Sintra City Guide
Day Trips From Sintra: Five Towns and Palaces Compared by Bus and Train
Day trips from Sintra run from 20 minutes to over 2 hours each way, and they split by how you get there. Queluz Palace is on the same CP train line you arrived on. Cascais, Ericeira and Mafra are reached by red Carris Metropolitana buses that leave from Portela de Sintra station, one stop before Sintra. Óbidos has no direct link at all, and the Oeste line that serves it is currently a replacement bus. This page puts all of them on one table with the journey time the operators publish, the gate price the venue itself charges and the one fact that decides the day. The west coast stops closer in, Cabo da Roca, Azenhas do Mar and Praia da Adraga, are on the same table. Planning the Sintra days around them starts on our Sintra trip planner home page.
Quick answer Which day trip, how you get there, what it costs
The easiest day trips from Sintra are Queluz Palace, about 20 minutes down the CP Sintra line, and Cascais, 27 to 87 minutes on a red bus from Portela de Sintra depending on the line. Ericeira (bus 1633, 37 to 57 minutes) and Mafra Palace (bus 2626, about 55 minutes) are also direct buses from Portela de Sintra. Óbidos is the long one: no direct service, and the rail route is a replacement bus from Mira Sintra-Meleças taking about 2 hours 10 minutes. The bus fare to the first three is $1.79 (€1.55) with a pre-paid navegante.
Key takeaways
- Short on time: take the train to Queluz Palace, $15.00 (€13) for palace and gardens, and be back in Sintra for lunch. On the coast, the 1624 bus to Cascais stops at Cabo da Roca on the way.
- Want the ride to be the day: the guided e-bike from Cascais into the Sintra hills or the Sintra to Cascais e-bike day turn the same coast into the activity.
- Óbidos is worth it only as a full day. Book the two-hour walking tour that meets at the tourist office, and read the Óbidos page before you commit to the replacement bus.
Day Trips From Sintra on One Table
Journey times come from the Carris Metropolitana timetable feed for the buses, CP's published timetables for the trains and the Óbidos replacement bus, and each venue's own price page for the gate. Where no official page prints a figure, the cell says so.
| Destination | How to get there from Sintra | Journey time | Gate price | The fact that decides it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Queluz Palace | CP Sintra line to Queluz-Belas or Monte Abraão, then 1 km | About 20 minutes on CP's weekend sheet | $15.00 (€13) palace and gardens. Gardens only $6.92 (€6) | Ticket office closes 12:00 to 13:00. Last admission 17:30 |
| Cascais | Bus 1620 or 1624 from Portela de Sintra | 1620: 27 to 42 min. 1624: 52 to 87 min | Town free. Bairro dos Museus day ticket $8.65 (€7.50) | No direct train. Bus 1253 does not go to Cascais |
| Ericeira | Bus 1633 from Portela de Sintra | 37 to 57 min | Beaches and town free | Weekend buses only every two hours |
| Mafra Palace | Bus 2626 from Portela de Sintra | About 55 min | $17.31 (€15) | Closed Tuesdays. Basilica closed for works |
| Óbidos | CP Sintra line to Mira Sintra-Meleças, then the Oeste line replacement bus | About 2 h 10 from Meleças | Walls and streets free | Last bus back to Meleças leaves Óbidos at 19:43 |
| Cabo da Roca | Bus 1253 from Sintra station or 1624 from Portela de Sintra | 41 min on the 1253 | Viewpoint free. Lighthouse Essential $5.77 (€5) | Lighthouse area open 09:30 to 17:30 |
| Azenhas do Mar | Car or local bus towards Colares | Not stated here | Free | Bathing season with lifeguards 30 May to 13 September |
| Praia da Adraga | Car or local bus towards Colares | Not stated here | Free | Stone arch beach, bathing season 30 May to 13 September |
Bus fares are the pre-paid navegante price for Carris Metropolitana's red Longa lines. The on-board price was adjusted in January 2026 and the operator publishes the new table only as an image, so it is not printed here. Figures current for in Q3 2026.
The Day Trips on a Map, by Direction
Pins are Wikidata coordinates for each town or palace, and Visit Sintra's own coordinates for the beaches. Time is our estimate for a relaxed visit, not an operator figure. The price is the bus or the gate, never a tour.
West and south: the coast road
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Cabo da Roca
Cape and lighthouse Free1 h
The westernmost point of mainland Europe per Parques de Sintra. The lighthouse courtyard and interpretation area open 09:30 to 17:30, Essential visit $5.77 (€5), Panoramic $11.54 (€10).
Tip: Bus 1253 reaches the Cabo da Roca stop 41 minutes after leaving Sintra station and loops back, so you do not need a return plan.
