Tourist Destinations World Travel Guides
Sintra is a town in Portugal, mainly famous for housing many hotels and resorts. As this town is located at the foot of the Sintra Mountains, lots of tourists come here for trekking. They also flock here to have a view of several palaces, castles, and villas in the forest of this hilly terrain. Therefore, hotels in Sintra remain crowded all the time with foreigners, who visit here to spend their vacations. They are provided with guides for sightseeing all the magnificent pieces of gothic architecture.
Palacio da Pena – The Pena Palace is a prime cause of attraction for tourists, which was built by King Ferdinand II in 1842. It is remarkable for the combination of gothic and North African architectural styles, as well as the interior decorations. The forest surrounding this palace is also interesting due to some hidden paths and other features. There are buses for taking tourists from Sintra town to this palace.
Castelo dos Mouros – The Moorish Castle is located opposite the Pena Palace, which was constructed by Moors to have a clear view of the entire region comprising land areas and the sea. This castle of the 9th century was later devastated by natural calamities and now, it serves as a fantastic viewpoint of the entire Sintra town.
Palacio Nacional de Sintra – The National Palace is located at the center of the town and the Portuguese royal family lived here till the end of the monarchy in 1910. This huge palace is marked for two large chimneys emerging from the kitchen roofs and wonderful paintings adorning the interior walls of rooms. This palace is surrounded by plenty of restaurants, cafes, and other shops where tourists can spend their time.
Palacio de Monserrate – This mansion was made in the 19th century, following the Islamic architectural style. It was built by Sir Francis Cook, who was a wealthy merchant of England. The perfect fine details of this palace earn acclamation from tourists, comprising the carved stonework on the exterior parts and stone inlay according to the Indian style. Though it is quite far from Sintra town, there are bus services to carry tourists to and fro the place.
The Convento dos Capuchos – This Franciscan monastery is unique due to the use of corks to make the cells lived by monks soundproof. Huge granite boulders were used for constructing the entire building structure amidst the dense forest. This place is only 7 Km away from the city center of Sintra, for which tourists need to take electric cars or bikes on rent to reach here.
The Quinta da Regaleira – This mansion was built in gothic style in the 19th century, only at a 5-minutes walking distance from the city center of Sintra. The garden surrounding this building is most amazing due to the presence of many hidden passages, caves, some religious symbols, and decorative features, with a deep well at the center.
People need to buy tickets to visit most of these tourist sites and the hotels in Sintra usually arrange for the comfortable sightseeing of their guests.
