Sintra Day Trip from Lisbon with Pena Palace: A Simple Plan

A day trip from Lisbon to Pena Palace is easy by public transport: CP Sintra Line trains from Lisbon’s Rossio, Oriente or Entrecampos stations; about 40 minutes from Rossio to Sintra, then Scotturb bus 434 from Sintra station to Pena. The key is to plan backwards from your palace entry time, because the palace door is about 30 minutes uphill from the park entrance and does not accept latecomers.

In short

• Book your palace slot first, ideally online (Parques de Sintra).
• Train from Rossio: about 40 minutes. Then bus 434 to the park.
• Be at the park gate 45 minutes before your slot, or take the shuttle.
• Spend about 1.5–2 hours for the terraces and the outside, 2.5–3 hours with the palace rooms, longer to explore the park at Pena, then the town of Sintra.

Step 1: book the palace slot

Your whole day hangs on it. On the official ticket office, choose the Essential Visit (€20) and an entry time. Online tickets can be moved: tickets bought online in advance can be rescheduled on the Parques de Sintra website within one year. Not sure which ticket? See which one to buy.

Step 2: train and bus

From Rossio station the CP train to Sintra takes about 40 minutes; Oriente and Entrecampos also have trains on the same line. At Sintra station, take Scotturb bus 434 up to Pena. Check the latest train and bus times the day before.

Step 3: the climb to the palace

From the main park entrance, the palace is about 30 minutes uphill from the park entrance. The shuttle is quicker: a small shuttle every 15 minutes between the main park entrance and the palace: first ascent 9:00, last ascent 18:15; last departure from the palace 18:30, for €4.50 return, bought in advance.

Step 4: palace, terraces and park

After the palace route, the terraces and the Triton arch, walk down through the park to the Valley of the Lakes and the Chalet of the Countess of Edla. The park closes at 19:00, with last admission at 18:00.

Step 5: Sintra town and back

Bus 434 takes you back down to the historic centre and the station. Check the time of the last train back to Lisbon before you set out.

How much can you fit in one day?

Less than social media suggests. Visitors who enjoyed Sintra most kept the day simple:

• Relaxed (best for a first visit): Pena in the morning, lunch in Sintra, Quinta da Regaleira in the afternoon, the historic centre after.
• Active: Pena early, the Moorish Castle late morning, lunch, Regaleira in the afternoon. Possible, but physically demanding.
• Two days: Regaleira, Monserrate and the centre on one day; Pena, the Moorish Castle and the coast on the other.

Visit Pena first if you have a palace slot: it is the stop most sensitive to timed entry, crowds and traffic, and the day then runs downhill. Treat Cabo da Roca as a bonus.

Would a tour be simpler?

If you would rather not juggle trains, buses and the slot, a tour from Lisbon does it for you, and some add Quinta da Regaleira, Cabo da Roca and Cascais. Check whether the palace interior is included: all options are compared in our Pena tours guide.