Portugal, Part 3: Cascais and Sintra

There were two sites to visit in Sintra – the Castle of the Moors and the Pena National Palace. Both of these sites are located on a hilltop above the town of Sintra.  Once we arrived in the town, we had to buy a return bus ticket to take us up to both sites.  If you’re up for a hike, we were told it would be over 1-hour hike.

The Castle of the Moors is a hilltop medieval castle.  We got off at this site just to see what the monument was.  It was a nice winding walk through a forested area to the actual castle.  To enter the castle, you’d have to buy a ticket and since neither of us bought one, we only got a sneak peak from the entrance.  We did need to use the washroom and were allowed in to make a quick stop.  The views were gorgeous from where we stood once we used the washrooms.  Other than the views, it may be best to save your Euros. For both the Moors and the Christians, this castle was an important strategic point, and is currently classified as a National Monument.

Further up from the hill from the Moorish castle sits the Pena National Palace.  Like the Moorish castle, the palace is a national monument and, from what I read online, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal.  The palace’s architecture is Romanticist and one of the major experissions of this style.  Apparently, this palace, on a clear day, can be easily seen from Lisbon and much of its metropolitan area. It’s a pretty palace and the views itself is worth the visit.  I really enjoyed walking around the palace, both indoors and out.

Cascais

Cascais is a coastal resort town and one of the richest towns in Portugal. As the town has beaches with access to the Atlantic Ocean, the water is very cold – we dipped our feet in the water to see if it was warm enough to swim in and it wasn’t.  There were only a few people brave enough to be in the water. We, like others on the beach, just sun bathed for a little while before walking around the town.

After sunbathing on the beach, we walked around the town to find a couple restaurants we had read about.  Since we were getting acquainted with the town, someone in the tourist office pointed us towards the fortress as one of the restaurants we wanted to check was located in that part of the town.  As Cascais is located near where the Tagus River meets the Atlantic Ocean, it was seen as a strategic defense area to protect Lisbon. King John II built a small fortress in 1488 which was enlarged and turned into a citadel in the 16th century by King Philip I.  The citadel and various other fortresses built on the coast around Cascais still exist today.

We wondered around for a little bit longer, walking through some of the back streets, stopping in a little chapel, and finally we made our way back to the centre. We couldn’t find either of the restaurants and settled on a little place serving fish and other dishes.  After dinner, we walked over to the train station and headed back to Lisbon.  Cascais is definitely a relaxing little town and great way to end a day trip.