Pena Palace Gardens

Just 20 miles from the centre of Lisbon, you will discover Sintra, one of the most popular day trips from Lisbon, known for its spectacular setting and grand Mansions of the Portuguese Elite.

On your private day trip to Sintra, you will:

• Travel leisurely with your tour guide by train from Lisbon's Rossio Train station to Sintra in just 40 minutes;
• Visit the colourful 19th-century Pena Palace, once the summer residence of the Portuguese King and situated atop a hill overlooking Sintra Natural Park, Sintra town and, on a clear day Lisbon;
• Explore the interior of the Pena Palace, richly decorated with 'azulejo' tiles representing what it was like to live like royalty between the 1800s and 1900s;
• Enjoy the amazing views from the Palace's vast terraces, as well as its colourful exterior that gives it the nickname of "fairytale castle";
• Enjoy a 30-minute walk through the lavish gardens to see the valley of the lakes, where one can enjoy the peaceful and suggestive atmosphere created by the five small lakes surrounded by exotic vegetation;
• Relax on a panoramic drive through Sintra Natural Park on an electric TukTuk, the fastest and most fun way to travel in Sintra!; 
• Take a stroll through the charming old town of Sintra, home to many summer palaces of the Portuguese aristocracy and the perfect spot for a delicious Portuguese lunch;
• Learn about the history of the town on a guided walking tour, where you’ll see the spectacular Sintra National Palace from the outside;
• Discover Quinta da Regaleira Palace which boasts a magnificent Renaissance-style manor and lush gardens, where you can explore underground caves, a waterfall, a labyrinth and the famed Well of Initiation;
• End your tour by returning with your tour guide back to Lisbon by train.

Set high up in the Sintra Natural Park, this palace boasts vast terraces with spectacular views as well as beautifully landscaped gardens.

After, travelling back to Sintra town with an electric TukTuk, enjoy free time for lunch after which your guide will take you on a walking tour through Sintra town and the Quinta da Regaleira, another incredible palace with even more spectacular gardens.

The resplendent gardens are even classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO within the "Cultural Landscape of Sintra! Commissioned and owned by a well-known Freemason, Antonio Augusto Carvalho Monteiro, the four-hectare property is famous for its enigmatic buildings and underground tunnels.

Monteiro filled the property with symbols linked to masonry, alchemy, Tarot mysticism and more. Your guide will expertly guide you through the extensive and puzzling system of tunnels, grottoes, and caves, as well as a waterfall and a labyrinth carved into the bedrock! You will of course not miss the Well of Initiation, a spiral staircase composed of 9 levels of 15 steps, often thought to symbolise the nine levels of Hell from Dante's Inferno.

Walk with your guide to Sintra train station for your return train to Lisbon.

The Pena National Palace is a Romanticist castle in Sintra, Portugal. It stands on the top of a hill above the town of São Pedro de Penaferrim and is the most popular tourist attraction in the town, as well as one of the most visited monuments in the country. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995 and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal.

On your private half-day tour of the Pena Palace, you will:

• Enjoy a fully guided tour of the Pena Palace, nicknamed the "fairy tale castle", built with the purpose to serve as a summer residence of King Ferdinand II and his family;
• Discover the different architectural styles that coexist in the palace, such as Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, and New-Romanesque along with other Oriental styles such as Neo-Moorish and Indo-Gothic;
• Admire the views from the large palace terraces, and explore the Palace interior, decorated to reflect how the palace looked when it was home to Portuguese royalty 1800s and 1900s; 
• Explore the palace's magnificent gardens, commissioned by King Ferdinand II between 1838 and 1878 which are today the property of the Portuguese State and a protected monument;
• Travel to and from the palace through Sintra Natural Park with an electric TukTuk, the fastest and most fun way to get around this beautiful area;
• End the tour by returning to Lisbon by train with your guide, or to the town of Sintra where you can have lunch and continue exploring at your own leisure. In this latter case, your guide will give you your return tickets to you can catch the train whenever you like later in the day.  

Your private tour of Sintra will start at Rossio Train station in central Lisbon. Today Portugal's most famous attraction, the Pena Palace was built in the 19th century as a summer home for Portuguese royalty. It was built by King Ferdinand II who had a very flamboyant and larger-than-life taste.

It is an adaptation of 16th-century monastery ruins and an imitation of a medieval fortress. The Palace boasts spectacular views over the natural park and Lisbon (on a clear day) as well as beautifully landscaped gardens. Enjoy a 30-minute walk through the gardens to see our favourite section: the valley of the lakes.

Your tour will end with a tuk-tuk ride either back to Sintra train station, where you will catch the train back to Lisbon with your guide, or you can stay in Sintra town where you can have lunch and continue exploring at your own pace.
If you chose to stay in Sintra, your guide will give you your return train tickets which will be valid all day.