Palácio da Pena
The painted palace on the hilltop, with the gardens below it.
N 38.79° · W 9.39°
Private tour · Sintra
Private Tour to Sintra from Lisbon
A private day tour to Sintra from Lisbon runs a full day — Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira and Cabo da Roca, just you and your party, with the route built around what you want to see.
Build your Sintra day Electric Tesla · silent
Sintra sits 40 minutes west of Lisbon, in the hills above the coast. Here's what's within reach in a day.
Loading the interactive map. Meanwhile, here are the destinations covered.
- Palácio da Pena The painted palace on the hilltop, with the gardens below it.
- Quinta da Regaleira The estate with the initiation well and the tunnels.
- Castelo dos Mouros The Moorish castle walls along the ridge, with the long view back to Lisbon.
- Sintra historic centre (Vila Velha) The old town, the Palácio Nacional with the two cone chimneys, and where the queijadas come from.
- Cabo da Roca The westernmost point of mainland Europe, where the cliffs drop into the Atlantic.
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Quinta da Regaleira
The estate with the initiation well and the tunnels.
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Castelo dos Mouros
The Moorish castle walls along the ridge, with the long view back to Lisbon.
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Sintra historic centre (Vila Velha)
The old town, the Palácio Nacional with the two cone chimneys, and where the queijadas come from.
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Cabo da Roca
The westernmost point of mainland Europe, where the cliffs drop into the Atlantic.
What you'll see
What a day in Sintra actually looks like
Sintra is small on a map and slow on the ground. The roads up to the palaces are narrow and they fill up by mid-morning, so the difference between a good day and a wasted one is the order you do things in — not how early you leave. That’s the part we handle.
Palácio da Pena
The one most people come for: a palace painted red and yellow on the highest hilltop, with terraces that look out over the whole Sintra range to the sea. We time the entrance so you’re not climbing through the worst of the crowd, and you walk the gardens below it on the way down.
Quinta da Regaleira
A private estate built like a puzzle — an underground well you spiral down into, tunnels that come out somewhere you didn’t expect, and gardens that reward going slowly. You set the pace. If you want an hour here and ten minutes at the next stop, that’s your call to make.
Sintra historic centre
The old town in the valley, with the National Palace and its two white chimneys, cobbled lanes, and the bakeries the queijadas and travesseiros come from. A good place to stop, eat, and not look at a screen for a while.
Cabo da Roca
The westernmost point of mainland Europe — cliffs, wind, and nothing but Atlantic in front of you. It’s a short drive from Sintra and it’s where most people end the day before heading down the coast toward Cascais.
How long do you need in Sintra?
A full day. Sintra rewards two or three proper stops with time to walk, not five rushed ones. In a full day (8 hours) you can comfortably do Pena, Regaleira and the historic centre, and still reach Cabo da Roca on the way back — and many people carry on into Cascais before returning to Lisbon.
Half a day works if you have one palace in mind and nothing else. But if this is your day outside the city, give it the full eight hours. It’s 40 minutes each way from Lisbon, and the climb up to the palaces is part of what you’re paying for — quiet, in the Tesla, with no engine noise on the switchbacks.
We’re Afonso and Diogo — partners, drivers and guides.
Your guides
You'll know who you're going with before you book.
Afonso & Diogo — your guides for Sintra
We’re Afonso and Diogo — partners, drivers and guides. Up to 4 we drive the Tesla; 5–6 we drive the Mercedes EQB; 7–10 we operate as a team with both vehicles and both drivers. The same person who answers your first email is the one who picks you up at your hotel — no subcontractors, same team all day.
We speak Portuguese and English; Afonso also speaks Spanish. Tell us which language your group prefers and we’ll match the driver — Afonso (pt, es, en); Diogo (pt, en).
PT · EN · ES No subcontractors
Good to know
Sintra — questions people ask before booking
How much does it cost?
Price is per group, per duration — not per person, and not per destination. A full day (8 hours) is €600 for 1–4, €700 for 5–6 (Mercedes EQB), €800 for 7–10 (both cars). You choose the stops inside that day. The exact total goes in the plan we send within 24 hours.
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Do you pick up at my hotel in Lisbon?
Yes. We pick you up at your hotel or address in Lisbon and bring you back at the end of the day. Sintra is about 40 minutes each way.
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Are the palace entrance tickets included?
No. Entrance fees to Pena, Regaleira and the other sites aren't included — they're paid at each site and the prices change from time to time. We'll tell you what each one charges in the plan we send, so there are no surprises, and we help you skip the queue where we can.
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Can I do Sintra and Cascais in one day?
Yes — it's the most common full-day route. Sintra in the morning, Cabo da Roca, then down the coast to Cascais in the afternoon before heading back to Lisbon. Add both when you build your tour and we'll pace the day so neither feels rushed.
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How long does a Sintra tour take?
A full day, 8 hours, is the right amount for Sintra. It's enough for two or three palaces with time to walk, plus Cabo da Roca and the coast. Half a day only works if you're after a single palace and nothing else.
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What if it rains, or someone in my group gets sick?
Reschedule for free if we agree at least 24 hours before pickup. The 25% reservation fee follows this policy: more than 48h before pickup, the fee is refunded in full; 24 to 48h before, half the fee is retained; less than 24h with no valid reason, the fee is retained in full.
Pairs well with
Often combined with
Most people pair Sintra with the coast. Add half a day in Cascais — the marina, the cliffs at Boca do Inferno, the Guincho beach road — onto the same full day, since they’re a short drive apart. And if Sintra is your day-trip and you still want to walk the city, a private tour of historic Lisbon covers Alfama, Bairro Alto and the viewpoints on a separate day.
