Castles · Tour

Private Sintra with Pena and Your Choice of Regaleira or Monserrate

A private day in Sintra with two palaces, and the second one is your decision. Pena is fixed, guided by a professional. For the second, the choice is between the Quinta da Regaleira and the Monserrate Palace, and they are genuinely different afternoons. Regaleira is the theatrical one: tunnels, the Initiation Well, an estate built around private symbolism. Monserrate is quieter, a botanic garden of imported species around a Moorish-revival house, and it takes a fraction of the visitors. Both are guided, and the guide covers the 19th century in Sintra rather than the buildings in isolation, which is when the Portuguese court moved up here and every wealthy family in Lisbon followed it. The rest of the day runs to the coast: Cabo da Roca, the western end of continental Europe; the Boca do Inferno, the collapsed sea cave at the edge of Cascais where the Atlantic comes in under the rock; and Cascais itself. One practical instruction from the operator, and it is worth taking seriously: buy the palace tickets in advance yourself, and contact them about the timings before the day. Pickup is from your hotel or from the port in Lisbon.