If you think four days are not enough to visit three cities, think again! With the right company and ambitious scheduling, visiting Lisbon, Sintra and Porto in a short amount of time is not only possible but also easy to do. Just bring your most comfortable shoes with you and take the lyrics “This boots are made for walkin/ And that`s just what they will do” for your credo for the trip!

For 4 Days in Portugal: How to Make the Most of Your Trip Part 1, which is all about Lisbon, click here.

Day 2: Sintra

Have you ever dreamt of visiting a town that looks like it has jumped out of a fairy tale book? Then Sintra is just the place for you! Regarded as the finest day trip of the Lisbon region, the charming little town offers whimsical castles, gloomy wells, magical forest, and the ruins of a 10th-century Moorish fortress.

The easiest way to get here from Lisbon is with the train. The trip takes about 40 minutes and the trains leave approximately every half an hour, from 5 am till midnight. Once in Sintra, you can use the local bus 434 to get from place to place or book a Hop-on Hop-off tour, if available. When we visited, we were able to buy the tickets at the train station and the touristic bus was also going to Cabo da Roca (Europe`s westernmost point), which was one of the highlights of our day.

If you want to make the most out of your day in this fairy tale location, it is a good idea to do your research in advance as it is going to be difficult to visit all the attractions the place has to offer just in a day, especially if you would like to include Cabo da Roca. We stuck to the three most touristy castles and did not get disappointed.

Quinta da Regaleira

The most mysterious of all of Sintra’s castles, Quinta da Regaleira is a Gothic palace, designed by the Italian architect Luigi Manini. It is located in the forest and features a luscious park full of gorgeous scenic spots that remind of the set of a movie. The castle is largely associated with the Free Masons and is probably most famous for the Initiation Well, that resembles a tower built into the ground. It is one of the first images that you would see if you Google Sintra and it would definitely get your attention and make your imagination run wild.

For me, this has been the location I was most excited about. The castle looked enchanted and frozen in time – just the place you would expect to be the layer of a fire-breathing dragon. A word of warning – the park is huge, with many sights to discover, and it would take you hours to explore the entire grounds. Since we did not have that much time, we decided to pinpoint the spots we were most excited to see, such as the main building and the Initiation Well. Even with the map, it was a bit hard to navigate as the place resembled a labyrinth, but this strengthens the feeling you are a part of a dark story written by the brothers Grimm.

Unfortunately, when we finally discovered the well, it was far less mysterious or whimsical then we had expected. Like us, most of the other tourists came to the Quinta to see the famous Mason sight, so it was complete swarmed with people. In order to get a picture, my friend had to stop the entire procession of people coming behind us, and had a bit of an argument with some grandpa about it. Don’t get me wrong – the place was still quite impressive, but you should manage your expectations.

The palace is open from 10 am and the last admission of visitors is at 5:30 pm. You can buy a ticked online or on the spot and the price for adults is 12 euros. 2 to 3 hours are needed to explore and since most of the things to see are located outside, I recommend to avoid rainy days.

Monserrate Palace

Monserrate Palace was not initially in our program and it was by accident that we discovered this gem of the Portuguese Romanticism. Our idea was that we can fit one more castle into our visit before going to Cabo da Roca and Pena. Since Monserrate was a stop on the way, we decided to take the chance on it and I’d never regretted that decision.

After a history of abandonment and a long line of owners, the Estate of Monserrate was purchased by the British trader and art collector, Francis Cook, in 1863. He commissioned the construction of the palace that we know and love today. It combines different architectural styles but is mainly a mixture of the Gothic and Indian ones and has a touch of Moresque suggestions. The property also features one of the finest botanical gardens in all of Portugal.

When I first walked the grounds of Monserrate, I thought this must be the ultimate land of beauty and sunshine. I was so impressed with the gardens and extraordinary building that it quickly became my favorite palace in Sintra and remined so even after visiting Pena later that day.

What impressed me the most was not even the lavish Moorish exterior but the breathtaking inside part of the palace. By crossing the threshold, I got transported into one of Scheherazade’s stories. With its domed ceilings and Arabic arches this place made me feel like a part of the feverish exotic dream of its genius creator.

You can visit Monserrate daily between 9 am and 7 pm, with last admission at 5:30 pm. Keep in mind that the ticket office closes between 12 and 1 pm, but vending machines are available. The price of entrance is only 12 euros and is worth every cent spent on it!

