This is a beautiful castle and the walk up from the historic city center was easy, beautiful, and…read moreworth it! Walking the ramparts of this ancient castle, which you can see from anywhere you are in Sintra, is a must do. My husband is afraid of heights and he was not overly excited about walking the castle because it is pretty sketchy - there aren't guard rails to prevent falling off. Views of the town of Sintra and the Pena Palace are stunning. Absolutely worth the visit.

The Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors) is a set of open-air castle ruins on a hilltop. Most…read moreof the visit experience consists of climbing up and down stone steps and walking along castle walls. It unexpectedly rained during most of my visit, even though the skies were clear earlier in the day, and even directly after my visit. The height, occasional lack of guard rails, light-to-medium rain, and mist flowing uphill all combined in some places to create an eery mystique, not easily expressed through photos. However, there were moments when the mist and clouds cleared to show spectacular broad views of the town and countryside below. Make sure you wear sturdy shoes with grip, as most surfaces are cobblestone. Consider bringing a hooded jacket, wide-brim hat, or umbrella in case of rain or excessive sun. The only structure with a roof, other than the ticket office and restrooms, is the church (Ingreja de São Pedro de Canaferrim) building. I took the 434 bus to and from the castle due to rain, but might have walked from town otherwise. The 434 bus has USB-A plugs that can slow-charge one's electronics.

Wow, I did not expect to see this when walking into the church. It appears destroyed on the…read moreinside, as it basically was due to earthquake and fire. Have never seen anything like it. Definitely a neat experience.

The third of three churches, my wife and I visited in Lisbon, Portugal, during a transatlantic…read morecruise, the Catholic Church of St Dominic was heavily damaged/destroyed by fire in 1959. It reopened in 1994, with much of that damage clearly indicating burn marks throughout the church. It has daily mass, with signs asking for visitors to respect the religious reasons for visits.

One of the most beautiful buildings from the outside in all of Portugal is the adjacent Jeronimos…read moremonetary. This church, like all Catholic Churches in Portugal can be visited for free. In addition to hosting the tomb of famous explorer Vasco de gamma it is notable for its soaring ceilings and arches and the elephants seen around the inside, ancient symbols of power. As a gothic style church it is quite austere and has a solemn contemplative feeling with dim lighting. As Lisbon is getting more touristed, when we arrived around opening time, 10 am, we were behind several large bus-tour groups. While there is no fee to enter, they do control the crowds by metering the number of people at a time. We spent no more than 20 minutes inside and we had the benefit of a private guide who explained important features of the structure and architecture. Definitely worth a short visit. Come later in the day, say 4 or 4:30 for smaller crowds.

The church is stunning and beautiful inside. I attended Sunday mass. It was peaceful inside. The…read moreonly bad interaction was with this man on my way out telling me "no visitor." I attended the mass already and I walked around the church. I recognized him. He was the one lighting the candle at the beginning of the mass. He was by the other exit door on my way out and there was a door open so I was trying go around that way so I will end up where I came from. I understand at times they don't want visitors but someone already inside the church, & attended mass. I didn't feel like arguing with him. I don't know if it is just me or the churches I attended near where I was from, there are visitors coming in during mass. They do welcome visitors. If they wanted to leave they leave quietly. Aside from that man's attitude, it is a beautiful church.

A 100% must visit in my opinion! One of the most stunning properties in Sintra and from the…read moreoutside, you don't think much but WOW, the gardens are spectacular. Expect lots of walking but there's so many areas to see from the towers to the caves, to the sculptures. Enchanting is just the word for it. We took an uber after seeing other landmarks in Sintra and it was relatively easy to book and affordable.

UNESCO World Heritage Site…read more The palace is also known as "The Palace of Monteiro the Millionaire." The exterior is a sight to behold. Beyond the palace, there is an extensive park that features lakes, grottoes, wells, fountains, etc. The initiation well is a must. It consists of a spiral staircase with 9 platforms. I enjoyed our visit here, but wished I had more time exploring the grounds.

Se de Lisboa is known in English as Lisbon Cathedral. Construction of this Catholic church began in…read more1147, making it Lisbon's oldest church. Masses are held here, and tourists may tour for a fee (currently 7 euros per adult, 5 euros per child aged 7-12, and free for younger children) on most days of the week. The building consists of the Baroque-style main chapel, the High Chorus with stained-glass windows, the Transept with Romanesque vaults and a dome, the nine Gothic-style radiating chapels, the Patriarch's dressing room, the chapel of Bartholomew Joanes with Renaissance paintings, the Baptistery, and the sacristy that is not open to visitors. My husband has been inside fancier churches such as those in the Vatican, but Lisbon Cathedral is probably the fanciest church that I have ever entered. We walked around the interior for quite some time and marveled at and photographed the gorgeous architecture.

Made a brief stop here as we were walking through Alfama and happened upon the cathedral. I…read moreappreciate the age but wasn't wowed by the interior - not very ornate or interesting. But still neat to see.

We decided to book the earliest ticket and most of the time in mid-December, and it felt like we…read morehad the castle all to ourselves a lot of the time. It's a beautiful palace and what makes it stand out from others is the bright yellow paint. Lots of cool look outs and each viewing room was well kept. I like how there are various pathways from here to get to other landmarks in Sintra (we used Google Maps). I read a lot about what public transportation to take and it goes from a train to a bus, but honestly the uber was so affordable so it was nice to only spend 30-45 minutes on there and if you have more than one person, could be worth it. There's a bit of a uphill walk to get to the entrance as an FYI.

One of Portugals must see day trips! You can't complete a Portugal trip without visiting the fairy…read moretale castle: National Palace of Pena. Beautiful and easy to get to. I took a tour option of the palace to avoid lines. But you can easily get here by train or bus. When I came here the inside was still under construction, so my tour guide recommended that we just tour the outside since inside would only be about 15 minutes. I love how you can see the three ways this building was made, definitely worth taking a tour to understand this place importance. However, you can still appreciate the tile work, views, intention, and colors of this historic palace.

Known for the white exterior and dual bell-towers, Basílica da Estrela warrants a brief visit to…read moreview Queen Maria's tomb and an impressive pulpit. Less ornate than other churches in Lisbon, there is an outside terrace available for a small fee but the view is fairly limited.

The inside is pretty, but not really of interest to me as I am not Catholic…read more We paid the €4 each to climb the narrow circular stairs up to the roof. Expansive views of Lisboa. Worth the money.

This azuleo lined church of Saint Mary was originally a Visigoth Temple in the 8th century. Located…read moreright off the square on Rua Direita.