Trekking in the Sintra Woods

Sintra is a very well known, historical and beautiful location, filled with marvelous castles and wonderful gardens. It’s not a place where those who love sightseeing can be bored (though the climbs up-hill can leave anyone a bit tired, regardless of the enthusiasm).

Even though this wonderful city and mountain range have been the subject of many great articles written by my fellow colleagues, I also plan on doing more on this subject, either on the magnificently eclectic Palácio da Pena, the ancient Castelo dos Mouros or the illustrious Quinta da Regaleira and it’s exotic garden. But for this first one, I would rather tell a more personal tale!

The last time I’ve went to Sintra, with my brother and a friend, we were walking up to Palácio da Pena, but unfortunately we couldn’t get in because, well… we where out of budget. But due to this we worked with what we had and started exploring, until we found a trail near the famous palace (marked with two horizontal lines, one yellow, other red).

Much like a levada in the heart of Madeira, we embarked on a small trail into the forest on the mountain range, and though the weather was kind of gray, it still managed to be a beautiful and moody ride! Be sure to follow the markings like the ones I’ve describe and you’ll meet head to head the gracious natural beauty of Sintra. 

There isn’t much more I can write to describe you this, I’ll hope the photos will do. And I liked this little tip for when you find the tourist attractions either too crowded or too expensive, just go for a walk around the surrounding natural splendor!