SINTRA & ACTIVITIES AROUND
Sintra
Sintra is in the west of greater Lisbon region, located on the Portuguese Riviera. It is a UNESCO World Heritage site, famed for its picturesqueness and has several historical royal palaces, castles, scenic beaches, parks and gardens. The area includes the Sintra-Cascais Nature Park through which the Sintra Mountains run. It has its own microclimate and is a bit cooler than Lisbon, Cascais and the beaches. With its 19th-century romanticist archticture, historic estates, palaces, castles and gardens, it ranks as one of the best places to live in Portugal... We'd say it is the Beverly Hills of Lisbon;)
Things to explore
Lisbon and Sintra have a lot to offer! We have listed a few of our favorite spots and activities. Feel free to explore as much as you can if you have the chance. There is a likely chance that you will fall in love with Portugal as much as we did.
Lisbon
We think that Chiado is the most beautiful area of Lisbon: you find a lot of stylish boutiques along the pedestrian shopping street Rua Garett and especially its little side streets and continuing uphill via Rua da Misericordia to Rua Dom Pedro V.
Some special places to see in Lisbon:
Santa Justa Lift (the design was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris)
The A Cevicheria, Tibor's favorite restaurant.
The Time Out Market, a heaven for foodies.
Of course people come to see the famous Alfama - best explored via a walking tour and including the sunset at a viewpoint e.g. Miradouro de Santa Luzia or Miradouro das Portas do Sol
LX Factory is a Berlin style artistic complex.
Almada & Caparica
Crossing Tejo via the Ponte 25 de Abril a great place for sundowners with good fish dishes are Ponto Final or even better Atira-Te-O Rio.
On the west of this peninsula is the Caperica Coast which has the most beautiful beaches of Lisbon and some eclectic sundowner places: Yamba (we hope it is open again by summer 2022) or Praja da Princesa.
Cascais
Cascais is near Sintra and one of the most famous places to live or go to when escaping Lisbon City. You find some nice restaurants by the sea for example at the Casa da Guia area (there are five nice restaurants on the cliffs) or Furnas Do Guincho.
At Cascais Beach which is also called Guincho Beach, is great to see the surfers and has a nice restaurant called Bar do Guincho with a surf rental next to it.
Sintra & Area
In Sintra itself there is a lot to see. The heart of the old city is probably around this nice little restaurant Romaria De Baco from where you can stroll through the little streets
If you want explore castles and palaces, check out Pena Palace on the hilltop, Monserrate Palace, Quinta da Regaleira and the medieval Moorish castle as well as the Initiation Well of the freemasons at Quinta da Regaleira.
If you want to explore the coast of Sintra, check out Cabo da Roca, the most western point of Portugal's main land and restaurant Azenhas do mar.
All these are just hints if you want to get a taste of the greater Lisbon area and stay a bit longer.
