After 5 years and 2 months of living motherhood intensely and never sleeping even 1 night away from my firstborn, I decided to spend 2 days completely alone in Sintra to recharge my batteries. I left on Monday, April 3, 2023 and returned home on Wednesday, April 5. I took advantage of the fact that Ju's breastfeeding had ended and that my mother-in-law was at our house to help my husband with the 2 little ones, and I left. What a joy! It was a delightful and calm trip. 🙂

Hosting

I booked the hotel in the Uber I took from my house in Cascais to go to Sintra on Monday, April 3, 2023. I didn't book in advance because I was afraid that some child would get sick or that something unexpected would happen, but when the day started and everything was in order, I headed out the door with my backpack already packed.

I chose the Sintra1012 Boutique Guesthouse, which had an excellent rating of 8.9 and an even better location, being super central and without significant hills. I stayed in Studio 4, very comfortable and quiet, and I loved the breakfast and the service from both the owner Karen – an American married to a Portuguese man who speaks several languages – and the attendants during the day. check-in. This guesthouse has been around for over 9 years and has 8 rooms divided into 2 houses and is very competitively priced for the area. I walked everywhere without much difficulty and would definitely recommend this accommodation to anyone looking for something with great value for money without being too luxurious.

Road map

Since I only spent 2 days in Sintra and my main objective was to rest and visit attractions that I still didn't know, I didn't do that much. On Monday, I visited the Biester Palace, which opened to the public last year, and on Tuesday I went to the famous and beautiful Regaleira Farm.

I already knew the Pena Palace, Moorish Castle, Sintra Palace and the Queluz Palace – read more about our tours by clicking on the posts 1 day in Sintra and An afternoon at the Queluz Palace, in Sintra), so all that was left to do was visit the Convent of the Capuchins of the main attractions of Sintra.

But back to the script…

I only visited one attraction per day because I wanted to explore it at a very leisurely pace, enjoying the lovely spring weather and the peace of not having children around (lol). I did everything in my own time and in my own way and it was great to remember what it's like to travel alone. It makes me sad to know how people don't like to travel alone. It doesn't make any sense to me.

Now let's get to the details of the days with lots of photos!

Day 1 – Monday (04/03/2023)

I took an Uber from Cascais and 8 euros later – or 14 minutes later – I was getting out of the car in front of the Sintra National Palace. I walked towards my accommodation and was surprised by the number of tourists in the city on a Monday. I wasn’t expecting it, but then I realized it was Easter week and it all made sense.

Church of Saint Martin

When I saw the Church of Saint Martin Right at the entrance to my guesthouse, I thought it was a sign to go in and give thanks for life. While I was admiring the interior of the church, I was approached by a gentleman who volunteered to explain the details of the place to me and, at the end, even gave me restaurant tips. How nice!

Since my backpack was heavy with my laptop, I thought it best to go straight to the check-in which had just opened (11am). Bianca took me to my room, which was still a mess because the previous guest had just left, and I was able to leave my things there and leave without any weight. The room would only be ready at 3pm, but I confess that I came back around 2pm and it was already ready. 🙂

Biester Palace and its Botanical Park

I followed the crowd on foot towards Quinta da Regaleira, but stopped halfway to see the Biester Palace, which almost no one mentions because it was opened to the public very recently. I read an article a while ago that had photos of the garden and I was enchanted, so I went there to check it out.

I paid 11 euros for the ticket at the ticket office, which was completely empty, and I entered with the map so as not to get lost in the 6 hectares of land.

The Picnic Park with the best view

There is a lot of climbing throughout the garden, which is full of exotic plants, viewpoints, caves and waterfalls, and on top of all that, a picnic area with a spectacular view of the Castelo dos Mouros that made me regret leaving it. notebook in the room. Imagine working in an empty place with a pleasant climate and that view? Perfect. If regret killed…

Entering the Palace

I went up to visit the palace and right at the entrance, the attendant gave me shoe covers. I visited the first floor, the second floor and when I went down to the basement, as the Portuguese call it, I was surprised by a gentleman who let me visit a wing of the palace that was still under construction. I accepted, of course, and even recorded it to show you!

I then entered the Initiatory Chamber and I felt a certain claustrophobia when the tunnels got too tight. I couldn't go all the way to the end. If anyone ever goes, tell me in the comments.

A spectacular viewpoint

I returned to the garden with the aim of visiting the Discoveries Viewpoint, with an incredible view of the village of Sintra, the Biester Palace, the Moorish Castle and the Pena Palace. It was worth the climb!

Luxury snack

Then I quickly passed by the greenhouse and went to the tea house, where I ordered a croissant and a glass of wine to stave off my hunger while listening to the birds singing while sitting at the table on the terrace. Luxury and wealth for 5 euros! I felt fulfilled. 🙂

On the way out of the palace, I passed by Bordallo Pinheiro Walk, with beautiful tiles and finished in Camellia Waterfall.

