Sintra is a town nestled in the Sintra Mountains about 15 miles northwest of Lisbon. It was once a summer holiday haven for Portuguese royalty and is a very popular day trip for visitors. The region is chock full of palaces, castles, mansions, viewpoints, a convent, a sanctuary, and multiple beaches. When limited to a single day in this lush, beautiful UNESCO World Heritage Site, you can’t help but feel you are missing out, and it is incredibly difficult to choose what to see.

We took an Uber from Lisbon and started the day with a visit to Pena Palace and Gardens, it is located high on a hill and is even visible from Lisbon. The vibrant exterior colors and architecture straight out of a fairytale can charm even the most cynical visitor into believing they just might see a dragon fly by or catch glimpse of a lovesick princess wistfully staring out of one of the many windows waiting for her prince to return.

We hadn’t purchased tickets in advance, and even though we arrived close to opening there were already a ton of people queued for entry and to purchase tickets in person. You can purchase tickets online, but cellphone reception was an onsite challenge for almost everyone in our party of 4. Tickets assign visitors to enter at specific times and we had ample opportunity to make the 30 minute walk from the main entrance to the Palace, stop at an outdoor kiosk for a much needed coffee and snack, and visit the gift shop before our time slot.

Perhaps we were unprepared for the volume of visitors to this popular venue, it felt like Disney World. The line to enter the Palace snakes around the exterior and there are statues, architectural marvels, views of the countryside, and photo opportunities galore to distract yourself during the wait.

The tour includes multiple levels of rooms that border a central courtyard. Rooms throughout the palace are preserved to truly show off the amazing architecture and furniture throughout. Once inside it was a challenge to enjoy specific interior rooms, artwork, and informational signs at a leisurely pace due to constant pressure from incessant crowds to move forward. This was a shame because there were so much to see including stunning tiles, intricate ceilings, and rare objects. I have visited some places that feel as if the rooms all start to blend together, and I didn’t feel that way at Pena Palace. Each room had a distinctive energy and unique details that held my attention.

The palace also features a museum worthy collection of art. Most of the paintings depict Portuguese royalty.

After exiting the palace, it was considerably less congested. We took full advantage of the warm weather and hiked the grounds.

There are quite a few points of interest outside, and we visited The Valley of Lakes. One of the ponds had swans and it was easy to lose yourself in the tranquility of this moment in nature. It was a completely different world from the crush of people we had endured less than an hour before. We really appreciate time spent in verdant nature, it is the one thing we really miss while living in Olhão.

If you can withstand crowds and massive lines, at €14 we agreed that Pena Palace was a worthwhile visit. If we return again, we would spend more time hiking outdoors since there were quite a few spots we had to pass up because of time constraints.

We took a break from sightseeing to enjoy lunch at Romaria de Baco, a lovely restaurant near the historic center of Sintra. We didn’t have a reservation since we weren’t sure how long our earlier tour and hike would take. The restaurant was quite busy, but staff managed to find us a table. We dined inside, the ambiance was fantastic and conducive to chatting. We sampled a large variety of petiscos (snacks or tapas) including Padron Peppers and Fried Cuttlefish. Everything was delicious and paired splendidly with a cold, crisp vinho verde. It was a perfect way to enjoy a sunny September afternoon in this charming town.

Our second tour of the day was Quinta da Regaleira, a large estate on the west side of Sintra, it was about a 15 minute walk from the restaurant. This property consists of a manor, gardens, grottoes, and wells. While touring the interior and viewing old photographs, I met an elderly German woman who identified herself as a small child in one of the photos. She was touring the property with her family because she had lived onsite with a nanny in her youth. During our conversation I could see her drift from the present to the past for a tour down memory lane. What a fascinating childhood she must have had, filled with exploration, discovery and plenty of room to play on this intriguing property.

The true stars of this tour are the unique outdoor areas and they are why we had chosen to visit this site. It was easy to embrace my inner child while climbing towers, exploring garden nooks, descending into wells, and walking through tunnels and hidden subterranean areas.

A tour highlight is the Initiation Well which has the architectural gravitas of the Guggenheim, but set in a mystical forest setting. I loved this space and could have stayed there for an extended period of time, but it is one of the more popular features so we lingered less than I would have liked.

It was hard to forget Quinta da Regaleira, even months later. I hadn’t known much about the history when I visited and the rooms that covered some of this information were a bit congested (or maybe I was just distracted by the German woman from the photo). I wanted to investigate a bit more once I returned home. A quick online search taught me that the owner António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro aka Monteiro the Millionaire was a man of Brazilian-Portuguese descent. He was a successful businessman (hence his nickname), and had varied interests including a passion for etymology, collecting bibles, and being a Free Mason. My interests were definitely piqued. I am motivated to return to Quinta da Regaleira in order to seek out more Knights of Templar symbology, look for hidden doors and revisit specific locations on the property where secret meetings and rituals might have taken place.

The price of €12 for a non guided ticket is perfect for guests who like to explore with less formality and at your own pace. You will find plenty of things to see on your own. I will strongly consider taking the audio guided tour if I make a second visit.

Tip: In my opinion, you really need more than one day in Sintra in order to experience great restaurants, and tours at an enjoyable pace. I’ll definitely be heading back to seek out what I missed the first time around, either with a series of day trips, or with a 2-3 day stay.