Walking Sintra to Cascais
- Walk from the wooded hills to the rugged coastline in the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park
- Explore the colourful monuments of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sintra
- Cabo da Roca lighthouse, the westernmost point of mainland Europe
- Discover the atmospheric "moon hills" of Sintra and hilltop Peninha Chapel
- Delicious fresh seafood as you finish in the lovely seaside town of Cascais
Gallery
Itinerary
Day 1 Arrive SintraAn included 25 minute transfer will bring you from Lisbon Airport to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Sintra. Stroll around the historic centre, soaking up the atmosphere of this wonderfully vibrant, colourful town and perhaps visit the Palacio Nacional de Sintra, a Gothic palace featuring ornately painted ceilings. In the evening, sit back, relax and enjoy dinner in one of the many cosy restaurants serving delicious Portuguese specialities, such as the tasty Bacelhau a bras cod dish.
A beautiful renovated building with elegant decor. Villa Bela Vista is a boutique hotel located in the historic centre of Sintra, where rooms come with spectacular views of the National Palace and beyond.
Today is dedicated to discovering the extravagant palaces, manor houses and castles of Sintra. First stop is the amazing Castel dos Mouros (Moors Castle), which sits right on top of the hill and offers amazing views over Sintra. Continue on foot, following a peaceful wooded trail uphill to the Pena Palace, with its impressive multi-coloured turrets, dramatic architecture and exotic gardens. If you have time we also recommend visiting the Quinta Regaleira, a lavish mansion and former home to Portuguese nobility. With its enchanting, tropical gardens and lots of hidden caves, tunnels and wells, you can easily spend a couple of hours here.
Please note that entrance fees to the above are not included to keep your day flexible, and we recommend booking in advance to avoid the sometimes long entrance queues. The distance detailed is also only to entrance gates of the attractions - you will actually walk quite a bit further by the time you have walked around all of them! A shorter 6km loop is therefore available should you wish to opt for this instead.
Long loop: Ascent/Descent: 350m/350m
Short loop: Ascent/Descent: 330m/330m
A beautiful renovated building with elegant decor. Villa Bela Vista is a boutique hotel located in the historic centre of Sintra, where rooms come with spectacular views of the National Palace and beyond.
A short transfer this morning will bring you to the fantastic Monserrate Palace, a Neo-Gothic mansion set within landscaped gardens. Take your time to explore the gardens, which were built by a series of wealthy British merchants and artists. From here a beautiful coastal path will lead you towards Praia Grande and its dramatic cliffs, passing the small town of Colares, famous for its wine and pastry.
Ascent/Descent: 300m/480m
Located in a beautiful spot right by the sea, the Arribas Sintra is a bright, modern hotel. Enjoy their amazing saltwater swimming pool, as well as an evening meal on the terrace whilst taking in the beautiful sea views. All rooms come with a sea view.
Leaving Praia Grande behind, you will now emerge onto coastal paths and follow them over the impressive cliffs, where the ocean stretches as far as your eyes can see. Once again, you will find Adraga beach. Here you can see the Pedra de Alvidrar, also known as the “Rock of Reason”, a huge rock formation which drops almost vertically into the sea, and according to local tradition, was an initiation place for young men to prove how brave they were, by climbing up and down it, risking their lives.
Then, you will approach the Fojo (cave), with its viewing platform providing a perfect spot to stop and take it all in. Before reaching Azoia, you will visit Ulgueira, a beautiful village that has been able to maintain its rural environment and its great beauty. Take some time to explore its typical white bright streets from where the landscape astonishes, and also to know its proud Nossa Senhora da Conceição Church dated from the 16th century or the interesting Festeiros Fountain dated back from 1766.
Ascent/Descent: 490m/283m
This gorgeous hotel features an infinity pool with views of the ocean. The architecture, rich in wood and stone, coincides nicely with its locating within a forest, with a vineyard nearby. Each room is named after a different wine grape. Enjoy a beverage while looking out at the sea or their garden. The property has panoramic views over Guincho Beach, Cascais and the Atlantic Ocean.
A loop walk today takes you into the heart of the Sintra forest and “Moon Hills” (so called because the ancient Celts worshipped their moon god here). At one of the highest points in the area you will find the hill-top Peninha Chapel, with far-reaching views across the countryside. Dedicated to Our Lady of the Rock, it is said that in the past sailor’s wives would come here to keep watch for the return of loved ones.
Ascent/Descent: 255m/250m
Or you may decide to opt out of the loop walk and instead have a rest day here.
This gorgeous hotel features an infinity pool with views of the ocean. The architecture, rich in wood and stone, coincides nicely with its locating within a forest, with a vineyard nearby. Each room is named after a different wine grape. Enjoy a beverage while looking out at the sea or their garden. The property has panoramic views over Guincho Beach, Cascais and the Atlantic Ocean.
Leave Azoia and the “Serra da Sintra” this morning and return to the rugged coastline, following winding paths on the GR11 to the 17th century fort “Fortaleza de Guincho” (now a hotel). From here, it is a very easy walk following a path between the road and the ocean, passing lighthouses and interesting cliff formations to reach Cascais.
Ascent/Descent: 105m/320m
You may wish to opt for an extra night here, allowing you to have a free day to rest or explore the spectacular seaside town of Cascais and its trio of bays.
The Hotel Baía Cascais is a family-run hotel located in the village of Cascais, right by the sea. It has views over the beautiful Cascais Bay (at the front) and the town center (at the back), with the Serra de Sintra as a backdrop. Enjoy evening meals in their beautiful restaurant serving up a varied menu of Portuguese cuisine, while enjoying sea views.
