Sintra and Cascais Choose 2 of 6 Palaces to visit on private tour

Customize your private tour of Sintra and Cascais, visiting two out of five amazing palaces. Explore the paradise of aristocracy in Portugal and discover the rich history and luxurious architecture. Enjoy free time in the beautiful village of Cascais. Book now!

Duration: 11 hours
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Park and National Palace of Pena - We start at your hotel heading towards an unforgettable day. Sintra is 30 km from Lisbon. Its micro-climate guarantees permanent freshness to the town and the growth of fantastic vegetation, making this a mysterious and deeply romantic place. The Pena National Palace, Quinta da Regaleira and Monserrate Palace stand out as the main monuments. Arriving in the town, we drive to the top of the Serra de Sintra and the Palácio da Pena, built on a rock 500m above sea level, dominating the entire coast as far as Lisbon. It represents one of the best expressions of 19th century architectural Romanticism in the world, and is, in fact, the Europe’s first romantic palace, built around 30 years before the charismatic Schloss Neuschwanstein, in Bavaria, Germany

  • Quinta da Regaleira - Quinta da Regaleira, located in the heart of Sintra, is a monument full of mysteries and symbolism. Thw Owner Carvalho Monteiro, also known as Monteiro dos Mírios, was fascinated by alchemy, Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism and the Templars. The farm was transformed into a place full of mystical symbolism. Quinta da Regaleira was built to be a space for contemplation, meditation and celebration of ancient mysteries.
    Today, Quinta da Regaleira is one of the most visited tourist attractions in Sintra, offering visitors a journey full of mystery through secret tunnels, exotic gardens, lakes, caves and buildings, such as the famous Initiatory Well. This spiral well descends 27 meters into the earth and is surrounded by a staircase, also built in a spiral.

  • Parque e Palacio de Monserrate - A retreat for writers, Monserrate attracted numerous foreign travelers, especially English ones, who extolled its beauty in travel reports and engravings. When Francis Cook, a wealthy 19th-century English industrialist and major art collector, visited the site, he was fascinated. From this passion was born a masterpiece of Romanticism: the Park and Palace of Monserrate.

  • Sintra National Palace - The current Palace of Sintra is made up of many royal palaces. It is a group of buildings that were built, added to and adapted over centuries, with the date of the foundation of the oldest palace being an enigma that remains unsolved today. Most likely, the first building was built around the 10th or 11th century, when Sintra was Islamic territory. At the end of the Middle Ages, the Palace of Sintra was the center of a territory managed by the Queens of Portugal, but it was also one of the favorite spaces of the Portuguese monarchs. The abundance of game in the region, the coolness of the climate during the summer months or the need for refuge during periods of plague in the capital made Paço de Sintra a frequent destination. Keeper of memories and witness to exciting events in the history of Portugal, the Paço de Sintra offers those who visit it the opportunity to travel through time and encounter other lives so different from ours.

  • National Palace of Queluz - The Queluz Palace, with a beautiful decoration filled with pieces of enormous value, became the official residence of royalty, especially the Portuguese prince regent, the future D. João VI, as well as his family, until the royal family fled. to Brazil due to the French invasions. D. Pedro IV or D. Pedro I of Brazil was born in this palace. It also served as a discreet place of incarceration for Queen Maria I, “Maria Louca”, while her madness continued to worsen after the death of D. Pedro.

  • Castelo dos Mouros - Take a deep breath and set out to conquer your climb to Castelo dos Mouros. At the top of the Sintra mountain range you will find one of the most emblematic places in the history of Portugal. At the top of the Sintra mountain range, in an extremely irregular area, this castle was built by Muslims in the 17th century. VIII or IX.
    The walls were conquered by D. Afonso Henriques when founding Portugal, in 1147.
    Get ready to find the Romanesque chapel that has survived since the time of the Christian Reconquista and to follow the dizzying path that lets you discover the entire Lisbon region.

  • Centro Historico de Sintra - This tour being very connected to gastronomy, time on our Tour Sintra with lunch to stop in the center of Sintra to stroll through its alleys and alleys. Unveiling its historic center, as well as the Pastelaria da Piriquita where we will taste the Pillow of Sintra as well as the Queijada de Sintra.a in the center of the village

  • Cabo da Roca - After this wonderful lunch, we continue our Sintra Tour with lunch, through the mountains, until we reach Cabo da Roca (westernmost point of Continental Europe), with its beautiful cliffs and views, where we can read on the tombstone that celebrates this point ”here where the land ends and the sea begins ”proudly left by Camões the celebrated epic poet.

  • Centro Historico de Cascais - Located next to the sea and traditionally a fishing village, Cascais experienced important development in the 19th century. XIV, when it was a busy port of call for ships heading to Lisbon.

However, it was from the 2nd half of the century onwards. In the 19th century, when sea bathing began to be popular, Cascais saw a boost that transformed it into a very fashionable summer resort. The main driver of the transformation was the King of Portugal D. Luís I, who in 1870 converted the citadel fortress into the summer residence of the Portuguese monarchy. This example was followed by the nobility who built mansions and beautiful villas here where they spent the hottest time of the year, completely transforming the old fishing village.
It is recommended to take a stroll through the streets, which have excellent quality shops, or take a moment to rest on one of the many terraces that exist here.

