Lisbon Off the Beaten Path Tips by flyingcaribou

I had only a few hours to spare and I asked the hotel concierge if it was worth it for me to go to Sintra even if it was for only a few hours. He said yes and explained to me how to get there.

I took the subway's blue line and got off at the Jardim Zoologico. From there I made my way to the train station, at the Sete Rios station. I purchased a return ticket, it was not expensive and I found out that the trains run every 15 minutes. Even on a Sunday! It only takes 38 minutes to get there. I got to Sintra at 3:00 pm. In the Sintra train station there is a tourist information office. The gentleman was very accomodating and gave me a map and brochures of things to see and places to go to. tel: +351 21 924 1623

I made my way into town and walked around a bit then I proceded to go visit the National Palace of Sintra. The visit was not too expensive and was able to see a part of Portuguese history. I was able to take pictures outside of the castle as it was not permitted to take any inside.

It was well worth the trip. It was nice to see the opulence of the past. They say on the brochure that: "it was probably originally that of a Moorish walis. It's current configuration derives from two different construction periods, the first of which in the reign of King Joào I in the 15th century and the second in the rign of King Manuel I in the 16th century. The palace has the largest collection of Mudéjar tiles in Portugal and it's chimneys are it's ex-libris".

I then proceeded to take a quick walk around the area and took a few pictures. I had to return to Lisbon for dinner and got back in town at 6:00 pm. I definitely have to return as there quite a few other castles and places of interest to visit in the area.

The National Palace of Sintra is a National Monument and was classfied as World Heritage by UNESCO in 1995. Open from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm, the last entry at 5:00 pm. It is closed on Wednesday and public holidays: January 1st, Good Friday, Easter Sunday, May 1st, June 29th (Municipal holiday) and December 25th.

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Phone: +351 21 910 6840
Website: Palacio Nacional de Sintra http://www.ippar.pt