It’s easy to get to Sintra from Lisbon. Whether you want to go straight from the airport, from the center of the capital, or from the express bus terminal, here is how to do it:
Trains from Lisbon to Sintra
Access to the platforms for the trains to Sintra in Lisbon's Rossio Station
There are two regular and inexpensive train services, departing from different parts of the city. From downtown it departs from Rossio Station and arrives in Sintra 40 minutes later. From the eastern side of the city, in the Parque das Nações district, it departs from Oriente Station and takes 47 minutes to reach Sintra. Both services start early in the morning (at 5:41am) and continue late into the night, with the last train leaving Rossio at 1:01am and Oriente at 1:08am. Both also have trains departing every 20 minutes throughout the day, and more frequently at rush hours early in the morning and early in the evening.
For detailed information about how to go to Sintra by train look here: Trains to Sintra from Lisbon
Driving to Sintra
You should never drive to Sintra, as parking is almost nonexistent in the center of town and especially by the main tourist attractions. The narrow hilly roads can also be a nightmare, with frequent traffic jams, as drivers look for parking or have trouble navigating the ancient streets that were not meant for automobiles.
Buses to the Palaces in Sintra
The 434 bus that departs from outside the train station and goes up to the Moorish Castle and Pena Palace
From Sintra’s train station to the center of town (where you find the National Palace) it’s a 10-minute walk. This is quite a scenic walk, passing by the flamboyant Town Hall on the way.
From there it’s possible to walk to Quinta da Regaleira and Seteais Palace. You’ll need to take a bus to Pena Palace, the Moorish Castle and Monserrate Palace. There’s a bus that goes up to Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle, and another to Monserrate Palace. Both depart from behind the train station. For complete details about these buses, look here:
- Bus 434 to Pena Palace
- Bus 435 to Monserrate Palace
Travel from Cascais or Estoril to Sintra
If you’re based in the resort towns of Cascais or Estoril and want to visit Sintra, there are buses that terminate in Portela de Sintra (a short walk from the center of town) and by the train station. From Cascais you may take bus 403, which stops in Cabo da Roca on the way. If you’re closer to Estoril, there’s bus 418, which departs from the train station and takes 30 minutes to reach Sintra.
Bus 403 is very popular with tourists, so check out the complete guide here: Bus 403 from Cascais to Sintra
Transportation from Lisbon Airport to Sintra
Outside the arrivals terminal of Lisbon Airport
If you want to go directly to Sintra from the airport by public transportation, it involves a short metro ride to connect to the train departing from Oriente Station. The entire journey is quite inexpensive, and shouldn’t take more than 1 hour and 20 minutes. For a step-by-step guide, look here: How to go from Lisbon Airport to Sintra
Travel from the Express Bus Terminal to Sintra
If you’re arriving in Lisbon on an express bus from elsewhere in Portugal and want to go directly to Sintra, you need to connect to the train. Some buses terminate in Oriente Station, where there’s a train service to Sintra, but most terminate in Sete Rios. Here you can also connect to the train that departs from Oriente and stops in Sete Rios 12 minutes later. All you have to do is go down the escalators from the bus terminal and enter the train station.