Quinta da Regaleira Review

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Quinta da Regaleira

Fodor's Review:

The steep, wooded slopes that rise from Sintra are home to many grand houses, including the intriguing Quinta da Regaleira, a five-minute walk along the main road past the tourist office. You have to call ahead to book a tour, and the entrance fee is high, but it's worth it. The estate was built in the early 20th century for a Brazilian mining magnate with a vivid imagination and a keen interest in freemasonry and the Knights Templars (who made their 11th-century headquarters on this very site). The main part of the tour takes in the gardens, where almost everything—statues, water features, grottoes, lookout towers—is linked to freemasonry or the Knights Templars. By the time you reach the spooky, 100-foot-deep Poço do Iniciáto (Initiation Well)—an inverted underground "tower"—you may be wondering what strange events might have gone on here (none did). From the well, you pass through inky tunnels, cross a small lake via stepping-stones, and emerge, gratefully, back into the light. Though the house—with its fantastic mix of styles, among them Gothic and Manueline—is flamboyant, it's something of an anticlimax after the garden tour. There's an uninspired exhibit on freemasonry, a café, and a restaurant.

  • Cost: EUR 5, guided tours (call ahead for tours in English) EUR 10
  • Open: June-Sept. tours daily 10-5, every 30 mins; tours less frequent Oct.-May
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