the train spoke in three languages throughout the tour - Portuguese, Spanish and English. Very enjoyable.

Sintra fountain

Sintra rooftops

Sintra, Portugal

Walking around Sintra

I walked around and took fabulous photos, stopped in a cafe for a cup of cappuccino and a wonderful almond pastry. It is a delightful place and I could have stayed longer, but we really had enough time to see everything. It is a place I could definitely see myself going back to for a longer vacation.

Wonderful shop with pastries and coffee in Sintra

Almond pastry & cappuccino

Cascais is a typical beach town, with lots of tourist shops and restaurants. It is clean and the weather was lovely, warm but not too hot with a breeze. We enjoyed it.

Beach at Cascais, Portugal