Tips on Avoiding Sintra Tourist Traps

Sintra Tourist Traps

Given the huge numbers of visitors Sintra receives, it’s not surprising that there are plenty of tourist traps.

Dining

Almost every resturant and cafe is aimed at tourists and prices are far higher than in Lisbon. If you stay away from the centre of town you might find better value places.

Parking

The paid parking cash machines operate every day of the week, which means they cash out every two hours on a Sunday so you have to return to your car every TWO HOURS to change the ticket.

There’s a public FREE car park following the main road that borders the Sintra Palace on it’s left side, descending behind the palace into a lower level until you see the parking signs. The upper levels of the lot are less crowded.

Miradouro de Sintra

It’s not far from the train station and would be a nice place to spend some hours resting and looking at the Nacional Palace and the surrounding area if they would clean it now and then. Alas, that place is a pigeon sanctuary and it’s covered in pigeon poo.

Sintra Palace

If you take the Sintra Sightsseing Tour and the green trams to get up to the palace and back, hire a guide and pay the entrance fee, you’ll end up spending about 27 euros per person to see this attraction. It’s better just to walk the five minutes each way and just pay the 7 euros for entry. You can spend the money you save on the 4 euro entrance fee to the Moorish castle at the bottom of the hill.

Editor’s note: The information contained on this page was compiled using real traveler reviews about avoiding Sintra Tourist Traps.