The Palaces of Sintra, Sintra, Portugal

The rolling hills just outside of Lisbon are decorated with colourful and quirky palaces, mansions and castles. Some trail along the ridgelines, others decorate the highest peaks. A few only allow their pointed spires to poke up from the valley bottom. Sintra is more than a historical site, it is a land made for fairytales.

Castles began popping up on Sinta’s hills when the Moors first captured the land in the 8th century. They remained on these hills for over 400 years until King Afonso I of Portugal conquered them in the12th century. After doing so the king established his first official residence in Sintra Palace. The king, nicknamed The Conqueror, had already proven his success by conquering the Moors in Guimarães in 1128. You can read about Guimarães here. (Coming Soon)

It was much later though, in the 19th century, when Sintra started to blossom. Using the hilly landscape as a feature in their architecture, aristocrats built lavish mansions and palaces creating a unique and magical feel to Sintra. Today you can visit many of those palaces and see the designs and decorations that range from elegant to eclectic. Here are our favourite sites in Sintra.

Travelling along the top of a long ridge is a fantastic Moorish Castle (Castelo dos Mouros). It is the largest remnant of the Moors’ 400 years in this area. Although they arrived in the 8th century, they didn’t build this castle until the 10th century. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).