Sintra and Cascais Choose 2 of 6 Palaces to visit on private tour

We start at your hotel heading towards an unforgettable day. Sintra is 30 km from Lisbon. Its micro-climate guarantees permanent freshness to the town and the growth of fantastic vegetation, making this a mysterious and deeply romantic place. The Pena National Palace, Quinta da Regaleira and Monserrate Palace stand out as the main monuments. Arriving in the town, we drive to the top of the Serra de Sintra and the Palácio da Pena, built on a rock 500m above sea level, dominating the entire coast as far as Lisbon. It represents one of the best expressions of 19th century architectural Romanticism in the world, and is, in fact, the Europe's first romantic palace, built around 30 years before the charismatic Schloss Neuschwanstein, in Bavaria, Germany

Quinta da Regaleira, located in the heart of Sintra, is a monument full of mysteries and symbolism. Thw Owner Carvalho Monteiro, also known as Monteiro dos Mírios, was fascinated by alchemy, Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism and the Templars. The farm was transformed into a place full of mystical symbolism. Quinta da Regaleira was built to be a space for contemplation, meditation and celebration of ancient mysteries. Today, Quinta da Regaleira is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Sintra, offering visitors a journey full of mystery through secret tunnels, exotic gardens, lakes, caves and buildings, such as the famous Initiatory Well. This spiral well descends 27 meters into the earth and is surrounded by a staircase, also built in a spiral.

A retreat for writers, Monserrate attracted numerous foreign travelers, especially English ones, who extolled its beauty in travel reports and engravings. When Francis Cook, a wealthy 19th-century English industrialist and major art collector, visited the site, he was fascinated. From this passion was born a masterpiece of Romanticism: the Park and Palace of Monserrate.

The current Palace of Sintra is made up of many royal palaces. It is a group of buildings that were built, added to and adapted over centuries, with the date of the foundation of the oldest palace being an enigma that remains unsolved today. Most likely, the first building was built around the 10th or 11th century, when Sintra was Islamic territory. At the end of the Middle Ages, the Palace of Sintra was the center of a territory managed by the Queens of Portugal, but it was also one of the favorite spaces of the Portuguese monarchs. The abundance of game in the region, the coolness of the climate during the summer months or the need for refuge during periods of plague in the capital made Paço de Sintra a frequent destination. Keeper of memories and witness to exciting events in the history of Portugal, the Paço de Sintra offers those who visit it the opportunity to travel through time and encounter other lives so different from ours.

The Queluz Palace, with a beautiful decoration filled with pieces of enormous value, became the official residence of royalty, especially the Portuguese prince regent, the future D. João VI, as well as his family, until the royal family fled. to Brazil due to the French invasions. D. Pedro IV or D. Pedro I of Brazil was born in this palace. It also served as a discreet place of incarceration for Queen Maria I, “Maria Louca”, while her madness continued to worsen after the death of D. Pedro.

Take a deep breath and set out to conquer your climb to Castelo dos Mouros. At the top of the Sintra mountain range you will find one of the most emblematic places in the history of Portugal. At the top of the Sintra mountain range, in an extremely irregular area, this castle was built by Muslims in the 17th century. VIII or IX. The walls were conquered by D. Afonso Henriques when founding Portugal, in 1147. Get ready to find the Romanesque chapel that has survived since the time of the Christian Reconquista and to follow the dizzying path that lets you discover the entire Lisbon region.

This tour being very connected to gastronomy, time on our Tour Sintra with lunch to stop in the center of Sintra to stroll through its alleys and alleys. Unveiling its historic center, as well as the Pastelaria da Piriquita where we will taste the Pillow of Sintra as well as the Queijada de Sintra.a in the center of the village

After this wonderful lunch, we continue our Sintra Tour with lunch, through the mountains, until we reach Cabo da Roca (westernmost point of Continental Europe), with its beautiful cliffs and views, where we can read on the tombstone that celebrates this point ”here where the land ends and the sea begins ”proudly left by Camões the celebrated epic poet.

Located next to the sea and traditionally a fishing village, Cascais experienced important development in the 19th century. XIV, when it was a busy port of call for ships heading to Lisbon. However, it was from the 2nd half of the century onwards. In the 19th century, when sea bathing began to be popular, Cascais saw a boost that transformed it into a very fashionable summer resort. The main driver of the transformation was the King of Portugal D. Luís I, who in 1870 converted the citadel fortress into the summer residence of the Portuguese monarchy. This example was followed by the nobility who built mansions and beautiful villas here where they spent the hottest time of the year, completely transforming the old fishing village. It is recommended to take a stroll through the streets, which have excellent quality shops, or take a moment to rest on one of the many terraces that exist here.