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Sintra

Destinations in Sintra

Cais do Sodre Bairro Alto Chiado Rossio Picoas

Sintra is probably the best day trip you can do from Lisbon. It is a really beautiful small town, well-preserved and surrounded by nice countryside. If you like a walk you can wander around the town for a while, and then head up the hill to the Moorish Castle which overlooks the town. It is a pretty pleasant couple of kilometres up, and the same back down again, but if you don't have time, or are just too damn lazy, you could get the scenic bus. At January 2006 this cost 2.50 euros for a hop-on hop-off ticket, and runs every 15 minutes or so in a circuit which goes past the station, through the town (including a stop outside the tourist information), and up the hill to the castle.

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How to get there

Arriving By Train.

Trains run several times an hour from Sete Rios Station near central Lisbon to Sintra Station, which is close to the centre of Sintra.

Once you get there.

First things first. Get a map. The tourist information office is in the middle of the historic town centre. They can provide an excellent map of the town and the surrounding area, which has details of all the attractions in Sintra.

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Transport

Sintra Tramway.

A short distance out of town past the station is the terminus of the Sintra tramway. This is a historic tram, like the streetcars in Lisbon, which runs from Sintra to a number of small resorts on the atlantic coast. If it's a nice day this is a nice scenic way to get to a couple of quiet beaches.

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Food and drink

Sintra is a small tourist centre more than anything else, and the prices in the local cafes seem to reflect this. By general European standards you won't find yourself paying too much to eat, but if you are on a really tight budget you might want to stick to eating in Lisbon.

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Attractions

If you feel like visiting some museums or galleries, there is the Modern Art Museum, which contains some interesting 20th ceuntury works, even if there is nothing particularly famous. There is also the Toy Museum, which is basically one man's collection grown out of control.

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