Dinner at Tulhas Restaurant

After more than 2 hours of walking with many hills, I thought it wise to go back to the room and rest until I couldn't take it anymore...lol. When I got hungry, around 6pm, I decided to go to dinner at Tulhas Restaurant, right next to my room, and I ate a delicious grilled sea bream with vegetables. I found the waiter to be extremely friendly, something hard to find in Cascais, and in a short time the restaurant was full and I watched people praising the dishes they had ordered. 10 out of 10 for them!

I went back to the room, did some work, and sprawled out on a huge bed all to myself!

Day 2 – Tuesday (04/04/2023)

I woke up when my body wanted to wake up (what a good thing, right?), got ready calmly and at 8:40 am I was having a delicious breakfast prepared by Mrs. Karen, who made a point of paying me a lot of attention when she saw that I was alone. We exchanged information about schools in the region, tourist attractions, restaurants and when the place started to fill up with hungry guests, I thought it was time to leave for Quinta da Regaleira.

I walked the same route as the day before, but this time I passed the Biester Palace and went up a good hill until I reached the entrance to the QR, which is after the Regaleira Palace that you see when you are on the road. I arrived at the gate at 9:45 am and there was already a considerable line of people waiting for the attraction to open at 10 am.

Regaleira Farm

When the time came, the gates opened and people started to enter without respecting the line. Patience. Some went to buy tickets at the box office and I went with my online ticket – also purchased on the official website for 11 euros – to the line of those who already had tickets.

I didn't get a map to enter, but I saw small maps posted on wooden posts with QR codes for visitors to view on their phones. I used them a lot so I wouldn't get too lost. I just found out that there is a a map on the official website, so if you prefer paper like me, print it out before you go there.

The famous Initiatory Well

I went straight to the Initiatory Well, the main attraction of the place, because I'm one of those people who likes to see the best things first. Then I can relax and walk around the place with a sense of accomplishment. Does anyone else feel the same way? After climbing for a while, I got to the well and, to my surprise, there was no line. It's really a good idea to get there early, as the owner of my accommodation said. I recommend it!

I went down slowly, taking lots of photos and making lots of videos of the place. The descent is very beautiful and a bit scary when we reach its dark base. Then we enter a tangle of paths in caves, which take us to interesting places. One of them is the Imperfect Well, which I later discovered.

I continued walking slowly and with a set itinerary, avoiding the groups of tourists with chatty guides, and I found everything beautiful! Everything was impeccable too, well-kept, with beautiful buildings, among them the Portal dos Guardiões, the Torre da Regaleira, the Fonte da Abundância, the Chapel and of course, the Palace.

I left the Palace for last, and if it weren't for the beautiful, intricately carved wooden ceilings, I would have said it was a complete waste of time. There's only one floor to visit and there's nothing special on display, but if you spend some time looking at the ceiling, you'll be happy to leave.

Lunch at Fatto by Chef Claudio Coelho

I left Quinta da Regaleira around noon, that is, 2 hours after I arrived. That's because I walked very calmly, I passed by all the places on the map, I stopped to drink water, I took lots of photos, etc, etc.

I walked back to the village and stopped for lunch at Fatto Restaurant by Chef Claudio Coelho. Since it had just opened, it was empty, so I managed to get a table on the balcony, which was really nice, so I could watch the tourists passing by. I ordered a pasta with pomodoro and burrata, which was really tasty, but I think they could have added more parmesan cheese... lol. I didn't like the wine I ordered, but I'm not one to waste it, right... lol.

I went back to my room to rest and then do some work, and when it was 4:30 pm, I went out again to explore the city.

Exploring the historic center

This time I went to the historic center and walked up the narrow streets full of little shops and restaurants, without much direction. I bought the traditional Sintra sweets – travesseiros and queijadas – at the bakery. Piriquita , I bought gifts for everyone at home, I stopped at Ferraria Viewpoint, then in Sabuga Spring and in Moorish Fountain.

Dinner at Romaria de Baco

On the way back to the room, I thought it would be better to have an early dinner at Pilgrimage of Bacchus, a restaurant located right above Tulhas, which I had been to the night before. I sat on the terrace away from the restaurant and ordered a dish of pork cooked for 8 hours with mashed potatoes, which was delicious! The wine straight from the tap was also great.

I happily returned to my room, took a shower, rested and went to bed early to make the most of my reenergizing trip.

Day 3 – Wednesday (04/05/2023)

I had breakfast super early and went back to Cascais to take the kids to their routine pediatrician appointment, scheduled 2 months in advance. I tried to reschedule so I could enjoy another half day in Sintra, but when the attendant told me about the waiting list, I gave up and left Sintra early. That's what a mother's life is like. At least I went back to my loved ones reenergized! <3