Pena, Regaleira and the old town
A Sintra half day tour from Lisbon fits three things into 5.5 hours: the colourful terraces of Pena Palace seen from outside, the gardens, grottoes and well of Quinta da Regaleira, and the old town of Sintra with two local pastries. It costs $89 per person and is rated 4.9 from 1,249 reviews. Palace entrance fees are extra, paid in cash on the day. Here is what fits, who it suits and how it compares with the full days.
Quick answer
The short answer. Book the Sintra half day tour if you want Pena and Regaleira without giving Sintra your whole day: $89, 5.5 hours, rated 4.9. Budget for entrance fees on top, in cash. To go inside Pena or add Monserrate, take the 6 to 8 hour full day at $67. If Cabo da Roca and Cascais matter, the 9-hour tour at $95 includes a Pena ticket.
What fits into five and a half hours
Pena from the outside, Regaleira from the inside, and the old town with two pastries.
The listing names three places, and a Sintra half day tour spends its 5.5 hours on them. At Pena Palace you visit the outside: the listing promises «stunning panoramic views during an exterior visit», and the colourful terraces are the point of the stop. You do not go into the rooms.
At Quinta da Regaleira you do step in. The listing describes gardens, grottoes and «secret tunnels», and the spot everyone photographs: you «descend into the mystical Initiatic Well». The program also covers the old town of Sintra, with a tasting of two famous local pastries, the travesseiro and the traditional queijada.
Cynthia from the United States sums it up: «We had an incredible day exploring the beautiful Pena Palace and the magical Quinta da Regaleira!» As a half day trip from Lisbon, it leaves you the rest of the day in the city.
On the route
Three of the places a Sintra half day tour visits, as they look on the ground.
Spires and carved pinnacles above the treetops, with the town spread out far below. Here the tour goes into the grounds, not just past the gate.
Looking down the spiral: arched openings on every turn, moss on the stones and visitors on the lower levels. The listing has you descend into it.
A yellow house, a façade of blue tiles and a bell tower behind it. The pastry tasting is part of the time in Sintra itself.
Every trip, current fare
The half day and the two full days that also go to Sintra. Prices are per person; what the price covers comes from each listing.
| Trip | Price | Price is for | Length | What the price covers | Where it starts | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sintra half day tour | $89 | per person | 5.5 hours | A guided visit to Pena Palace from outside and its terraces, Quinta da Regaleira, the old town and a tasting of two pastries. Entrance fees are not included, paid in cash on the day | Av. da Liberdade 12; pickup on some options | 4.9 · 1,249 |
| Pena, Regaleira and Monserrate full day | $67 | per person | 6 to 8 hours | Guided visits to Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira and Monserrate, depending on the option; limited to 8 participants. Whether tickets are included is not stated | Av. da Liberdade 9; no pickup | 4.8 · 1,891 |
| Sintra, Cabo da Roca and Cascais | $95 | per person | 9 hours | A Pena Palace ticket (gardens and terraces, or the interior, by option), 1.5 hours in Sintra, 30 minutes at Cabo da Roca and 1.5 hours in Cascais | Av. da Liberdade 11B; pickup on some options | 4.9 · 1,915 |
Entrance fees
Entrance fees are the one cost that is not in the price.
The price of the Sintra half day tour does not include entrance fees. The listing says so plainly: «entrance fees to attractions are not included in the price». The guide buys the tickets in advance, and you «reimburse the ticket costs in cash on the day of the tour». Bring cash.
The listing does not print the amount, so check it on the booking page before you go. Of the Sintra trips on this site, a ticket comes in the price only on the 9-hour tour with Cabo da Roca and Cascais, and only for Pena Palace, according to the option you choose.
If Pena Palace is closed on your date, the half-day listing replaces it with the National Palace of Sintra and Queluz.
Who it suits
Four kinds of traveller for whom 5.5 hours is the right length.
The Sintra half day tour covers Pena from outside, Regaleira and the old town, then gives you the rest of the day back in the city.
If the colourful exterior and the views are what you came for, you lose nothing. If the rooms matter, take a full day with an interior option.
Patricia W from the United States came with two children aged 9 and 12: «he kept everything fun and engaging while expertly navigating the crowds».
The listing describes a hilly, mountainous landscape. Fidelma from Ireland: «Be prepared for lots of walking and some steep climbs».
Half day or full day
The same town, three lengths of day, three different prices.
