Half Day Sintra Regaleira and Queluz from Lisbon

Regaleira Palace and Estate Museums and Palaces Quinta da Regaleira is located very close to the historic centre of Sintra, and is one of the most enigmatic tourist attractions in Sintra. Quinta da Regaleira was built at the beginning of the 20th century by the millionaire António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro (1848-1920), who managed to make one of his dreams come true here with the help of the architect and set designer Luigi Manini (1848-1936). Surrounded by lush vegetation, Regaleira Palace is a fascinating discovery. The palace was built in a romantic revivalist style, imitating Gothic, Manueline and Renaissance architectural and decorative forms, mixed with mythical and esoteric symbolism. Special mention is reserved for the Chapel of the Holy Trinity, where visitors can descend a spiral staircase into the crypt to discover the monumental initiation well which, at the bottom, leads through a grotto to a stunning lake hidden in the middle of the gardens.

Historic Center Sintra Town, a municipal heritage site and a world heritage site, duly classified by UNESCO. Visit the historic center of the romantic town of Sintra, where many buildings and remains from various periods and cultural movements remain.

Located in the centre of Sintra, defining its landscape with the unmistakeable silhouette formed by its two conical chimneys crowning the royal kitchen, there stands the only palace that spans the entire history of Portugal. The current Palace of Sintra emerges out of many royal palaces. This is a set of buildings that were constructed, added and adapted over the course of many centuries with the actual date of the founding of the country’s oldest palace a question that still remains to be resolved. In all likelihood, the first building was constructed in around the 10th or 11th century when Sintra was under Moorish rule. At the end of the Middle Ages, the Palace of Sintra was at the heart of a large territory under the care of the Queens of Portugal while also one of the preferred destinations for Portuguese monarchs.

The National Palace of Queluz charms whether for its imposing nature or the sheer exuberance of its architectural details closely bound up with the lives of three generations of the Portuguese Royal Family and the scene of intense emotions. The Palace furthermore reflects the evolution in the tastes and styles over different period, moving from the Baroque to the Rococo and onto Neoclassicism. Its surrounding scenic gardens invite you for a “stroll” through a period in which the court organised sumptuous parties and that hold the memories of trips by gondola along the canal, theatre, hunting, musical and literary performances, masked balls, games and open-air recitals. A dreamlike scenario, animated by the waterfalls and delicate water games.