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Cascais
Seaside town from $1.794-6 h
The bus towns' easiest target: 20 weekday departures on the 1620 and 33 on the 1624 from Portela de Sintra. The municipal museums sell a one-day ticket for $8.65 (€7.50).
Tip: Go out on the 1624 past Cabo da Roca and come back on the quicker 1620 through São Pedro de Sintra.
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Praia da Adraga
Beach Free2-3 h
A near-wild beach with a stone arch, described by Visit Sintra as good for walks outside the bathing season too.
Tip: Lifeguards only in the bathing season fixed for 2026, 30 May to 13 September.
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Azenhas do Mar
Cliff village and pool Free1-2 h
A village built on the cliff above seawater pools. At certain tides sand builds up into a small beach.
Tip: The viewpoint is the point of the visit outside the bathing season. The pools depend on the tide.
North: Ericeira and Mafra
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Ericeira
Surf town from $1.795-6 h
Europe's first World Surfing Reserve, dedicated in 2011, with seven named breaks along 4 km of coast. Bus 1633 runs 20 times on weekdays.
Tip: On Saturdays and Sundays the 1633 leaves Portela de Sintra only every two hours, from 08:25.
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Mafra Palace
Palace and library from $17.313-4 h
Open 09:30 to 17:30 with last entry at 16:30. The ticket covers the palace, the library, the infirmary and the sacred art section.
Tip: Closed every Tuesday, and the basilica is shut for works with no reopening date on the palace's page.
East and further out: Queluz and Óbidos
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Queluz Palace
Palace and gardens from $15.002-3 h
The Parques de Sintra palace on the train line, rococo rooms and a tiled canal. Palace 09:00 to 18:00, gardens to 18:30.
Tip: The ticket office shuts 12:00 to 13:00. The machine keeps selling.
-
Óbidos
Walled town FreeFull day
Two kilometres of walls around the old town, a castle that is now a pousada, and a UNESCO Creative City of Literature since 2015.
Tip: The CP Oeste line south of Caldas is a replacement bus for now. Leave Mira Sintra-Meleças at 09:05 to be in Óbidos at 11:15.
Numbers match the list — tap a pin for the guide.
Wikidata items: Cascais Q273059, Ericeira Q1351868, Palace of Mafra Q599223, Palace of Queluz Q1073173, Óbidos Q275862. Cabo da Roca from the Parques de Sintra page, beaches from Visit Sintra.
Day Trip Tours That Fit a Sintra Base
Most tours in this corner of Portugal start in Lisbon, so read the start point before you book. The e-bike from Cascais and the Óbidos walk are the two that make sense from Sintra itself. The Lisbon coach days cover Cascais and Cabo da Roca but add the Sintra palaces you may already have seen.
from $98.11
From Cascais: Sintra Guided E-Bike Tour & Guincho Beach
A 4-hour guided e-bike tour from Cascais into Sintra's forest trails, with lunch on Guincho Beach. A reviewer's actual ride ran closer to 6 hours and 25 miles, so it is more workout than a casual pedal.
Check Availability
from $92.34
From Lisbon: Sintra to Cascais Full-Day E-Bike Tour
An 8-hour electric-bike tour covering a 40km route from Sintra to Cascais through forests, villages and the coast, with train tickets both ways included and a lunch package for around €20 per person.
Check Availability
from $40.40
Óbidos: Medieval Tales & Secret Spots Guided Walking Tour
A 2-hour walking tour of the medieval walled village of Óbidos with a Ginjinha tasting included. It can be cancelled in bad weather, so keep a flexible plan for the day.
Check Availability
from $34.26
From Lisbon: Fátima, Nazaré, Batalha, and Óbidos Guided Tour
A 10-hour day tour from Lisbon to Fátima's sanctuary, Batalha Monastery, Nazaré's clifftop viewpoint and the walled village of Óbidos. Meals are not included, so plan for lunch on your own along the way.
Check Availability
from $27.93
Lisbon: Sintra, Pena, Regaleira, Cabo Roca Coast & Cascais
A 9-hour coach tour from Lisbon covering Sintra, Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira, Cabo da Roca and Cascais, with a live guide. Palace and Regaleira entry tickets are only included on the options that state so, so check the option before booking.
Check Availability
from $78.48
Lisbon: Sintra, Pena, Cascais & Cabo Day Tour With Tickets
A 9-hour small-group day tour from Lisbon with Pena Palace entry included, plus Cabo da Roca and Cascais. If Pena Palace is closed, the operator substitutes a visit to Queluz Palace instead.
Check AvailabilityPrices, ratings and details are the platform's own. dollar figures are the listed prices — the platform bills in your account's currency.
Day Trips From Sintra by Bus: The Portela de Sintra Lines
Every direct bus to Cascais, Ericeira and Mafra leaves from Portela de Sintra station, not from Sintra station. That one fact saves most of the confusion.
