The Sintra Journal

The hills, in depth

Articles that go past the logistics — the palaces and gardens, the weather that shapes the hills, and the landscape between Sintra and the sea.

Planning a visit instead? Start with the practical guides.

Pena Palace in red and yellow on its forested hilltop in low sunlight, with the plain and a hazy coastline beyond

Practical

Sintra Weather: Why It Is Cooler and Foggier Than Lisbon, by Season

Sintra weather in figures: IPMA averages from 14.3 °C highs in January to 25.3 °C in August, 32 days of fog a year against Lisbon's 13.5, and what to pack.

Monserrate Palace's carved stone round tower and red dome among palms and flowering plants in its gardens

Nature

Sintra-Cascais Natural Park: Hills, Forests, Cliffs and Trails

The Sintra-Cascais Natural Park explained: 14,583 hectares of granite hills, Romantic forest and Atlantic cliffs, Cabo da Roca, rare plants and the marked trails.

Looking down the moss-covered spiral of the Initiation Well at Quinta da Regaleira, with arched openings on each level and a star design on the floor far below

History

The Initiation Well, Sintra: History, Symbols and How to See It

The Initiation Well at Quinta da Regaleira: who built it and why, what its 27-metre spiral and nine levels may mean, the myths, and how to see it today.

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