Sintra & Cascais (group tour)

Dauer

9 Stunden

Sprache

Englisch

Gäste

1-10

Explore Sintra and Cascais on an 8-hour tour (max of 8 people). You’ll visit the surprising Pena Palace, the charming village of Sintra, the former fishing town of Azenhas do Mar, the westernmost point of Europe and Cascais, a lovely beach town.

Inklusive

Guide
Entrance fee
Park and Palace of Pena entrance fee (20€ per person)
The tour will be only in English
Maximum 8 people
Local guide and driver
Air-conditioned vehicle

Nicht inklusive

Food and drinks
Hotel Pick up and Drop off

Itinerary

Sintra village. Sintra is an old and mainly pedestrian village that was founded thousand years ago. The Greeks named Sintra the "Mountain of the Moon" and today is still a true fairy tale village. Is a UNESCO world heritage site since 1995. Here you will have free time to enjoy some famous travesseiros (pillows), in an old bakery that existed since 1862, they are light puff pastries that are turned, rolled, and folded seven times, and then filled with delicious almond-and-egg-yolk cream and lightly dusted with sugar. You can also enjoy the Sintra cheesecakes.

Colares. Colares and its famous wine cellars are on our way to the Atlantic Ocean. Colares is a quaint village famous for its wine, a royal passion that started in the 13th century. The landscape had been sticking in time and around we can enjoy old villas, beautiful mansions, small and big farm areas, or a centenary tram.

Cabo da Roca. We will make a stop in the wild Cabo da Roca, which is a 150 meters (500 feet) cliff that forms the westernmost point of continental Europe. Facing the roaring Atlantic, this spot is a surprising and remote landscape with amazing views.

Guincho beach. Guincho beach is a beautiful sandy beach area 9 km away from Cascais. It’s a protected landscape where we can see dunes and endemic flora. It’s also a popular destination for surfers.

Cascais village. Cascais is a former fishing village that gained fame as a resort for Portugal's royal family in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Nowadays, it is a popular vacation spot for both Portuguese and foreign tourists. Nowadays is a village with small museums, picturesque gardens, a shiny marina, and a pedestrianized old town. We will stop here for a while and suggest you to lunch (lunch costs are not included) and try the most famous ice cream in Portugal, Santini’s Gelati!

Park and National Palace of Pena. We will visit the remarkable Pena Palace, one of the major expressions of 19th-century romanticism in the world. The current palace dates back to 1839, when King Ferdinand II bought the ruins of the Monastery of Our Lady of Pena and started to adapt it for use as a residence according to his romantic taste. We will, not only visit the Pena Palace, but also explore some parts of the Pena Park.

Don't forget!

The tour will be only in EnglishNot wheelchair accessibleInfant seats availableStroller accessibleService animals allowedNear public transportation Please bring comfortable shoes, clothes, and sunscreen.

Departing from Lisbon, we will head towards the enchanting Sintra Mountain. We will begin our day by visiting the stunning village of Sintra, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1995. After our guided exploration, you will have some free time to discover this fairy tale village, historically known as the “Mountain of the Moon” by the Greeks and Romans, and rich in Moorish influences.

To start the day off right, we’ll visit a family-run bakery that has been operating since 1862, where you can enjoy the famous travesseiros (pillows). These delightful pastries are made by turning, rolling, and folding the dough seven times before filling them with a delicious almond-and-egg-yolk cream and lightly dusting them with sugar. Alternatively, you might try the Sintra cheesecakes, which date back to the 13th century, when they were used as a form of rent payment.

Next, we will cross the mystical mountain of Sintra on our way to the Atlantic Ocean. Along the journey, we will pass through the charming village of Colares, where you can learn about local wines that have been produced since the 13th century. We will make a stop at Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe, featuring a breathtaking sheer cliff that rises 150 meters above the ocean.

It will then be time for a lunch break as we drive toward Cascais. Once a humble fishing village, Cascais became popular as a resort for Portugal’s royal family in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, it is a favored vacation spot for both locals and international tourists, boasting small museums, picturesque gardens, a sparkling marina, and a charming pedestrian old town. While in Cascais, you will have the chance to taste the renowned ice cream from Santini’s Gelati, often considered the best ice cream in the world! Santini’s has been delighting taste buds since 1947.

After lunch, we’ll embark on an unforgettable experience as we visit the Pena Palace. Admission to the palace and its park is included in the price if the option is selected. The palace’s origins trace back to the Middle Ages, when a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Pena was built atop the Sintra Mountain following a reported apparition of the Virgin Mary. The current palace, dating back to 1839, was commissioned by King Ferdinand II, who transformed the ruins of the 500-year-old Hieronymite Monastery into a residence that reflected his romantic aesthetic. Today, the palace stands as one of the foremost examples of 19th-century romanticism in the world, resembling a scene straight out of a Disney fairy tale (read more here).

Finally, we will return to Lisbon, concluding our wonderful day of exploration.