How to Get to Sintra from Lisbon by Train
To go to Sintra, you need to head to Lisboa Rossio train station. From my accommodation, I took the metro and got off at Restauradores. After a short walk, I reached Lisboa Rossio station.
The station itself was beautiful—old-fashioned and very European in style. I even spotted a Starbucks inside, though I didn’t have time to grab a coffee before the train.
Buying Train Tickets at Rossio
You can buy the tickets on the second floor.
📍 One-way ticket from Lisbon to Sintra costs € 2.45, and the paper ticket itself costs € 0.50.
This paper ticket worked like NFC. I don't know about the tech but it was amazing. The wire must be really thin...!
It can be recharged and reused, so don’t throw it away. Especially since there's even a separate cost just for issuing the paper tickets.
The Train Journey from Lisbon to Sintra
The train was quite clean and comfortable enough for the short ride. For me, it seemed more like a metro than a regular long-distance train.
The journey takes about 40 minutes, and many passengers seemed to be heading to Sintra as well.
If you take UBER, it might be a little bit faster but I enjoy this kind of exeprience during the travel (Buying the train tickets, experience different types of local transportation sth like that)
Arriving at Sintra and Walking to the Sintra Palace
Sintra is the last stop, so you can't miss it. From the station, it is about 10 - 15 mins walk to Sintra Palace. You can take a bus, but honestly, walking slowly will get you there faster than waiting for the bus.
The area in front of the palace seems like a downtown street, full of shops and restaurants, so that’s the place to go.
Sintra Palace to Pena Palace: Walk or Take an Uber?
From Sintra Palace, you can either walk to Pena Palace or take an Uber. If you take an Uber, it goes round and round along the road.
If you just go up the stairs from the main street, it’s actually really close. But I didn’t realize I can climb the stairs, leading up directly, so I ended up taking an Uber.
Travel Tip: Avoid My Mistake with Google Maps
For me, Google Maps in Sintra was confusing. It seemed like it showed the direction in reverse, so I thought it was somewhere else, but it wasn’t. It was just going further uphill! Hopefully, you can avoid this mistake and save yourself some time!