Points of Interest
- Lisbon
- Sintra, Cascais, & Estoril
- Between Lisbon & Porto
- Porto and the North
- Eastern Portugal
- Evora and The Alentejo
- Southern Portugal and the Algarve
Travel to Sintra, Cascais, and Estoril with Heritage Tours Private Travel
Some of Portugal’s greatest treasures lie within a stone’s throw of Lisbon.
We will take you along winding roads past grand manor houses and gardens on Lisbon’s periphery into the forested hills of Sintra, famously praised by the poet Byron as a "glorious Eden".
Amidst these lush hills, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sintra is a slightly surreal town of fantasy and magic, freemasonry and veiled secrets. With your private guide to interpret sign and symbol, legend and lore, be enthralled by enormous palaces built by the royal and (other) eccentrics of Portugal. These palaces are lavish mishmashes of Moorish ruins, swan lakes, gargoyles, grottos, secret passages, hidden staircases and Gothic towers.
The iconic Royal Palace, dating from the 14th century and certainly the most austere, is famed for its overscaled conical chimneys. Within is one of Portugal’s great treasure troves of its artistic heritage. The Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra’s most mysterious palace, is a childhood fantasy of secret passages and hidden messages, a playground of Freemasonry.
The most lavish conceit of all is the delectable Pena palace—a pastel-hued hilltop pastiche of every conceivable style of architecture that embodies the eccentricity of Sintra. Outside Sintra is the 18th century palace at Queluz, a pink rococo confection with lavish gardens described by locals as their own Versailles.
Of course, we have our own little secrets at Heritage Tours Private Travel, from a very special little tea house to a surprising art museum and the perfect 19th century place for lunch.
On a clear day, you can see from the heights of Sintra to the Atlantic and a series of old-world European seaside resorts.
Once the retreat of the privileged classes of Europe, they are perfect for a few days of rest, a bit of golf or tennis. Whether sailing (world championships have been held here), windsurfing, or enjoying the sand and ocean, these former royal hangouts with their summertime Atlantic climes offer some of Portugal’s finest people-watching.
Cascais, small in size, is our favorite. Favored by the Portuguese, it retains both an authentic charm and a bustling summertime buzz. Straddling three small bays with craggy rocks and small sand beaches, its colorful fishing boats set out every morning to fetch your dinner at Portugal’s best seafood restaurants.
The palm-lined promenades of neighboring Estoril, a 30 minute walk from Cascais, recall a bygone era. With one of Europe’s great 19th century hotels famous as the setting for James Bond’s “Casino Royale”, it is a magnet for World War Two history buffs. Portugal was neutral and ideally located for spiriting people out of war-torn Europe and Estoril was a meeting ground and listening post full of spies (for all side) counter-spies, couriers, those who spirited refugees out of Europe and just about anyone else you can imagine.
Perhaps the most romantic (and our favorite) way to arrive in Cascais or Estoril is by private boat from Lisbon in a full-day voyage starting at the very spot from which Vasco da Gama set out to begin Portugal’s era of maritime glory.
Call Heritage Tours Private Travel at 800 378 4555.
