Guide to Portugal | Lisbon, Sintra & Cascais
Pack your walking shoes for your trip to Portugal. Days spent in Portugal were the perfect combination of delicious Pasteis de Nata and castle exploring. We spent five days exploring Lisbon, Sintra, and Cascais.
We stayed at Hotel da Baixa in Lisbon and I’d highly recommend it. The hotel staff were exceptionally kind and they offer complimentary breakfast, unlimited water and freshly made egg custards in the lobby. Remember to request a street facing room with a view. We stayed in Lisbon for the duration of our stay and took day trips from our base because we decided not to move hotels. If you have the time, I’d also recommend staying a few days in Sintra since there is so much to see there.
Our first day began with a day trip to Sintra. Arrive early to see Pena Palace and the Gardens which are categorized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The line was quite long to enter the palace but if you wish to tour the outside of the palace, you can skip the line and go up on the left. Buy tickets ahead of time here to save time. I’d recommend purchasing the transfer option as well for three extra euro per person to save your legs from the steep hills.
One of the highlights of Sintra was the Travesseiros, puff pastries filled with cream at Piriquita Bakery. The bakery offers a wide selection of delicious pastries but the Travesseiros are what they are known for so don’t miss out. It’s possible to have their pastries for takeaway by grabbing a number and waiting in line, but we decided to sit down in the bustling cafe for the experience.
After spending some more time in town, we took a cab to Azenhas Do Mar which is a beautiful restaurant set on a cliff with views of the sea and sunset. We came on a foggy day so the sunset wasn’t visible, but the view of the crashing waves through dinner were still a delight. Make sure to make reservations early in order to secure a table with a view. Sintra is known to have its own microclimate, different from that of Lisbon. It can get chilly in both Sintra and Azenhas Do Mar so make sure to pack an extra layer.
We had initially planned to do Pena Palace and the Castelo dos Mouros before heading back down to the city center, but we had such a great time exploring Pena we decided to save the Castelo dos Mouros for another day so we didn’t have to rush. If you’re coming from Lisbon, I’d recommend taking a taxi to Pena Palace first since it is at the top of the hill, then work your way down from the Castelo dos Mouros, to the National Palace, then to the Quinta da Regaleira. This is the website to purchase tickets to the attractions in Sintra. I’d highly recommend purchasing tickets ahead of time. Tickets to Quinta da Regaleria are on this website.
We spent early Saturday exploring Feira da Ladra, the “Thieve’s Market,” in the Alfama district. The market is open on Tuesday and Saturdays and has a vast collection of both used and new items for sale. This market is one of the oldest and has evolved from unwanted used goods to a must-see tourist attraction full of crystals, souvenirs, jewelry, old Polaroid cameras, handicrafts and other knick knacks at bargain prices. There was a crystal stand that had the most beautiful labradorite with a startling blue-green sheen. I didn’t have enough euro with me or else I would’ve taken her home with me. If you’re in Lisbon, let me know if the labradorite is still there. The stand also has selenite, amethyst, quartz and other lesser known crystals for various healing and vibrations.
After properly working up an appetite, we headed to Time Out Market, a deliciously bustling food hall with so many options it was difficult to choose. This market reminded me of food halls in Asia with popular visual dish demonstrations laid out to help you choose.
After walking around the market twice, we settled on Cozinha da Felicidade for lunch and Manteigaria for dessert. Manteigaria had the most delicious Pasteis de Nata and cappuccinos for an afternoon pick me up. Besides it’s location in Time Out Market, Manteigaria also has other locations in Lisbon and Chiado so make sure to make stop here for an afternoon treat. Learn more about Time out Market here.
After lunch we continued the market theme and shopped the artist market located outside. This market had more stands from local artists than secondhand goods. A moment of indecision led us to a surprisingly good decision.
Instead of riding the 28 tram, we decided to do a Tuk Tuk tour instead. The tram can get quite crowded during peak summer days and hours but this would be an affordable option to see the city. Tuk Tuk tours begin at around 70 euro per hour. Additionally, it’s possible to book a Tuk Tuk in place of an Uber or taxi. The cost is around 5 euro per person. Overall, we found that Uber’s are more affordable than taxi but also less reliable. We could spend up to 15 minutes waiting for our Uber before it decided to cancel.
