Monday, July 28th, 2025
This morning we ventured outside of Lisbon to the lovely mountain village of Sintra.
On our way we could see part of the Águas Livres Aqueduct. Its name translated to “Aqueduct of the Free Waters”. It was an example of 18th century Portuguese engineering. It was constructed because water was in scarce supply for Lisbon due to the growth outside its walls. Construction started in 1731.
We were to visit the Pena Palace which sat on a steep hill. Well, the visit to the palace that we were looking forward to didn’t happen because the Portugal government closed it from July 27th to the 29th. This was due to a very high rural fire danger. The palace closure was part of a broader restriction of access to the Sintra Hills monuments. We will just need to visit Portugal again! Since we couldn’t see the Pena Palace, our guide made the best of it and we visited the National Palace of Sintra instead.
When approaching Sintra and the palace the first thing you noticed was the two champagne-bottled shaped chimneys. These were the smokestacks for the kitchen. They stood 108 feet. When we visited the kitchen in the palace we then understood why these were built.
Portugal’s first king, Afonso I Henriques moved into the palace after he conquered Lisbon in 1147. Additional additions over the following centuries created an architectural variety of styles from the Moorish to Manueline and Gothic to Renaisance.
Some of the highlights of our visit was the Magpie room (Sala das Pegas). It had many black and white birds painted on the ceiling. This was ordered by King João I (1385-1483). It represented all of the gossiping by the ladies at court after the king’s wife found him kissing one of them!
The Swan room or Great room (Sala dos Cisnes) was where João held his regal receptions. It was decorated in honor of his brother-in-law King Henry IV of England.
The grandest room was the Sala dos Brasões. It had a dome bearing the coats of arms of 72 noble familes. King Manuel I put his coat of arms in the center and at the top of the hierarchy. The coats of arms convey the identities of the individuals and demonstrated a clear form of social distinction.
Below was the Palace Guard room. It was where the ceremonial guards stood holding halberds because this was the access way to the palace.
The Galley room was built on the orders of King João III (1502-1557). This room connected his chambers to the northwest wing of the palace. It might have been a gallery but no one knew for sure. The ceiling showed Portuguese, Imperial Ottoman and Dutch galleys from the 17th century.
The kitchen was a large historic space built in the 15th century. It served the entire palace and its large court.
The Royal Chapel or also known as the Palatine Chapel was originally built in the 13th century. It was enlarged in the 15th century and remodeled in the 18th and 19th centuries. The chapel served as a place of worship for the royal family and court. The ceiling was one of the oldest examples of “tracery” motifs, a complex radial and star-shaped geometric patterns.
The Anteroom of the Council Chamber which was also known as the Arab Room. It its center was a white marble basin within a square and this fountain dated back to the early 16th century. Later a group of sculptures of water-spouting mythical creatures were added.
We’ve included a slide show of additional areas of the castle.
From the castle we had some great views of Sintra.
Across from the castle and atop the hill we could see the ruins of the Moorish Castle which was surrounded by dense forest. Its fortification was founded in the 10th century when the Moors occupied the Iberian Peninsula. The wall’s blocks were made from granite.
We enjoyed some free time to wander around Sintra. We heard about a place to try ginga (also spelled ginjinha). Ginga was a Portugal liqueur specialty made from aguardente (brandy) that was infused with ginga berries (sour cherries), sugar and cinnamon. It was a sweet, dark red drink with 18-24% alcohol by volume. The place we went in served the ginga in small edible chocolate cups! It was good but one was enough for us. We were too busy enjoying the ginja to take a picture! 🙂
Cafe Paris opened in Sintra in 1945. We sat outside and the huge gluten free macaron with a raspberry filling was delicious. The others had custard tarts. We couldn’t believe the size of the macaron.
Câmera Municipal de Sintra was Sintra’s city hall in the center of the historic area. It was completed in 1910. It followed the Manueline style of architecture which included false battlements and beautiful arched Neo-Manueline styled windows.
Our next stop was the seaside town of Cascais. It was one of Lisbon’s wealthiest suburbs. It was the summer retreat of the Portuguese nobility. Its beaches were popular. We noticed a lot of vacationers staying here and enjoying the beaches. It was situated on the Portuguese Riviera.
The home below was the home of Umberto II of Italy, the last king of Italy. He was exiled to Cascais after the Italian monarchy was abolished in 1946. Certainly not a bad residence for an exiled person.
One could ride the carousel with horses, chickens, baskets and a chariot as its seats!
We found a lunch spot where we could enjoy our meal with a wonderful view. It was very warm but we had an umbrella for shade and a slight breeze from the Atlantic ocean.
We rode through Estoril. It was considered the home of spies. Ian Fleming, the most famous secret agent wrote his first James Bond novel, Casino Royale, based on his visit to the Estoril Casino. This casino was the largest in Europe and was known to be a convergence point for spies and exiled European royalty during WWII. Much of the movie was filmed in Estoril!
The Hotel Inglaterra was originally built in the early 20th century. Spies and exiled European royalty were known to stay here because Portugal was neutral during the war. It was a hub for espionage and during WWII spies from both the Allied and Axis powers were here.
We returned to Lisbon late in the afternoon. We then went to the Glória Funicular. It opened in 1885 and was electrified in 1915. This funicular railway connected the Pombaline downtown with the Bairro Alto. The Glória Funicular served over 3 million passengers up and down one of Lisbon’s steepest hills every year!
Next to the funicular was the São Pedro de Alcântara viewpoint. Beautiful vistas could be seen from here.
Our Hop On Hop Off ticket included a night tour through Lisbon. Even though we were tired we didn’t want to miss this opportunity. It was well worth seeing the city sights and sounds after dark!
It was another full day exploring more of Lisbon and its surrounding areas.
As usual, you provide informative and entertaining commentaries on the places you visit. I’m eager to see these in person.
You will really enjoy Portugal!