Date: 25th August 2019
Travelled: 45 kms by bus from Ericeira to Sintra in the Province of Lisboa
Visited: Sintra
Stayed: Ericeira Intermarchรฉ aire, free with services. N38.96691, W09.40879
Budget: 77 days @ โฌ75 per day
We enjoy a quiet evening in the Intermarchรฉ aire above Ericeira. There are only 4 dedicated places and the late comers jockey for the un-official spots on either side. The weather forecast has held, another cooler start and only 25 is predicted.
We have an early breakfast, before locking up the Hymer and walking down to the bus depot. Our bus departs on time (โฌ6.40 pp) and we take in the scenery for 45 minutes on the 45 km trip to Sintra.
Map of Sintra.
Sintra is one of those places listed on the highlights of Portugal. The more we read the more we feel it may be a bit of a tourist trap, only the day will tell.
We arrive in Sintra on time. We go over to a tourist booth to purchase a local bus ticket as our guide book indicates. The girl tries hard to up-sell us an all-sites ticket, but we hold firm on the Palace and Castelo at less than half the price (โฌ6.90 pp).
So by the time we take a second bus up to the historic centro then wait in a queue to catch a third bus up to the Palace, then queue to buy a palace ticket (โฌ12.50 pp), then queue to enter the Palace more than 2 hours have elapsed since we arrived in Sintra. We notice many members of the Portuguese Olympic Queue Jumping Team, are having a training day. All have their own specialty technique. Such as sending your kid forward, then ostensively going to find them but never going back. Then there are the sidlers who walk like crabs looking into space whilst they sneak past you. I use the Australian remedy, in a load voice I state โyour queue jumping please go backโ, works well, the queue jumper look at me like I have a gun ! It is without doubt the worst organised place we have ever visited. Then just to top it off, once inside there is a โno photoโ sign…fxxk.
The gate reflects the sites Moorish origins. 
Not there yet…
The painted render, the turrets with their minuet domes… 
The blue moorish tiles and sculptured windows…it is special.
Set in a series of rippling mountains (our guides description) the palace was built on an early Moorish structure in 1260. It was expended again in the 15-16th century by the line of reigning monarchs. Other members of the court built stately home in the surrounding hills. All a little bit smaller and lower down as protocol required.
Apparently the King drew these cloth hangings himself. Itโs all very binary to us. 
The tiled cloisters are magnificent. The photo police are both playing Warcraft so its open slather.
When it comes to photo police, the men are ideal, they either focus on some young woman in tiny shorts or play with their phones. The woman in red jackets are nasty pieces of work and appear to take their job seriously. 
A great view of the Castelo dos Mouros can be see from a balcony.
Another quick balcony picture. 
The final room in our tour of the palace, the kitchen.
Sorry to report we decided could not to face another hour in a bus back up to the Castelo, so we headed for the bus depot and eventually Ericeira. Our original thoughts on Sintra confirmed, we will not be recommending it to our friends.
Michael and Pam
One thought on “Sintra, Portugal ๐ต๐น 2019”
Hi guys, I don’t get the no photo thing!?!?!? Everything looks so amazing though, thanks for doing all the hard yards for us to enjoy back in Oz ๐ Cheers Denice