uqnnyl

Hello,

We'll be in Lisbon for three days in early MAy -- arriving Friday late morning, and leaving Monday early morning. We plan to spend two days in Lisbon and save one to visit Sintra. Is it better to go to Sintra on a Saturday or Sunday?

I've been advised that Sundays are more crowded so Saturday may be better. However it also seems that not much is open in Lisbon on Sundays so perhaps we should stay in the city on Saturday instead.

Also, where is a good place to have lunch in Sintra?

Would appreciate some tips, thank you.

uqnnyl ([email protected])

kleeblatt

We went to Sintra on a Sunday last March. The palace in town was open to the public at no admission. The crowds weren't too bad at all. We then went up to Pena Castle with the bus. What a ride! Most people use this transportation so you may have to wait for a bus that has space available.

lreynold1

On the second and last Sundays of the month (I believe those are the days) there is a huge street market in Sao Pedro, which adjoins Sintra. It begins early in the morning and increases the crowds exponentially. The market itself is not "high end" by any means --lots of CDs, clothing, live animals, but it is a lot of fun. I've bought great honey and cheese there.

On Sundays, the only "free" attraction in Sintra is the National Palace -- the other two up the hill always charge.

I would opt in favor of the Saturday visit to Sintra, and maybe consider using the Sunday to visit Belem, if having free entrance is a factor. On Sundays, all of the attractions in Belem are free, at least up till 2 p.m -- Coach Museum, Jeronimos Monastery, Tower of Belem, Archeological Museum, Maritime Museum. With a group of four or five that can really add up to a fair amount of savings.

Have a great trip.

lreynold1

A p.s. to uqnnyl -- If you want more response to this post, you should re-post it and this time highlight "Portugal" on the drop down menu at the top of the posting page. Given the huge number of postings on this forum, many of us select our countries of choice to focus on. I saw your post only because it was at the top of the list when I logged on. LR

lreynold1

oops, sorry about that. I see I was mistaken! LR

artnuvo

for lunch or dinner, tulhas, around the corner from the tourist office in central sintra near the national palace.
check the official sintra site for museum openings and admission costs. the weekend is very busy and it can take 1 hour for the buys from the palace and castle to get back to the train station or the national palace.