Things To Do in Sintra

Palaces, Castles & Convents

Many organized tours depart from both Lisbon and Sintra. However, this approach allows no time for personal discovery, a must in Sintra.

Horse-drawn carriages are available for rent between the town and Serra de Sintra. The 45-minute tour costs 30€ to 50€ for up to five passengers. It's well worth the price for a most agreeable trip under the shady trees. The carriages start from and return to the large square in front of the National Palace of Sintra.

If you arrive in Sintra by train, you'll have to either take a taxi to the sights or trek up the long, lush hill to the national palace -- a very long walk.

Folkloric, history-rich Sintra has been a repository of salable Portuguese charm since the dawn of modern tourism. As you wander through its cobblestone streets and alleyways, you'll find many intriguing outlets for handmade folk art from the region and the rest of Portugal.

The best shops include A Esquina, Praça da República 20 (tel. 21/923-34-27). It carries many hand-painted ceramics, some of which are reproductions of designs that originated between the 15th and 18th centuries. Almorábida, Rua Visconde de Monserrate 12-14 (tel. 21/924-05-39), in front of Sintra Palace, sells Arraiolos carpets, lace, and intricately hammered copperware. A worthy antiques shop close to the town center is Henrique Teixeira, Rua Consigliéri Pedroso 2 (tel. 21/923-10-43). It carries sometimes dauntingly expensive furniture and accessories, including an exceptional collection of antique brass and bronze hardware.

Casa Branca, Rua Consigliéri Pedroso 12 (tel. 21/923-05-28), is the shop for linens. A recent client included former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright, who binge-shopped here for what we were told was more than 30,000€ worth of bed- and tableware. Inventories include embroideries from Madeira, the Azores, and the north of Portugal. Nightdresses and negligees, some of them with rich embroideries on silk or cotton, are particularly beautiful, often with provocatively flimsy décolletage.

Violeta, Rua das Padarias 19 (tel. 21/923-40-95), stocks hand-embroidered linen tablecloths, towels, sheets, and bedspreads.

Sintra is not a party town; the most intriguing soirees are private. A worthy bar in the center of town, where you might meet people from any country in Europe, is Adega das Caves, Praça da República 2-10 (tel. 21/923-08-48). The establishment is a restaurant that does a busy lunch trade. After dark, it mellows into a likable bar and bodega, specializing in beer and Portuguese wine. It's open every day until around 2am. A nearby competitor is the Taverna dos Trovadores, Largo D. Fernando II, São Pedro (tel. 21/923-35-48; www.taverna-trovadores.com), which lies in the center of the tiny hamlet of São Pedro, less than 2km (1 1/4 miles) south from the center of Sintra. Popular and convivial, it incorporates aspects of an old-fashioned tasca (tavern) with a modern singles bar and it features recorded and (on rare occasions) live music, a long drink list, and a cross section of residents from throughout the region.