Our tour took us to Se de Lisboa Cathedral, Portas do Sol viewpoint, Shepard Fairey mural, Senhora do Monte Viewpoint (lady of the hill), St. Vincent Monastery, National Pantheon and Alfama. The tour is a great way to experience many of the sites of Lisbon in a bite sized amount of time. It was a nice experience riding in the open air tuk tuk and our driver and tour guide couldn’t be kinder. We enjoyed the experience so much we booked him again for the next day as well.
After a day sightseeing, we reset with some seafood at Pinoquio. There can be a line out the door so come early to get an outdoor spot, perfect for people watching. We took a post-dinner walk to find some souvenirs to take home. Tile and cork souvenirs are widespread throughout the city.
We allowed ourselves a bit of rest on Sunday. A slow breakfast transitioned into some Lisbon exploration on foot. We waited a few minutes at the Santa Justa Lift before realizing that it would be more enjoyable to walk up to the viewpoint than wait in line. There are three options to go up to the viewpoint: 1. Santa Justa Lift, 2. elevator in the store next to Muji, 3. walk up the hill.
Leisurely shopping took us to one of my favorite restaurants of the trip: A Cevicheria, a Peruvian ceviche & seafood spot. We spent the rest of the afternoon on our second Tuk Tuk tour visiting: LX Factory, Jeronimo Monastery, Pasteis de Belem, Belem Tower and Discoveries Monument.
We loved the Pastel de Nata from Pasteis de Belem. They have been making the pastry since 1837. The Pastel de Nata were invented in the 18th century by monks at the Jeronimos Monastery. The monks would use the egg whites in laundry and the leftover egg yolks were used for the pastry.
An experience not to miss in Portugal is Fado music. There are restaurants that feature this experience as well as venues just for Fado. I wouldn’t recommend the place we went but there are multiple places to try. We also enjoyed the live music at our hotel in the evenings. It was nice to come back after a long day sightseeing and curl up on the couch in the lounge for live music.
We spent our last day in Portugal returning to Sintra to visit Castelo dos Mouros, Sintra National Palace and Quinta da Regalaria.
This was one of my favorite days in Portugal. with Quinta da Regalaria being one of the highlights of the trip. We were told by a few local to skip the Castelo dos Mouros but I thought it was beautiful. The views at the top are breathtaking and there are free binoculars which allow you to look down towards the city center of Sintra below.
We had a pastry lunch back at Piriquita because we fell in love with the Travesseiros. After some proper sugar, we walked to Quinta da Regalaria which is also classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and is the home to the Initiation Well.
The Initiation Well is a ceremonial well that you can walk down through a spiral staircase and is a unique experience. There is the “perfect” and “imperfect” that lead into one another. There is a line but it moves fairly quickly so don’t be intimidated. I’d highly recommend making time to explore this estate for a few hours. If we didn’t have packed plans, I could easily spend a day here.
After Quinta, we toured the National Palace. Because we arrived an hour before closing, the palace was blissfully empty so there was no line and no crowds so we were able to explore at our leisure. From Sintra, we took a taxi to Cascais and spend some time detoxing our feet in the sea and lounging in the sun. There is a small but nice beach in Cascais with refreshingly cool water if you need a reprieve from city walking.We explored the town on foot before taking the train back to Lisbon. The train ride was about an hour and goes along the coast. For the most scenic spot, make sure you sit on the right side of the train.
We had our last dinner at Pateo Bairro do Avillez. The restaurant space is spacious and beautifully done so it’s a nice place to share conversation and delicious food. See restaurant here.
In summary, the places to visit in Portugal are Lisbon, Sintra and Cascais. The main attraction sites are Pena Palace, Castelo dos Mouros, Sintra National Palace, and Quinta da Regalaria. The highlight of the trip was exploring the castles in Sintra and Quinta da Regalaria. My favorite eating experiences were at Time Out Market and A Cevicheria. For the best Pasteis de Nata, visit Pasteis de Belem and Manteigaria.
