All tagged Palace

Sintra, Fairytale Daytrip

Located just an hour train ride outside of Lisbon, Sintra’s picturesque palaces, parks and fairytale castles are a magnet for wanderlust. With its microclimate and magical scenery, the entire town has been designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and should be included on every traveler’s itinerary. We first encountered Sintra while on a tour with a private company, but we loved it so much that we decided to come back a second time for an entire day during our visit to Portugal. In actuality, Sintra is so big and has so many sites that you could realistically stay here for an entire two week vacation and still have a reason to come back. Between all of the parks, historical buildings, and beautiful beach towns of Cais Cais and Cabo de Roca, travelers will be rewarded with a uniquely Portuguese experience. Read below for some of Sintra’s top attractions.

Guimaraes, Birthplace of Portugal

Just a half hour north of Porto lies the city of Guimarães, considered to be the birthplace of Portugal ever since Afonso Henriques defeated his own mother in battle and her Galician allies and proclaimed himself Portugal’s first king. Since it was so close to Porto, we decided to take a daytrip to this historic city which has been deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site and it was well worth the visit.