The table below is built from the Carris Metropolitana timetable feed for Thursday 17 and Sunday 20 September, the official data the operator publishes for journey planners. Minutes run from the first stop to the terminus. Frequency changes by season, so treat the counts as a guide to the pattern.
| Line | To | Weekday departures from Portela | Minutes | Weekend service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1624 | Cascais via Colares, Cabo da Roca and Malveira da Serra | 33, from 06:05 to 22:00 | 52 to 87 | Saturday 23, Sunday 21 |
| 1620 | Cascais via São Pedro de Sintra and CascaiShopping | 20, from 05:50 to 20:35 | 27 to 42 | 13 each day |
| 1623 | Cascais via Alvide | 9, from 07:35 to 16:00 | 42 to 47 | 5 each day |
| 1633 | Ericeira via Terrugem | 20, from 06:40 to 23:25 | 37 to 57 | Every two hours from 08:25 |
| 2626 | Mafra via Montelavar | 10, from 06:25 to 20:45 | About 55 | 7 each day |
What the Bus Costs
All five lines are red on the Carris Metropolitana map, which puts them in the Longa fare band. A trip with a pre-paid navegante costs $1.79 (€1.55). The operator's notice for 2026 says on-board fares were adjusted from January while pre-paid tickets and monthly passes stayed the same.
The new on-board table is published only as an image, and the tariff page still shows the older figure, so the pre-paid trip is the only price we print. If you are in the area for a week, the Navegante Metropolitano monthly pass is €40 and covers the buses and the CP trains.
Portela de Sintra Is Not Sintra Station
Portela de Sintra is the station before Sintra on the CP line from Lisbon. The Ericeira and Mafra buses leave from its north entrance and the 1620 from the south entrance. Line 1624 uses the north side too.
If you are staying in the old town, the practical move is one train stop down the line rather than a walk, because no official page we read gives a walking time between the two stations. The one exception is Cabo da Roca: bus 1253 leaves from Sintra station itself and loops back there via Monserrate and the cape. The getting around page covers the 434 and 435 tourist buses that stay in the hills.
Day Trips From Sintra by Train
Only one of these places is a real train day trip. The other two train routes involve Lisbon or a bus that replaces the train.
Queluz on the Sintra Line
Queluz-Belas and Monte Abraão are both stations on the CP Sintra line, and Parques de Sintra puts the palace 1 km from either. The only full CP timetable PDF still linked from cp.pt is the edition in force from 30 June 2024. Its weekend table has Sintra to Queluz-Belas in 20 minutes with a train roughly every 15 minutes, and CP's journey planner is the place to confirm today's times.
The trip fits in a morning. Details and ticket prices are on the Queluz Palace page.
Cascais Through Lisbon
No train runs from Sintra to Cascais. The rail route is the Sintra line into Lisbon and the Cascais line out again from Cais do Sodré, which takes 40 minutes to Cascais on CP's timetable in force from 6 April 2026, every 20 minutes through the weekday middle of the day. CP's Bilhete Turístico covers both lines for $7.73 (€6.70) for 24 hours.
The change between the two Lisbon terminals is not a CP journey. The bus from Portela de Sintra is quicker for almost everyone, and the Cascais page compares the two.
Óbidos on the Oeste Line
The Oeste line leaves the Sintra line at Mira Sintra-Meleças. On CP's Oeste line timetable, every service between Meleças and Caldas da Rainha is marked TR, a replacement bus. Departures from Meleças reach Óbidos in about 2 hours 10 minutes, the first at 06:09 and the last useful return from Óbidos at 19:43.
CP does not print the fare on the timetable. The Óbidos page has every departure.
Day Trips From Sintra by Car
A car makes the west coast and Óbidos easier. It does not make any road distance official, and none of the pages we read publish one.
For Óbidos, the municipality's own directions are the A8 motorway northbound to exit 15, with paid parking outside the walls near the tourist office and the aqueduct. For Queluz you can leave the car at a station and take the train one stop: EMES lists the Queluz-Belas station car park at $0.35 (€0.30) for the first 15 minutes with a daily cap of $2.08 (€1.80), and the Monte Abraão station car park as free with 586 spaces. For Cascais, Ericeira and Mafra no official page we read names a car park or a price, so we do not print one.
If you leave a car in Sintra village before a coast day, the town's paid zones apply. Parking in the village is covered on the Sintra costs page.
Closed Days and Last Buses That Decide the Day
The best day for each trip is decided by a closing day or a last bus, not by the weather.