The Sintra half day tour costs $89 for 5.5 hours. The full day with Pena, Regaleira and Monserrate costs $67 for 6 to 8 hours, in a group limited to 8 participants; one of its options takes you into the interior of Pena, and Monserrate is not in the 6-hour option. The full day to Sintra, Cabo da Roca and Cascais costs $95 for 9 hours, with a Pena ticket in the price.
So the half day is not the cheapest way to see Sintra. You pay $89 for Pena from outside, Regaleira and the old town, plus entrance fees in cash. What you buy is time: a shorter tour, and the rest of your day back in Lisbon. Randi from the United States: «You got to see two really cool sites in much less time than if you did it on your own.»
If the whole day is yours to spend, the full days give you more for the money: Monserrate and the option to see inside Pena on one, and on the other Cabo da Roca, «the westernmost point of continental Europe», and Cascais. Reviewers rate them 4.8 from 1,891 reviews and 4.9 from 1,915 reviews.
Before you book
Two minutes on the listing makes the Sintra half day tour run smoothly.
Entrance fees are paid back to the guide in cash on the day. Check the amount on the listing.
The meeting point is Av. da Liberdade 12 in Lisbon. Pickup is available on some options; check them when you book.
Morning tours sometimes begin at 8:15 AM, and the tour is confirmed the day before.
The listing needs a minimum of 4 participants and states no maximum. Guiding is in English, Portuguese, Spanish, Russian or Italian.
Free cancellation is listed. Check the deadline on the listing before you book.
Our verdict
Book the Sintra half day tour if your days in Lisbon are few. For $89 you get the terraces of Pena, Quinta da Regaleira and its well, the old town and two pastries in 5.5 hours, and 1,249 reviewers rate it 4.9. Lisa from the United Kingdom: «We were never rushed».
Want the rooms of Pena or Monserrate? Take the 6 to 8 hour full day at $67. Want the coast too? The 9-hour tour at $95 adds Cabo da Roca and Cascais and includes a Pena ticket.
Beyond Sintra
Day trips on this site start from $56 per person: Fátima, Nazaré, Óbidos and Batalha in one full day. The hop-on hop-off bus, the e-bike ride over the hills of the city and the two Tagus cruises cost between $25 and $34.
Our top pick for a long day out is Porto with Óbidos and Nazaré on the way, at $127 for 13 hours. Sean from the United Kingdom: «It’s a long journey, but a cracking way to see more of Portugal if you're short on time.»
Book direct
The half day first, then the two full days to Sintra, then our top pick for a long day out.
★ 4.9 · 1,249 reviews
★ 4.8 · 1,891 reviews
★ 4.9 · 1,915 reviews
★ 4.5 · 1,628 reviews
Common questions
Not on the Sintra half day tour. Entrance fees are not in the price: the guide buys the tickets in advance and you pay the guide back in cash on the day. Among the Sintra trips here, a Pena ticket comes in the price only on the 9-hour tour with Cabo da Roca and Cascais, at $95.
No. The half day is an exterior visit: the terraces and the panoramic views. To go inside, choose the interior option on the 6 to 8 hour full day at $67, or the interior option on the 9-hour tour at $95.
Yes. The half day covers both in 5.5 hours: Pena from the outside and Regaleira from the inside, including the Initiatic Well, plus the old town of Sintra and a tasting of travesseiro and queijada.
A fair amount. The listing describes a hilly, mountainous landscape, and Fidelma from Ireland wrote: «Be prepared for lots of walking and some steep climbs». The listing gives no distance.
On the half day, the listing replaces it with the National Palace of Sintra and Queluz. On the 9-hour tour with Cabo da Roca and Cascais, Queluz Palace replaces the visit.
Pickup is available on some options of the half day; check them when you book. Otherwise you meet at Av. da Liberdade 12 in Lisbon. The Pena, Regaleira and Monserrate full day has no pickup and meets at Av. da Liberdade 9.
Go deeper
Four ways to see Sintra side by side: which palaces each one enters and what the price covers.
A day in SintraHow the day in Sintra runs: start points, timing, and half or full day.
Pena PalaceWhich tours take you inside the palace, and which only show it from the terraces.
Sintra and CascaisSintra, the cape and the seaside town in one day: by van or by e-bike.
Cabo da RocaThe westernmost point of mainland Europe, and the outing that stops there.
From Lisbon: Day Trip to Porto, Óbidos, and Nazaré
★ 4.5 · 1,628 reviews · 13 hours