As yous may have gathered past times now, I direct maintain a sweetness spot for places that seem to go trapped within a fairy-tale. The most mutual 24-hour interval trip from Lisbon is undoubtedly to the town of Sintra, where I took my dose of fairy-tale dreams during my recent rest inwards Portugal. Easily reachable past times develop from the uppercase inwards one-half an hour, Sintra has been for centuries the privileged residence of kings as well as queens. Because of its beautiful natural surroundings, it offers squeamish walks inwards the wilderness, but also charming stone-paved streets where you can soak inwards a distinctive Portuguese atmosphere. The argue why Sintra is thus famous, though, are the castles as well as palaces that brand Cinderella as well as Snow White expect similar existent tales.
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| Palacio da Pena on a sunny wintertime day |
From Rossio develop station inwards Lisbon, a 4.10€ return ticket took me to this magical reason of moss-covered trees as well as mysterious woods. The centre of Sintra is within a pleasant 10-minute walk from the develop station. Here at that topographic point are modest restaurants, souvenir shops as well as B&Bs. Lord Byron raved nigh this modest town, as well as this is why yous volition detect streets as well as restaurants bearing his name.
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| A peculiar rock staircase called subsequently Lord Byron |
I forthwith recognized the Palacio Nacional de Sintra from the pictures I had seen inwards guidebooks as well as go blogs. With its funny conical chimneys, it does non expect peculiarly charming from the outside, but rather a combat clumsy. The combined ticket (Palacio Nacional de Sintra + Palacio da Pena) does non come upwards cheap: 19€. "Whatever", I thought, "you gotta create what yous gotta do".
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| Palacio Nacional de Sintra seen from the outside |
The interior of the palace positively impressed me with its distinctive style. I direct maintain visited countless royal palaces inwards my travels, including Versailles as well as Schönbrunn, but this 1 had something unique. Maybe it is non every bit luxurious every bit others, but it had its ain style. Its blue-green mosaic decorations on the walls, the bizarre objects on display (like these decorative hens!) as well as the vague Moorish means sure enough caught my attention. This expanse was the siege of ability since the Islamic kingdom of Al-Andalus, which controlled most of the Iberian peninsula, but this exceptional palace dates dorsum to the fifteen as well as 16th century.  |
| Hens every bit knick-knacks |
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| Interior of Palacio Nacional de Sintra |
In spite of the bizarre and underwhelming look from the outside, Palacio Nacional de Sintra is elegant inside. The famous Sala dos Brasões is total of coat of arms on the ceiling as well as of beautiful azulejos on the walls. I had never seen a room decorated similar this inwards all of my travels!
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| Sala dos Brasoes inwards Palacio Nacional de Sintra |
Once visited the Palacio Nacional de Sintra, I hopped on a touristic motorbus that inwards a few minutes left me near Palacio da Pena. There aren't many other options to achieve it, I'm afraid, unless you're upwards for an exhausting uphill trek. The motorbus costs 5€ as well as it's hop-on-hop-off, thus yous tin role it several times, as well as yous tin also halt inwards Castelo dos Mouros (Moorish Castle). Palacio da Pena is 1 of the most eccentric palaces I direct maintain always seen, a form of Iberian Disneysland that reminds me of simply about other uber-famous 19th-century Romantic castle: Ludwig of Bavaria's Neuschwanstein Castle inwards Germany. Palacio da Pena is located on function past times of a hill, as well as it incorporates Medieval as well as Islamic elements. It was used past times the Portuguese royal identify unit of measurement until they were forced into exile inwards 1910. The bizarre colouring cloth juxtapositions - bluish as well as yellow, greyness as well as ruddy - larn far expect similar a mish-mash of different inharmonious elements, as well as honestly it is a combat kitsch.  |
| Palacio da Pena |
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| Palacio da Pena from the outside |
Inside it, I establish it less interesting than Palacio Nacional de Sintra, but I truly loved the cardinal courtyard. Needless to say, it was decorated with beautiful azulejos.
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| The beautiful courtyard inwards Palacio da Pena |
What yous cannot girlfriend - as well as I promise you'll direct maintain a sunny 24-hour interval similar mine - are the views: the woods on 1 side as well as the apparently with countless modest towns on the other side. There are gardens to explore within Palacio da Pena if yous direct maintain plenty of fourth dimension inwards your hands. As for me, I was starving, thus I headed downwards to town for a hearty repast of bacalhau com natas, a existent Portuguese treat.
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| View from Palacio da Pena |
A concluding palace was left to explore, earlier heading dorsum to Lisbon: Quinta da Regaleira, which was a existent surprise. The proposition to see it came from the staff at my hostel inwards Lisbon, Sunset Destination Lisbon. I tin never give cheers them plenty for this as well as many other tips. In spite of beingness the to the lowest degree famous as well as the to the lowest degree expensive of the palaces I visited inwards Sintra (6€), Quinta da Regaleira was past times far the most beautiful. You tin literally spend hours exploring the common as well as you'll never larn bored. It is Gothic as well as romantic inwards style, with paths as well as views studied to larn out an impression on the visitor.
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| A corner of the gardens of Quinta da Regaleira |
It is located inwards the historical centre of the town, thus dissimilar the Palacio da Pena for which yous direct maintain to accept a bus, it is slowly as well as quick to achieve it. Pinnacles, gargoyles and elaborate neo-Gothic decorations are alongside the elements of the actual mansion, but the existent star are the gardens. Lakes, extravagant grottos, fountains as well as statues decorate it inwards ways that are never banal.  |
| Quinta da Regaleria |
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| Quinta da Regaleira - soundless autumn |
The famous "inverted tower", or initiatory well, has obvious alchemic connotations. It is an upside-down tower, going deep into the globe instead of trying to achieve the sky.  |
| The initiatory well |
You tin truly walk downwards the tower, as well as thus follow simply about nighttime as well as humid tunnels until yous detect yourself on the other side of an artificial waterfall.  |
| Seeing a waterfall from behind |
Everything hither is simply perfect, similar inwards the fairytales. Just direct maintain a expect at this persuasion of the Moorish Castle as well as of the surrounding hills, for example. I spent nigh 1 hr as well as a one-half exploring the paths of Quinta da Regaleira, as well as came out of the estate when the Sun was commencement to set.
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| The persuasion of Castelo dos Mouros from Quinta da Regaleira |
What I liked the most nigh Sintra was, however, the atmosphere: the trees (in Dec it was soundless autumn), the winding roads as well as the elegant houses. In Sintra 1 of the most pleasant experiences is simply walking around, smelling the fresh air as well as letting yourself go charmed.  |
| Along the street inwards Sintra |
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| Sintra, along the street |
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| A trouble solid inwards Sintra. In the background, yous tin come across Palaco Nacional de Sintra |
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| A stone-paved streets inwards the dorsum streets of Sintra |
Did yous similar Sintra? Would yous permit go charmed too?
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