The table combines each venue's published closing rule with the last departure back towards Sintra in the Carris Metropolitana feed and CP's Oeste timetable. Check the Sunday column before you plan a weekend.
| Destination | Closed or limited | Last way back towards Sintra |
|---|---|---|
| Mafra Palace | Closed Tuesdays. Last entry 16:30 | 2626 from the palace stop at 19:47, weekdays and weekends |
| Queluz Palace | Ticket office shut 12:00 to 13:00, machine open | Trains run into the night on CP's sheet |
| Ericeira | Tourist office shut 13:00 to 14:00 | 1633 at 22:30 weekdays, 23:25 Saturday, 19:25 Sunday |
| Cascais | Paula Rego museum day ticket needs no booking. Citadel palace visit is guided and booked | 1624 at 21:55 weekdays, 21:40 at weekends |
| Óbidos | Tourist office shut 13:00 to 14:00 | Replacement bus at 19:43, into Meleças at 21:53 |
Cascais or Sintra, and Which Day Trip to Pick
People ask whether Cascais is nicer than Sintra. They are different days, and the better question is what you have not done yet.
Sintra is palaces and forest on a hill. Cascais is a seafront town with a museum quarter and flat walking. If you have two days in Sintra, the second day works best on the coast: the 1624 to Cabo da Roca and on to Cascais, back on the 1620.
If you have seen enough palaces, skip Queluz and Mafra and take Ericeira for the surf coast instead. If palaces are the reason you came, Queluz is the easy add, Mafra the big one, and neither is covered by the Parques de Sintra tickets you already bought, except that Queluz is part of the Parques network and its annual Friend's Card. Óbidos is a different kind of trip: a medieval walled town that deserves a whole day and suits a traveller moving on north anyway.
The two-day itinerary shows where a coast afternoon fits, and where to stay covers which base keeps Portela de Sintra close.
Next Stop From the Day Trips Hub
The three pages most day trips from Sintra begin with.
Cascais
Both buses, the Sunday timetable and a Cabo da Roca loop: Cascais from Sintra.
Bus 1620 27 to 42 min, 1624 52 to 87 minQueluz Palace
Tickets, the named rooms and which of the two stations to use: Queluz Palace.
CP Sintra line, about 20 minÓbidos
Every replacement bus time and a day plan that gets you back: Óbidos from Sintra.
About 2 h 10 from Mira Sintra-MeleçasDay Trips From Sintra: Questions
What are the best day trips from Sintra?
Cascais and Cabo da Roca for the coast, Queluz Palace for the shortest trip, Mafra Palace for the biggest building, Ericeira for surf and Óbidos for a walled town. The comparison table sets out the journey time and gate price of each.
Which day trips from Sintra can I do by train?
Queluz Palace, on the same CP Sintra line. Cascais needs a change in Lisbon onto the Cascais line, and Óbidos needs the Oeste line replacement bus from Mira Sintra-Meleças. See day trips by train.
Which day trips from Sintra go by bus?
The seaside town, the surf town and Mafra Palace. For the coast, the 1620 is the quickest at 27 to 42 minutes, and the 1624 takes the coast road past Cabo da Roca in 52 to 87 minutes. Both leave from Portela de Sintra station, as do the 1633 and 2626. The Cascais page has the timetable.
What is the bus fare for a day trip from Sintra?
The lines to Cascais, Ericeira and Mafra are red Longa lines at $1.79 (€1.55) a trip with a pre-paid navegante. The on-board price changed in 2026 and is published only as an image. The bus section explains the fare bands.
Which is nicer, Cascais or Sintra?
They are different days: Sintra for palaces and forest, Cascais for the seafront and museums. From a Sintra base, a coast day on the 1624 via Cabo da Roca is the natural second day. The e-bike from Cascais links the two.
Can I reach the walled town in the north and back in a day?
Óbidos, yes, but it is a long day. The replacement bus from Mira Sintra-Meleças takes about 2 hours 10 minutes each way, and the last one back leaves Óbidos at 19:43. The Óbidos walking tour meets at the tourist office outside the walls.
Which day trip from Sintra should I avoid on a Tuesday?
Mafra Palace, which closes every Tuesday. Queluz, Cascais, Ericeira and Óbidos have no weekly closing day on the pages we read. The closed days table lists the last buses too.
Day Trips From Sintra on Film
Three walks through the destinations on this page: Cascais, Óbidos and Queluz Palace.
Cascais Portugal Walking Tour | The Jewel of the Atlantic!
A walk through the town the 1620 and 1624 buses end in, useful for judging how much time to give it.
Video: Up for a Walk?[4K WALK] Óbidos Portugal Walking Tour
The walls and streets of Óbidos, the only day trip on this page that needs a full day.
Video: Portugal Walking TourThe Amazing National Palace of Queluz, Lisbon 4K
Inside the palace on the Sintra train line, the shortest trip from Sintra.
Video: The World In A Knapsack and SmartphonePrices, hours and terms are set by the venue or operator and confirmed at checkout.
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