The Mystical, Magical, Marvelous Quinta da Regaleira
The Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra, Portugal is the most magical, perfect day trip from Lisbon.
I mean, this place has everything. A palace with velvet walls, lush gardens, hidden caves, grottoes, statues, AN INVERTED TOWER. (Someone PLEASE tell me they read that in Stefon’s voice. Anyone? Please?)
What I’m saying is…you need to go. OK? Ok great. Now, onto the more formal breakdown…
When leaving Lisbon, Portugal to visit nearby Sintra one afternoon, we decided on a whim to visit the Quinta da Regailera. This Gothic palace and chapel is located in the historic area of Sintra and is a UNESCO World Heritage site.
I love Lisbon so, so much.
I’ve only been there once but it left such an impression on me that it’s now one of my favorite cities in Europe. There’s so much to do there, and it’s just so beautiful that it really is a feast for all 5 senses.
Lisbon has so many great day trips just a short train or bus ride away. Although we were absolutely loving getting to know the city, we decided that we wanted to explore outside of the hustle and bustle and decided to hit up Sintra. To be honest, we hadn’t done much research on the town of Sintra, and just so happened to find out about the Quinta da Regaleira only after arriving to Sintra from Lisbon by train. And I’m so, SO glad we did because it was definitely a highlight of our trip to Portugal.
After following the signs up a slightly inclined road and passing some beautiful sights and views on the way, we finally made it to the entrance of la Quinta da Regaleira. Even from the street, you get an idea of the beauty of this estate. You can’t see much from the outside because of the huge wall surrounding the grounds, but what you can see is b-e-a-utiful. Besides being able to catch some glimpses into some gardens and courtyards through holes or breaks in the stone wall, you can also see this some beautiful bit o’ facade, like this:
Like…….casual, right?
Upon arrival, we waited in line to get in for about 15-20 minutes. But it was absolutely gorgeous day, so I guess I’m not too surprised. But after buying the 6 EUR ticket, you’re basically free to roam the grounds at your own pace and as long as you want. Right when we entered, we were floored.
This place is like a castle straight out of a dream. A fairytale. Its amazing architecture, overflowing greenery, fantastic views, and downright unearthly aura kept me mesmerized for hours on end. Seriously, it looks like it could be the setting of a Disney princess for sure.
My friends and I roamed around this place all afternoon. We started in the palace, where there was some amazing detailing from floor to ceiling…
Then, we made our way up to the rooftop, where we saw some amazing views of Sintra, as well as the rest of the estate grounds (and some great gargoyles!).
Then, we moseyed (<–seriously, THAT’S how you spell that? Thanks for coming in clutch, spell check) our way back down and eventually began roaming outside.
Speaking of the outside…
that was DEFINITELY my favorite part. Most of the ares was filled with many beautiful flowers and lots of lush greenery statues of Roman goddesses, freestanding chapels and outer buildings of the palace…
One of my absolute favorite areas of the whole outside was the area with little lakes and grottoes. We even followed a dimly lit tunnel that led us to the bottom of the inverted tower. In the lakes, there were tiny rocks that you could use to walk across to the other side to explore more caves, nooks, and tunnels.
Geez…think I took enough pictures?!
This ranks up there for me with the Royal Alcázar de Sevilla in terms of architectural and historical “coolness,” and the amount of time it kept me engaged and mesmerized. I highly, highly recommend paying a visit if you’re ever in Lisbon. Which is like…all the time, right? Trains leave from Lisbon to Sintra every 10 minutes, take about 45 minutes and cost less than €5. So no excuses not to do a day trip from Lisbon and spend an afternoon at the Quinta de Regaleira in Sintra!
