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Sintra Municipal Library – Casa Mantero
Sintra was, and continues to be, the inspiring muse for authors and literary creators, having been extolled and exalted by all great Portuguese writers. This journey is, therefore, not only an ode to the beauty of the landscape, but also a testament to human creativity. And what better place to start than the municipal library, a place for all authors, for study and for leisure. And if all these attributes were not enough, here you can find a documentary collection that represents the work of Camilo Castelo Branco, the acclaimed Portuguese romantic novelist. The unique character of this collection led to its classification as a Cultural Asset of Public Interest.
Igreja da Misericórdia (Church of Mercy)
Located in the historic heart of Sintra, Portugal, stands a monument that is not just an architectural masterpiece, but also a significant symbol of Portuguese history and culture – the Igreja da Misericórdia. This beautiful church offers visitors a unique glimpse into the past, while also providing stunning views of the old city. The Igreja da Misericórdia was founded in 1545 by King John III, as part of his project to create religious institutions across Portugal. It was designed by Diogo de Torralva, one of the most prominent Renaissance architects in Portugal. Over time, it underwent several renovations due to natural disasters like earthquakes, but its original charm remains intact. The church’s primary function was to offer spiritual guidance and provide charitable services to the less fortunate. Its name “Misericórdia” (Mercy) reflects its founding principles based on compassion and charity.
Mercado Municipal da Estefânia
Integrated into the "saloia" region (rural area around Lisbon), Sintra supplied the capital with fruits and vegetables sold in markets, fairs, or even on the streets of Lisbon. Sometimes it was the city dwellers who went to Sintra to stock up, at the Feira das Mercês and São Pedro, other times it was the "saloios" who took them to the city. Besides strawberries, wild berries, pink peaches, and brown pears, Reineta apples also delighted connoisseurs. The Reineta apple still remains today in the region’s orchards spread across the municipality, with a greater concentration in Fontanelas. The orchards of Colares were famous, lending their name to Praia das Maçãs (Apple Beach), reportedly because the river that flowed there passed through orchards and carried, in its waters, fallen apples to the beach. Here, at Mercado da Estefânia, you can still find all these products today.
Miradouro da Correnteza
This is one of the most sought-after leisure spots in Sintra, largely due to the monumental complex and the lush green landscape visible from its walls: the Vale da Raposa, Vila Velha with its houses and the National Palace of Sintra, and the ocean on the horizon. High up there is the Moorish Castle. Very close to the Historic Center of Sintra, in this easily accessible viewpoint from Sintra train station, you can sit back and admire the breathtaking view.
Paços do Concelho de Sintra
After the inauguration of the Lisbon-Sintra railway line in 1889, Sintra underwent significant changes in its urban fabric. However, the impossibility of the village itself gaining more ground from the Serra happily led to the construction of a new neighborhood, relatively far away and named Estefânia, in honor of Queen D. Estefânia, wife of D. Pedro V. Therefore, there was a shift in the socio-economic center, which also necessitated the transfer of the main administrative entities that remained installed in an 18th-century building, near the Royal Palace. For the construction of the new Town Hall, an accessible location was chosen, both for the old town (Vila Velha) and for the borough of Estefânia. For this reason, the modern Municipal Buildings were erected between both neighborhoods, on the site where, until then, the old hermitage of São Sebastião stood. The construction of the new Municipal Buildings, started in 1906, according to a project by Adães Bermudes, was completed in 1909. The building features austere facades, with soberly decorated Neo-Manueline windows. On the main elevation, a tower stands out for its imposing presence, topped by battlements, and by a pyramidal roof covered with tiles, which alternately represent the Cross of Christ and the National Shield. At the top, the majestic armillary sphere appears. This curious roof is flanked by four smaller ones, crowning "watchtowers" that form its corners. On the same elevation, a balcony full of Manueline arches stands out, topped by a pediment in which the municipal coat of arms is inscribed.
