Castles · Tour

Sintra Guided Twice Over: Regaleira and the Pena Gardens and Terraces

Most Sintra day trips guide one monument and drop you at the gate of the other. This one is led through both. The Quinta da Regaleira is taken with the guide, and the Pena Palace is taken with the guide as well, gardens, terraces and building together. That is more guiding than the category norm, and at Regaleira in particular it makes the difference between a garden walk and an explanation of what the owner was actually building: an estate laid out around the symbolism of the societies he belonged to. The historic centre of Sintra comes in between, and the lunch arrangement is refreshingly unmanaged. The guide can suggest a restaurant, but it is a suggestion. Whether you eat, where, and for how long is left to you, and no commission-driven stop is built into the schedule. Cascais closes the day on the coast. There are two pickup points in Lisbon: the top of the Parque Eduardo VII, and the Praça dos Restauradores at 8am, where the guide carries a yellow flag or wears a yellow hat.