Coast First, Sintra After: Guided Initiation Well at Regaleira

Every other Sintra day trip goes inland first and reaches the sea when the light has gone. This one drives the Atlantic coast in the morning and arrives in Sintra afterwards.

The route out of Lisbon runs along the shore past the beaches of the Estoril coast to Cascais and its bay, then Guincho, then Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe. By the time the minivan turns inland the coast is done and the rest of the day belongs to the mountain.

At the Quinta da Regaleira the guide takes the group down the Initiation Well, the spiral staircase sunk into the hillside, and then leaves you free in the gardens, the grottoes and the alchemical follies the owner built around his interest in the Freemasons, the Templars and the Rosicrucians.

Sintra itself follows, with the medieval streets, free time for lunch and a travesseiro from one of the pastry shops. Then the Pena Palace and its gardens.

The drive through the national park takes in the rare planting, the Moorish Castle, the Monserrate Palace and the chalets along the road.

Tickets to Regaleira and Pena are not included; the operator helps you buy them.