Largo rainha D. Amélia (terreiro do palácio)
Luís Vaz de Camões is the most acclaimed poet in Portuguese literature. Born in the 16th century, during the Age of Discoveries, his masterpiece, Os Lusíadas, extols the qualities and courage of the Portuguese, but also the beauty of Sintra. The work was dedicated to King D. Sebastião, to whom (according to tradition) Camões is said to have read the verses when he was in Sintra. For some, the chosen location was the Vila Palace, for others, the Quinta da Penha Verde. “And in the well-known Moon mountains Cold Sintra subdues the harsh arm; Sintra, where the hidden Naiads In the fountains flee the sweet snare Where Love gently entangles them, Kindling ardent fire in the waters” Canto III Lusíadas
Museu Ferreira de Castro
Ferreira de Castro was a Portuguese novelist born at the end of the 19th century. His most acclaimed work, “A Selva” (The Jungle), reflects the harsh experience he had as a child working on a rubber plantation in the Amazon. Much of his work was written in Sintra, where he found peace and inspiration, and therefore he donated his estate to the town. He was twice nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature and was one of the most translated Portuguese writers of all time. He wished to be buried in the place that inspired him so much. “I would like to be buried beside one of those poetic paths that lead to the Moorish Castle under the old romantic trees that reside there and which I so often contemplated with this idea in my mind”
Hotel Lawrence
Lord Byron was one of the most important figures of European Romanticism. In 1809, at just 21 years old, the English poet embarked on a long journey through Europe, visiting several countries, including Portugal. This journey inspired him to write one of his most famous works: Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage, where the village of Sintra is referred to as a glorious paradise. “Lo! Cintra’s glorious Eden intervenes In variegated maze of mount and glen. Ah me! what hand can pencil guide, or pen, To follow half on which the eye dilates Through views more dazzling unto mortal ken Than those whereof such things the bard relates, Who to the awe-struck world unlocked Elysium’s gates?” Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage
Pisões Waterfall
“Sintra is not old stones, nor Gothic things… Sintra is this, a little water, a bit of moss… this is paradise.” Eça de Queirós was one of the greatest names in 19th-century Portuguese literature. He inaugurated the naturalist movement in Portugal, seeking to portray the social and political reality of the country. In some way, all his works touch upon the town, but it is in "The Mystery of the Sintra Road" and his major work "The Maias" that the town gained greater relevance. “Everything in Sintra is divine, there isn’t a corner that isn’t a poem”
Volta do Duche
Sintra was frequently described by travelers and writers as a place of refuge where lush nature takes center stage. This was also the case for Gabriela Llansol, a 20th-century Portuguese writer and translator, whose work is described as groundbreaking, but who nonetheless could not resist sublimating the natural beauty of Sintra. “- How beautiful Sintra is, for sometimes having trees too! We just passed by Grande Maior, my favorite tree, for the impression it gives me of its grandeur, its shadow of simplicity.”
Padaria Saloia
It grew in fairs, markets, and events around Sintra, and even in Sintra village itself. Since then, this art, so ours, so Portuguese, has been passed down from generation to generation: making bread. Besides the traditional "pão saloio" (rustic bread), you can try different varieties, such as rye bread, corn bread (broa de milho), filled breads, and many others. Why not have breakfast here and taste the "pão saloio," fresh from the oven?
Queijadas da Sapa
Here, buy a pack of queijadas! Catching sight of the Palace chimneys and the Serra, the Moon Hill, in the distance, delight in a Sintra queijada, with a crispy and crunchy shell, filled with eggs, sugar, fresh cheese, and cinnamon. It’s hard to eat just one! Sintra queijadas are probably the oldest sweet in Sintra’s gastronomy, immortalized in Portuguese literature. A centuries-old regional sweet, whose origin probably dates back to the 13th century, to the reign of D. Sancho II. Until the mid-18th century, queijadas were homemade and also served as payment for rents, later being produced, to this day, in several queijada factories spread throughout the municipality.
Palácio Nacional de Sintra
The National Palace of Sintra marks the landscape with the unmistakable silhouette of its two conical chimneys crowning the royal kitchen. It’s the only palace that has witnessed all of Portuguese history. In the late Middle Ages, the Palace of Sintra was the center of a territory managed by the Queens of Portugal, but it was also one of the Portuguese monarchs’ favorite spaces. The abundance of game in the region, the cool climate during the summer months, or the need for refuge during periods of plague in the capital made the Palace of Sintra a frequent destination. The monumental Kitchen of the Sintra Palace was built by D. João I to serve the entire palace. Its size is justified by the several hundred people who made up the court. As Sintra was a territory for royal hunts, this was the place where game was prepared for banquets. As Eça de Queirós said, "and high above, the two colossal, misshapen chimneys, summarizing everything as if this residence were entirely a kitchen tailored to the proportions of a King’s gluttony who eats an entire Kingdom every day." Currently, the Sintra Palace hosts various cultural events, both indoors and outdoors, such as the Christmas Market.
Casa Piriquita
The most famous **Travesseiros de Sintra** are made here. This is the old Casa de Queijadas, founded in 1862 by Constança Gomes "Piriquita," in the center of Vila Velha. During World War II, Piriquita felt the need to innovate, and Constança Luísa, the founder’s granddaughter, while reading an old recipe book, found the recipe for the Travesseiro. The making of this new sweet, made of **puff pastry, egg jam, almonds, and sugar**, which thus overcame the misfortunes and difficulties of a time troubled by war, scarcity, and rationing of products, transformed into a cake made fresh to sell, juicy, crunchy, creamy, and cushion-shaped. The **Queijadas de Sintra**, recognized as one of the ex-libris of this town, are the preferred souvenir in visitors’ luggage.
Vila Alda - Casa do Eléctrico de Sintra
Here, you can buy the peculiar Colares wine, planted in sandy soil. The soil, microclimate, and quality of the grape varieties – Ramisco for red and Malvasia de Colares for white – are the basis of this unique wine. The year 1863 tragically marked wine production in Europe with the appearance of phylloxera, a disease that attacked plant roots. However, Colares resisted due to the sandy characteristics of its soil. Also here, in Vila Alda, a new journey begins: on the Sintra tram! It was introduced in 1904 and played a fundamental role in the socio-economic development of the Colares region and all the villages it began to serve. It provided support for the agricultural/rural activity of the region, also serving to transport Colares wine to Sintra station, to then continue to Lisbon. Today, it offers visitors a memorable experience, a trip to the past, between Vila Alda in Estefânia and Praia das Maçãs, along a route of almost 11 kilometers, through vegetation that freely offers shade. There are plane trees, vineyards, and orchards that provide coolness to the ride. In open or closed carriages, the journey is made in the style of bygone eras.
