THIS JOURNEY IS FOR…
Lovers of palaces and cultural heritage, with a side serve of our signature off-road driving experience.
THIS JOURNEY IS FOR…
Lovers of palaces and cultural heritage, with a side serve of our signature off-road driving experience.
Imagine kings and queens in mountain-top palaces, a kaleidoscope of bright colours. Magical forests filled with fairies, hidden treasure, or even ghosts. Some kids grew up dreaming of fairy tales. But we didn’t have to imagine. Our hometown, Sintra, is a region filled with real life castles and mysterious legends.
Join us as we explore this UNESCO World Heritage town known for its romantic architecture and landscaping. We’ll start the day with a visit to the magical Quinta da Regaleira, a palace and its gardens filled with mystery, metaphors and underground tunnels. We’ll take in the view of all five palaces and the 8th-century Moorish Castle as we drive Sintra-Cascais Natural Park in one of our restored convertible jeeps. With our Portuguese-made UMM 4x4s we can take you off-road to epic lookouts and secret spots other visitors can’t reach.
Next stop, a delicious lunch at a traditional Portuguese restaurant in a small village. Think fresh fish or tasty meat on the wood-fired grill and plenty of wine! After a quick cafezinho (coffee) we’ll get back on the road passing through dense forests to the 12th century Peninha Sanctuary. Built 500 metres above sea level, from here you’ll take in 360-degree views of the forest, the Atlantic Ocean, Lisbon, Sintra and Cascais. It’s the sort of place you’ll want to sit and soak in views for a while – which is why we bring snacks. We’ll (try to) teach you how to pronounce “Travesseiro de Sintra”, a century-old sweet pastry recipe, but we promise it tastes just as good in any language. The day finishes with a visit to Pena Palace, the red-and-yellow Disney-like castle that sits atop Sintra’s second highest peak.
Sintra is Lisbon’s best day trip for good reason. We want you to leave with amazing memories, a deeper perspective and an aching stomach from all the laughs.
HIGHLIGHTS
★★★★★
“Not only did I get the chance to see some really amazing sites with a bit of history given to me, but I was given time to explore on my own. I never felt like one of those zombie tourists following around a guide with some flag on a pole. This was an experience not to be missed.” – Patrick, Oct 2019
★★★★★
“Wow… It’s too hard to put into words how amazing and life changing this experience was. And it wasn’t just WHERE we were it was WHO was taking us around and how it was presented. Everything was absolutely STUNNING. Our tour guide knew everyone in Sintra, so everyone we ran into treated us like royalty.” – Hannah, Oct 2019
★★★★★
“I wouldn’t change anything about this day! Andres was our tour guide, but felt more like a friend who we could’ve known for a lifetime before this trip. He had unique insight into Sintra because he’s grown up there.” – Kiran, Oct 2019
The entry tickets are cheap and we can skip the queues.
price
Note: private jeeps seat up to 7 people. Extra guests are €20 per person.
Need to know
Pick up location: Portela de Sintra train station
Pick up time: 10am – please arrive 10 minutes early
Duration: 7 hours
Drop off location: Portela de Sintra train station
We’ve adapted in response to COVID-19
To keep our guests and staff safe while having fun we’ve added new safety and hygiene measures to our experiences and transfers. Our staff have received extra training and Portuguese authorities have given us the “Clean & Safe” seal. Read about our COVID-19 measures here.
We start the day at Quinta da Regaleira, an historic palace and lush gardens filled with mystery, symbols and metaphors. It’s a must for photos!
We’ll stop at a few unnamed, epic lookouts on the way to lunch, where we’ll feast at a traditional Portuguese restaurant in a small village – expect fresh grilled fish or meat with plenty of vinho! Where we go changes depending on the day (and what the special dishes of the day are, plus dietary needs of course).
Ready to go off-road? We’ll pass through dense forests to the 12th century Peninha Sanctuary for 360-degree views with local snacks.
We’ll end the day with a walk through Pena Palace, the red-and-yellow Disney-like castle that sits atop Sintra’s second-highest peak.
With more than six palaces from the romantic era and a Moorish Castle from the 8th century topping one hill, Sintra is UNESCO World Heritage area. This journey stops at the two most popular palaces – Quinta da Regaleira and Pena Palace. Plus drive off-road in one of our epic jeeps through the magical and mystical forests that surround the town. Passing through Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, we’ll drive up to an incredible lookout.