
Sintra and Serra de Sintra Mountains
Yesterday I joined a group tour of Sintra in the Serra de Sintra Mountains near Lisbon. It was a 9-hour outing including a hike through lush spring gardens. Named for a Princess, Sintra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area’s climate and beauty attracted Portuguese nobility who built “palaces, lush decorative gardens, and extravagant residences”.

Pena Park and Palace
We hiked through sumptuously beautiful Pena National Park and at the top, toured the Palais de Pena. The palace and park are creations of wealthy, extravagant Dom Ferdinand II, a German prince who married Portuguese Queen Maria II.

Pena Park and Palace are examples of the extreme Romanticism of 19th century Portugal. Ferdinand built the Palace, so it could “be observed from any point in the park, forest, and gardens”. The park has over five hundred tree species from all over the world!



We took a lunch break in Sintra with time to explore. I found a small tapas restaurant full of rowdy Portuguese. They were welcoming, and I enjoyed laughing and spending time with them. To be honest, not sure what Portuguese dish I ate for lunch, but it was uniquely delicious!
