Ride the Tram in Sintra

[Friend from Barquinha]

If you're spending any time in Lisbon as part of prepping for, or winding down from, the Portuguese Caminho, and you go out to Sintra to see the palaces, you can actually take an old open-sided tram from central Sintra down to the beach north of Cascais!

We stumbled upon this in a visit to Sintra early this spring. It's an exciting ride; the first part is quite steep out of the Sintra hills and the tram gets going quite fast on a route with lots of corners. It stops in several of the villages along the way. Really interesting and a nice beach visit. About 45 minutes.

The Sintra tram; Sintra to Praia das Maçãs

www.sintra-portugal.com

 

[Camino Chrissy]

If you're spending any time in Lisbon as part of prepping for, or winding down from, the Portuguese Caminho, and you go out to Sintra to see the palaces, you can actually take an old open-sided tram from central Sintra down to the beach north of Cascais!

We stumbled upon this in a visit to Sintra early this spring. It's an exciting ride; the first part is quite steep out of the Sintra hills and the tram gets going quite fast on a route with lots of corners. It stops in several of the villages along the way. Really interesting and a nice beach visit. About 45 minutes.

The Sintra tram; Sintra to Praia das Maçãs

www.sintra-portugal.com

I've been to Sintra on a day trip from Lisbon to visit a few unique palaces, etc., but never knew about the tram to the beach.
Hopefully others can benefit from sharing your post/experience.

 

[Flog]

Me too.. Sintra was pretty but really way too touristy for me.. even in february. And I didn't care much for Cascais for similar reasons...

But the idea of trundling down out of the hills in a tram and screeching around corners, that sounds like fun, I'm sorry I missed it!

 

[Flog]

Mind you, nice castles up there.. shouldn't every castle be painted like this?!

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

Me too.. Sintra was pretty but really way too touristy for me.. even in february. And I didn't care much for Cascais for similar reasons...

But the idea of trundling down out of the hills in a tram and screeching around corners, that sounds like fun, I'm sorry I missed it!

That was how we'd felt about Sintra. We'd done the short really touristy tour before, but missed some of the gardens, which we really wanted to see.

So we did a three-dayer there, and found a small suite in the non-touristy town to stay in. It was called "House of the Tram," or something similar, and we asked the owner why. She pointed us across the street to the tram stop (not really a station). So there it was! It's next to the Art Museum, in the locals' part of town. 10 minutes' walk from the train station, if you're coming into Sintra that way. In mid-spring, the sea at the beach was cold, but the area was lovely.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Me too.. Sintra was pretty but really way too touristy for me.. even in february. And I didn't care much for Cascais for similar reasons...

But the idea of trundling down out of the hills in a tram and screeching around corners, that sounds like fun, I'm sorry I missed it!

Wow, it must have changed a lot since I was there.
I loved Sintra!

 

[Vacajoe]

We walked all around Sintra and the surrounding hills in 2018 and found it quite lovely, especially in the evening once the tour groups had moved on. Next time we’ll seek out this tram! Thanks.

 

[sherrypbarker]

If you're spending any time in Lisbon as part of prepping for, or winding down from, the Portuguese Caminho, and you go out to Sintra to see the palaces, you can actually take an old open-sided tram from central Sintra down to the beach north of Cascais!

We stumbled upon this in a visit to Sintra early this spring. It's an exciting ride; the first part is quite steep out of the Sintra hills and the tram gets going quite fast on a route with lots of corners. It stops in several of the villages along the way. Really interesting and a nice beach visit. About 45 minutes.

The Sintra tram; Sintra to Praia das Maçãs

www.sintra-portugal.com

Great tip. Thank you!

 

[peregrina2000]

Wow, it must have changed a lot since I was there.
I loved Sintra!

Sintra has gotten so incredibly over-touristed that they have banned cars from a lot of the center.

Parking in Sintra / New Traffic Restrictions 2022 - The Lisbon Travel Guide - Updated 2022

IMPORTANT MESSAGE: NEW CAR RESTRICTIONS IN SINTRA, READ HERE From, December 2019, the city hall started to forbid private cars to reach some parts of Sintra, such as Pena National Palace, Moorish Castle, Pena Park, and others. The central area of Sintra, where the Nationalk Palace is located...

lisbonguide.org

You need timed tickets for the big attractions, and if you like walking through palaces in a forced march single file keep moving routine, you’ll love it. This may sound curmudgeonly, but I would never take a day trip there now. Spending the night and getting some chance to avoid it without the tour buses and day-trippers would also give you the chance to start the touring as early as possible. This is not a unique story, but Sintra is definitely the victim of its own charm.

There are a couple of very nice “off track” places to visit. My favorites are the Convento dos Capuchos (a miniscule monastery with cork as a predominant building material) and the summer palace of Monserrate. The Chalet of the Countess of Edla looks interesting, too, but that has opened since my last visit so I can’t give a first hand opinion.

Parques de Sintra - A Journey Through History

Book a visit to the parks and monuments of Sintra and marvel at one of the most historical and iconic places in Portugal.

www.parquesdesintra.pt

 

[Anniesantiago]

Even the albergue was beautiful the first time I went.
The second time, Joe and I rented a room at a pension.

 

[Anniesantiago]

Did any of you visit Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra?
It was built by one of my distant cousins, Antonio Augusto Carvalho Monteiro.
Spectacular place, especially if you have any interest/knowledge in the occult sciences.
We spent many hours there and it blew our minds.

 

[Kanga]

Staying overnight is definitely the way to go. Even if you compete with the multitude during the day. I did not know about the tram but would definitely take this trip next time.

 

[Karen Schoenfelder]

Thanks for the info! We’re spending time in both Lisbon and Sintra next August before we start a Camino out of Puerto. Will have to check this out.

 

[K_Lynn]

If you're spending any time in Lisbon as part of prepping for, or winding down from, the Portuguese Caminho, and you go out to Sintra to see the palaces, you can actually take an old open-sided tram from central Sintra down to the beach north of Cascais!

We stumbled upon this in a visit to Sintra early this spring. It's an exciting ride; the first part is quite steep out of the Sintra hills and the tram gets going quite fast on a route with lots of corners. It stops in several of the villages along the way. Really interesting and a nice beach visit. About 45 minutes.

The Sintra tram; Sintra to Praia das Maçãs

www.sintra-portugal.com

Ooooh! Thank you! I am going to Sintra when I take a few days in Lisbon next year and am now looking forward to this addition!

 

[Friend from Barquinha]

Because so many of you seem interested, I'll post the booking.com info on the apartment we stayed in, in "local" Sintra. As the listing notes, it's very close to the town Mercado, and several quite good restaurants, as well as the terrific tram.

There were 3 of us, and we stayed in the 2-bedroom apartment. We peeked upstairs when it was being cleaned between clients, and saw the studio as well. Both of them well set up, fully furnished with excellent cooking facilities, and very very nice. The owner doesn't live there, but is nearby and makes it very easy to book in.

Tram Apartments, Sintra, Portugal

Located 5 minutes’ walking from Portela de Sintra Train Station, the restored Tram Apartments are set in an early 20-century building.

www.booking.com

Highly recommended!