Cabo da Roca

One of the best things about the Hop-on Hop-off bus was the fact it had a stop at Cabo da Roca. Otherwise called Cape Roca, this unique location on the Atlantic is the westernmost point of continental Portugal and of Europe itself. It features breathtaking views over the ocean and a spectacular lighthouse.

I did not expect to like this place so much, but I literally fell in love with it. We grabbed some wine from the nearby store (where you can also shop for souvenirs or food) and enjoyed the amazing view to the fullest. The spot is also great for taking pictures – some of my favorite shots from the entire trip are from here.

National Palace of Pena

We saved the most renowned of all the castles for dessert and visited Pena, the jewel of Sintra, last.

The Palace is perched on a hill, overlooking the town of Sintra, and on a clear day it can be seen even from Lisbon. It is considered one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal and is a UNESCO World Heritage site. Although its history started in the 12th century, the building we know today was constructed between 1842 and 1854, by order of the king consort of Portugal, Ferdinand II. Pena is one of the finest examples of the Romanticism and is a mixture of the architectural styles Neo-Manueline, Neo-Gothic, Neo-Islamic and Neo-Renaissance.

Although the multi-colored facade of the building was really beautiful, this was the sight that impressed me the least from our visit in Sintra. It reminded me of other royal castles I had seen before and did not possess the uniqueness that made the other two palaces magical in my eyes. So if you do not have time for all three, I would definitely recommend La Quinta and Monserrate over it. But if you are not time-constrained, it is a pleasant place for an afternoon walk.

You can purchase tickets for Pena here.

Day 3: Porto

Porto is the second largest city in Portugal and its historic center is proclaimed UNESCO World Heritage site. It offers to the visitors both the opportunity to take a cruise on the Douro river and to go to the beach on the Atlantic ocean’s coast. The city is the perfect place to observe the famous azulejo tiles – blue and white ceramic pieces that create intricate mosaics. It is also the name-sake of the renowned port wine which you can taste there.

You can travel to Porto by plane or train, but the cheapest way is definitely by bus. That is what we chose as we were travelling on a budget. The prices of the tickets vary from 6 to 20 euros, depending on the company and the time of day. The trip takes about 3 hours and 15 minutes, so I would recommend to get an early start if you are going just for the day. There are departures almost every hour from both directions which is really convenient.

To be honest, I regret a bit making the trip to Porto. We had to get up very early to be sure we would have enough time to spend there, but, believe me, one afternoon is not enough to see the second biggest city in Portugal. The weather there was colder than in Lisbon so we were freezing the entire time and we also had to run from site to site in order to see as much as possible during our limited visit.

What my friends and I like to do when exploring a new location is to buy a city card which includes different attractions and enables us to save money on admission tickets. Here, we chose the Porto Explorer Pass as it offered almost all the activities we wanted to do in the city. The cost was about 60 euros, which we thought is a normal amount to spend for the entire day.

For me, the easiest way to do all the sightseeing is the Hop-on Hop-off bus. Since it was included in the pass, we decided to do the whole red route and get off the last stop (Ribeira), which was the meeting point for the boat cruise (also included).

The Six Bridges cruise was actually the highlight of our day because it offered beautiful views to the whole city from the Douro river. The bridges by themselves were pretty spectacular and, in general, it was a very nice 50-minute trip to enjoy.

The other interesting thing we did, was to visit Burmester wine cellar, which is considered to be one of the best port wineries in Porto. We were explained about the process of making port and tasted two different kinds. Our experience ended with a visit to their shop, where we were able to buy some bottles for home. To be honest, this kind of wine was a bit too sweet for me and was definitely not my favorite tape of alcohol, but my friend enjoyed it and we all took some for our loved ones to try.

Afterwards, it was already late afternoon and, although we wanted to go to see the beach, we decided we wouldn’t have enough time so we just walked alongside the river. We returned to Lisbon late in the evening with the feeling that we saw much less than we were supposed to and a tiny bit disappointed. That is why I would not recommend to go to Porto just for a day.

From our whole 4-day trip to Portugal, my favorite place was undeniably Sintra – this fairy tale town will stay in my heart! The city of Lisbon is also beautiful and fully deserves your time of day. I hope my experience there will help you to organize your visit in the best possible way.

Photos: Personal Archive