Help! Which one Sintra or Cascais?
 

Hi Everyone,<BR> My fiance and I want to go to Portugal for our honeymoon next June. We are deciding between Cascais or Sintra as a home base. Which one is better in terms of cultral flavor, reasonable places to stay (under 100 euro a night) and overall clean. Finally, any other websites with info on them would be greatly appreciated! Thanks,<BR><BR>Milissa

Sintra!<BR><BR>Sintra is one of my all-time favorite cities. It's hard to describe how beautiful this little town and its surrounding areas are. My highlights were the Pena Palace and the Convent of Cork (Conventos dos Capuchos - sp?). We stayed in Sintra a few nights and it was a great "hub" for traveling to Cascais and other surrounding areas - rented a car so we could explore as much as possible.<BR><BR>We rented a room at a bed and breakfast - it's above your budget at $118 Euros, but it was really charming and worth some consideration (it is your honeymoon after all!).<BR><BR>http://www.casa-miradouro.com/<BR><BR>

I also would suggest Sintra out of the two. Sintra is more scenic, romantic. I like Cascais alot, but there really isn't that much to do other than eat, shop, or sit on the beach. <BR><BR>You could do as M suggests and rent a car and go to Cascais for a day. Another option would be to take the train from Sintra to Lisboa, get off at Rossio, take a cab to Cais de Sodre station, and take the train out to Cascais (this is very round-about, however).<BR><BR>My friend, Rogerio, is one of the most famous drag queens in Portugal. If you want the URL of his website, let me know. <BR><BR>Beijinhos,<BR>John G

To go from Sintra to Cascais via Lisbon is a very round-about, indeed. Why not the bus from Sintra to Cascais?

Okay, so two votes for Sintra....anyone for Cascais? Are there any other places to stay Sintra? What would you guys suggest? Help, there is not alot of info out there!

Sintra is a more charming venue, but Cascais is more convenient to day trip into Lisbon. There is a local commuter train that runs every :30 or so to the heart of Lisbon with stops at Belem and<BR>the Cloister of San Jeronimos. The variable is if you are driving. The two are only about :20 apart, and Cascais has more places to stay. Good luck !

one more vote to Sintra. <BR>(one web site, but sadly only in portuguese is www.parquesdesintra.pt)

Sintra, hands down! It's easy to get a car from the airport and scoot to Sintra. You can easily go north to many lovely villages in Portugal. <BR>Try the Eyewitness book for an overview. I will see what I can find for websites. I have loads on Portugal.<BR>Best wishes for a long and happy marriage, btw!

Definitely Sintra! <BR><BR>Cascais is kind of a touristy beach town with lots of souvenir stands. You should definitely stop there, though...it has a "square" of outdoor cafes which was very fun at night. I met people from all over. There is also one interesting little beach with rock formations on it (not quite like the ones in Lagos, but still nice).<BR><BR>Sintra, on the other hand, is more like quintessential Europe. It's a cute town surrounded by hills and forest. If you like hiking, the hike to the Moorish ruins and the castle on the hill is awesome! I absolutely loved the castle - it was so quirky and fun. There was not much nightlife around there...we found one hopping bar, though, right at the main intersection in town. I wish I could remember the place I stayed there...it was wonderful, and it cost $100 for a triple in September of last year. It had a pool and beautiful gardens, and it was (once again) quintessentially European. Each room had several sets of French doors opening out into the garden. Agghh - what was it? "Pension International" or something like that.