Sintra

Once a hotspot destination for Portuguese royalty, Sintra is widely acclaimed as one of Portugal's most beautiful destinations, full of plush greenery, gorgeous mountains, as well as amazing neo-Gothic structures that radiate in the sun's glow by day and illuminate with beautiful bright colors by night.

Once in Sintra, there are a few places to go in order to get your cultural fill including the Museum of Modern Art and the exotic villa, the Palacio de Monserrate. But sites such as the Quinta da Regaleira and its Palace encapsulate the best architecture of the Gothic era, full of beautiful gargoyles, towers, and stone facades that will blow you away.

Also be sure to make your way up to the 10th-century Castle of the Moors, where you can walk along the castle walls while you take in the great scenery and castle's impressive history.

Practical Info

There are a number of great ways to get around Sintra that are fairly cost-effective including a bus service that goes from Sintra station to most of the municipalities' major attractions. If you're looking for a more entertaining way of getting around you can also take one of the docked horse carriages, who will charge you a bit more for the ride, but is quite relaxing.