Welcome to Sintra

A magical place

Sintra and its Serra, more than extremely beautiful, are truly unique.

It is upon this singularity that Sintra has been internationally acclaimed by poets, artists and thinkers. Its difference lies in the exceptional syncretism existing between Nature and its ancient monuments, in addition to the pioneering architectonic dreams it inspired in the Romantic period.Portugal has no other location similar to Sintra. It would be a difficult task to find a parallel either in Europe, or anywhere else in the world owing to its complexity and the characteristic syncretism existing between its Natural and Built Heritage.

There may be a degree of resemblance in several Central European regions, in which superb Romantic palaces, surrounded by magnificent settings, were built in the 1860´s. It should, however, be remembered that Sintra´s Pena Palace, which was a prototype of European Romanticism in its extravagance of styles and exotic and medieval characteristics, precedes its German counterparts by at least a quarter of a century. In addition to its surronding natural landscape, it is located in the centre of a park whose characteristics are unique, comprising thousands of trees imported from all over the world, which singularity has, to a certain extent, been repeated, in Monserrate.

The Cultural Landscape of Sintra has simultaneously been classified in categories II, IV and V of paragraph 24 established by UNESCO (Orientations devant guider la mise en oeuvre de la Convention du Patrimoine Mondial).

Sintra had a major effect on the development of European Romantic architecture (Pena Palace; Monserrate) in the 19th century. Its interest, however, is by no means limited to one or two important buildings, but is represented in the diversity of its palaces and parks; elegant manor houses, with their gardens and forests; mansions and chalets surrounded by a dense vegetation; long sections of walls winding around the highest of the peaks of the Serra, reminding us of centuries past; convents conducive to meditation, surrounded by mossy cliffs and murmuring fountains; austere churches and chapels, as well as smaller, more “human” commonplace chapels, several of which comprise secular areas os Faith and Art and finally, archaeological remains which are often thousands of years old and which take us back to our deepest roots.

These, and many other reasons, explain why Sintra truly deserves to be classified under UNESCO´S “CULTURAL LANDSCAPE OF SINTRA” World Heritage classification.

Sintra has for many centuries been a World Heritage Site in the collective imaginariness.

Our Awards

Setting the standard for excellence since 1946
  • Travellers Choice Certificate
    2018
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    Certificate of Excellence
    2018
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    Guest Review Awards
    2018
    9.1 out of 10 by Booking.com
  • Certificate of Excellence
    2017
    Tripadvisor
    Certificate of Excellence
    2016
    Tripadvisor
    Guest Review Awards
    2016
    9 out of 10 by Booking.com
  • Guest Review Awards
    2015
    9 out of 10 by Booking.com
    Certificate of Excellence
    2015
    Tripadvisor
    Travellers Choice Certificate
    2014
    Tripadvisor
  • Certificate of Excellence
    2014
    Tripadvisor
    Guest Review Awards
    2014
    9 out of 10 by Booking.com
    Certificate of Excellence
    2013
    Tripadvisor
  • Guest Review Awards
    2013
    9 out of 10 by Booking.com
    Travellers Choice Certificate
    2013
    Tripadvisor
    Certificado de Excelência
    2012
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