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RESTAURANTS

SINTRA

  • Natalia - fantastic cake and pastries cafe, with good, simple homemade food - ask for dish of the day

SINTRA/COLARES:

 

  • Nortada at Praia Grande - stunning views of the sea and best fish and seafood around
  • Curral dos Caprinhos - very traditional and excellent restaurant - really good goat, but everything is good.

SINTRA-CASCAIS COAST

  • Moinho de Don Quixote (the windmill) - a trendy and bohemian bar/restaurant to stop at along the coastal drive from Cascais to Sintra. Has an incredible view from the cliffs and great drinks and good burgers.
  • CASCAIS - Cascais has a pleasant Marina and a picturesque town. Much more cosmopolitan than Sintra
  • Capriciosa - excellent Italian overlooking the sea.
  • Bar of the Albatroz hotel - lovely and romantic place to sit for a drink overlooking the bay. This is also a lovely place to stay!

SITES

SINTRA

  • Pena Palace at the top of the hill is a majestic palace with lovely views - well worth the climb.
  • Regeleira belonged to a highly eccentric family who built this wonder/monstrosity of a house in the neo-gothic style. I tend to skip the house itself and explore the gardens as they are truly magical. They feature extensive caves and grottos, lakes and waterfalls, greek gods and mosaic-ed alcoves etc.
  • If you prefer a garden where you are more likely to find fairies than fauns and if you can tolerate neo-oriental architecture more than you can neo-gothic, then Monserrate is the place to go. Owned at one point by an even more eccentric British family, the explorer Francis Cook bought back trees, fauna and flowers from all corners of the globe to create a botanical garden to rival all.
  • If you like Moorish inspired interiors and 16th century architecture then you must go to National Sintra Palace, who's rather odd-looking exterior does not do its inner beauty justice. Inside you can also find a room that pays tribute to every single noble name that ever existed (or ever will exist for that matter) in Portugal - this basically means that every Tom, Dick or Harry (or rather every Joao, Pedro or Maria) will proudly be pointing out to their companion their own royal connections.
  • Its humbler but more stoic neighbour is the Moorish castle that was built as a fortress against invaders
  • Finally, if you are interested at all in monasteries (and even if you are not especially), there is one that merges indistinguishably with the boulders and ferns of Sintra as it is made largely out of cork. These brave Capuchine monks lived in solitary confinement during the 16th century and punished themselves in all sorts of bizarre ways - tiny cells, tiny doors, and even a cave dwelling that only the most ascetic of them chose to make their home. The monastery is called Capuchos.
  • Cabo da Roca is the most westerly point in Europe and a lovely place to watch the sunset, if you do not mind blusterous wind and hoards of Japanese tourists. I think a pleasanter option is the beautiful drive along the coast from Cascais to Sintra - you will see the incredible views from the comfort of your car.

BEACHES

SINTRA - Beautiful and only crowded in August:

  • Praia Grande
  • Praia de Adraga
  • Magoito Empty beaches all year round:
  • Praia de Aguda
  • Praia de Vigia (very difficult access)

GUINCHO - between Sintra and Cascais

  • Praia do Abano - empty even in summer

CASCAIS/ ESTORIL

  • walk along the promenade and you can take your pick - very busy in the Summer

CARCAVELOS - big beach and very calm sea