What's Included
  • Private transportation
  • Compulsory insurance
  • Private guide and accompaniment to all monuments
  • In-vehicle air conditioning
  • Pick up and drop off at the accommodation
What's Not Included
  • Monuments tickets
  • Lunch
Additional Information

Choose 2 of 4 amazing palaces to make the amazing visit in Sintra. Visit to the Paradise of Aristocracy in Portugal with its extremely luxurious Palaces and Quintas surrounded by exuberant flora due to their uncharacteristic micro-climate, come and discover all this on a fantastic day leaving Lisbon. Sintra is a testament to almost every period in Portuguese history. And it goes far beyond that, Sintra is a finding of vestiges of Humanity’s own history. The Palaces are: 1) Pena Palace 2) National SIntra Palace 3) Monserrate Palace 4) Queluz Palace Arriving at the village of Cascais on our Tour Sintra Cascais and Estoril with its beautiful bay today a very pleasant place to live or even have a small vacation, full of small fishermen’s boats, free time to explore this small village, so renowned that it attracts thousands every year. Carried out in our company, on our tour in a comfortable and 100% flexible way.

Location
Park and National Palace of Pena
Estrada da Pena
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
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(52 Ratings)
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Steven_p
Jul 3, 2024
Great tour of Sintra and Cascais - Joao was an amazing tour guide, whose deep knowledge of Portugal and Sintra was only exceeded by his energy and enthusiasm for sharing his love of the area. Highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Vacation04961023292
Mar 11, 2024
Great time in Sitra - We had a great time with Joao in Sintra! It is a more active tour so wear comfy shoes but having the private guide is worth every penny and makes for a much more comfortable experience. Joao effortlessly guides you through this very busy site. We were on our "babymoon" and so wanted a more relaxed experience and this was exactly what we wanted - an expert to do the thinking and planning for us!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Pama411
Dec 4, 2023
Amazing tour!!! - I originally did not pick this tour because of all the uphill walking that involves it but my friends wanted to do it so we did. It was a fantastic experience and John made it possible considering my mobility issues…thanks John bucket list checked!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Vacationer718868
Sep 14, 2023
Beautiful sites to see with loads of good information! - Had a great day with Joao as our driver. We customized our tour which made the day really nice. Beautiful sights. He was prompt and careful. The only thing I'm going to say, is that the car was a little smaller than we given that we are from the states. It worked for four adults and it had a second row of back seats if you have kids but they are not for adults. Hard to find in and out of only if you need to use the second row.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
4travelapps
Aug 18, 2023
The only guide you need in Portugal - Amazing! Joao is the only guide you need in Portugal! His pre trip communication was excellent. Our day was a dream. We traveled to Pena and Quinta da Regaleira. We didn't make it easy for him! We had three generations spanning ages from 20 to 78, with different mobility. He was so kind to my parents and made every accommodation so they could participate. If you have mobility issues or health concerns (diabetes or food allergies, we have both), tell him! He truly customizes his trips for safety and comfort. He has a vast knowledge of the history and people of his homeland. He also speaks multiple languages and does tours to many arease in Portugal. We feel like we made a wonderful, new friend in Lisbon! Thank you for making our day special and personal!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Natalie_h
Aug 14, 2023
PERFECT tour of 2 Castle's with free time in Cascais! - We would HIGHLY recommend Kitzel tours for your trip to Portugal. Our guide was kind, knowledgeable, personable, and very helpful. Our transportation was clean and comfortable. We never felt rushed or overwhelmed, because our guide was so accommodating and professional. Book Kitzel tours, you will not regret it!!!! Thank you so much for an awesome day!!!
Review provided by Viator
Kjell_d
May 9, 2023
Well thought through tour, Kitzel Tours - We had a wonderful time with our guides. We so enjoyed the two Palaces we visited. Then we got to see the area in such a personal way. I would encourage anyone that would like to see this part of Portugal to contact Kitzel Tours.
Review provided by Viator
George_s
Apr 25, 2023
Great tour of Sintra day one. - We went to Sintra on two days so we could see more of the palaces. Our guide, Joao (John) had an extraordinarily wide knowledge of a Portugal, its history and the palaces. Also, he is multilingual and very easy to understand. We saw the Pena Palace and the Regaleira estate. The palace has great interior rooms and the estate has impressive gardens.
Review provided by Viator
Travelers_01224
Jan 10, 2023
Wonderful Tour with João - Our family had a wonderful day, and an excellent tour with João! João is very knowledgeable, and an excellent tour guide! He is very friendly and pleasant to be with, on time, very responsive and communicates clearly the places we would like to go and see. He makes us feel comfortable right away when we first met, provides us safe and smooth drive, and takes very good care of us all throughout the day. We wish to visit Lisbon again and will definitely go on another tour with João!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Bruce_w
Sep 12, 2022
Sunny day in Portugal - Excellent tour guide. Very personal and great knowledge. If we come back to Lisbon. We would contact John again.
Review provided by Viator
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1 Adult
September 2024
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