Sintra and Cascais are two very popular destinations just outside of Lisbon proper, and it was highly recommended to me that I sign up with a tour, rather than try to drive the narrow, winding roads by myself. I wisely took the tour.
Not only was the tour informative and relaxing, but tickets to the always-popular, always-crowded Pena National Palace in Sintra, were included. It was a van of no more than 8 people, and our knowledgeable driver knew the roads really well.
The Pena National Palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and it was built by King Ferdinand II as a royal summer residence in the 19th century. But there are so many more details to the story. I’ll leave it to you to Google it if you’re interested.
The walk uphill to the palace was quite steep, but the views we saw when we finally got there made it all worthwhile.
If you’re going to check the palace out, I highly recommend going off-season. It gets very, very crowded, with very long waits in line.
After the palace tour, we made a quick walk through the town of Sintra, stopping for some of their famous pastries and a wonderful drink called Ginja, a cherry liqueur served in a small chocolate cup.
On our way to Cascais, we stopped at Cabo da Roca, the most western point in continental Europe.
We headed back to Lisbon along the coast, driving through Cascais, which is basically the Portuguese Riviera. Suddenly, there are waterfront mansions, Ferraris zooming past the tour van, and lots of beautiful people wearing expensive clothes and shopping in expensive shops. You almost feel like you’ve been transported to another country…
We made a stop in Cascais to have lunch and walk along the perfectly manicured waterfront. Only when I returned to my hotel did I realize I didn’t take any pictures in Cascais. The glitz and glam was fun to see, but it’s not what I came to Portugal for.
Live the Live ™ 