The hill resort town of Sintra is famed for its rich history, fairytale castles, and lush green gardens. During our stay in Lisbon, we took a short train ride out of the city to experience this charming town. The castles located in the higher altitude and cooler forested climes of Sintra’s hills once served as a summer retreat for Portuguese royalty for over 500 years, and nowadays they make for a great nearby excursion out of Lisbon.

Castelo Dos Mouros

We started by visiting the Castelo Dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors), which was built in the late 8th to 9th century and once served as a military lookout post for the North African Moor settlers. Although most of the castle is in ruins from wear and tear over the centuries, the imposing walls and ramparts seemed to be relatively well maintained. The castle sits atop a cliff and has multiple lookout towers along its walls that hug the greenery rich hillside. The expansive panoramic views of Atlantic Ocean on the west and Lisbon to the East were worth our strenuous climbs along the steep fort walls. The castle also allowed us some great birds eye views of Sintra town, as well as the nearby multi colored Pena Palace, which would be our next stop.

Pena Palace

The brightly colored walls and towers of Pena Palace – with hues of orange, red, and blue paint a picture of a castle straight out of a fairy tale or a Disney movie. King Ferdinand, who oversaw the building of the palace, is said to have taken inspiration from the castles of Bavaria, most notably the Nueschwanstein castle (also the inspiration for the DIsney castles). The King’s eclectic and whimsical tastes are reflected in the architecture, with exuberant and often fantastical designs everywhere.

The arches and towers are adorned with intricately carved features such as exotic flowers, fruits, contorted human faces, animals and seashell designs that almost seem lifelike. The typical Portuguese Azulejo ceramic tiles, distinctive Manueline braids and Moorish inspired touches are also hard to miss throughout the castle. We spent the better part of the afternoon strolling though the numerous rooms of the palace and enjoying the architectural marvels on offer.