Check out after breakfast and make your way back to Lisbon by train for your onward travel connections (40 min).
This trip has a carbon score of 11kg per person per night, meaning it’s one of our best trips! For comparison, a carbon count of 11kg is equivalent to 2 Neapolitan margherita pizzas. Buon appetito!. Here at Macs, we pride ourselves on being a responsible travel company and continue to adopt, develop and innovate ways to positively impact the environment. Find out more information on how we've carbon counted our trips.
Other Information
Is it for me?Easily accessible from Lisbon, this tour offers moderately graded coastal trails through a variety of coastal and inland landscapes on a mixture of paved and forest trails, clifftop coastal paths and quiet country paths. There are some significant elevations gains in the Sintra hills, but nothing too challenging. Please note that the trail near Cabo da Roca can be sandy. Stay overnight in boutique hotels and guesthouses. Perfect for those who like to mix their walking with lots of historical and cultural highlights.
Slower Adventures | Where walking and cycling meet easy-going exploring, our Slower Adventures are the perfect combination. Most days are filled with picturesque journeys with some free time to dive into the destination and experience the people, local food and culture as you go.
Multi Centre Walking | With a mix of loop and point-to-point walks stay 2 or 3 nights in one place which offers the chance to slow down and really explore a destination.
Solo Travellers, Families with Teens
The minimum age for this tour is: 12 Years
This trip is graded ‘moderate’ overall and includes daily walks of 10-16km. It is suitable for most people that are in good physical fitness. The route follows a mixture of gravel trails, sandy coastal trails, forest and clifftop paths and daily ascents are between 200m and 500m. On Day 4 you will walk along clifftop coastal paths, which can feel exposed so if you suffer from vertigo, you may wish to miss this day’s walk. The terrain can also be quite challenging here, with steep sections of bare dirt. You may wish to use walking poles here. We recommend training ahead of this tour, by walking some daily walks of similar daily distances to your planned itinerary.
Your holiday includes accommodation in charming 3 and 4* hotels and quinta-style guesthouses, where the warmest of welcomes and traditional hospitality will make your stay extra special. All rooms are comfortable and have a private bathroom.
You can add on extra nights in any of the overnight locations.
Single Rooms & Solo Walkers
If you require single rooms we would be happy to accommodate you although there is a single room supplement payable. We also welcome solo walkers on this tour, again a supplement is payable.
Meals
A breakfast will be provided by your accommodation every morning. These usually consist of a selection of ham and cheeses, as well as some small pastries including the delicious “pastel de nata”, all accompanied by a cup of Galao (milky coffee). Dinners are not included, however there are options to dine out in all of the towns and villages. The food in Portugal is fantastic, famous for it’s codfish dish Bacelhau a bras amongst many other fresh seafood dishes, and the Sintra region in particular is home to the delicious pastry treat, Queijada de Sintra as well as the mouth-watering Colares wine.
Lunch is not included, but you can find small stores in which to purchase items for a picnic lunch, or some of your accommodations can make a picnic lunch if you ask in advance. In your route notes we give advice on where you can eat/pick up lunch.
As the navigation on this tour is fairly straightforward, it does not have turn-by-turn directions. It will be necessary to use the Macs Adventure Smartphone App. Simply download the app for offline use and follow the route on your phone with the assurance that you will be able to find your way, even without turn-by-turn directions. The route is way-marked in places and not in others. Several trails have way-marks on the ground, so please do keep your eye out for these. You will receive a digital booklet one month prior to your arrival with information about these, including a description of the route and points of interest. Using the two elements alongside each other should go a long way to ensure you have a safe, enjoyable and problem free day.
- 6 nights in boutique hotels and charming guesthouses
- Breakfast at each accommodation
- Door-to-door baggage transfer as per itinerary
- Transfers as per itinerary and arrival transfer from Lisbon to Sintra
- Detailed Information Pack
- GPX tracks and access to our smartphone app
- 24/7 telephone support from our UK office
- Travel insurance (required)
- Travel to Lisbon before the start, and from Cascais on the final day
- Lunches and Dinners
- Drinks and snacks
- Personal equipment
- Entrance Fees
- Additional nights before, during and after the walk
- Transfer from Cascais to the airport on the final day
You can start this walking tour on any day of the week from January through to June, and from September through to December, subject to availability. Sintra offers great weather most of the year round but we do not offer this tour in the months of July and August as it can get very hot then, and doesn't make for enjoyable walking. Both spring and autumn offer excellent conditions for walking. Average temperatures range from 10-15°C (70°F) in the winter to 25-30 °C (77 °F) in the summer months. The inland regions are always slightly cooler than Cascais due to the higher elevations.
Lisbon Airport is easily accessed by direct flights from across the UK, Europe and several cities in the US. Major airlines who fly there include American Airlines, TAP, British Airways, Easyjet and Ryanair amongst others.
If you are travelling to Lisbon from elsewhere in Portugal or Spain, it is also easily accessed by rail. View rail timetables at the Comboios de Portugal website.
Transfers are not included on the final day. It is very easy to get between Cascais and Lisbon Airport by public transport. You can take the train to Casa do Sodre station in Lisbon (40min), and then catch the bus to the airport (20min).
Your bags will be transferred from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation, giving you the freedom to walk each day with just a day pack. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person. Please ensure that you do not bring more than one bag of 20kg as if this occurs, you may be asked to pay an additional fee for an extra bag.
At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase. Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person. It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.
The distances and ascents/descents are approximations of the recommended routes.
Please be prepared by packing all necessary items. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list, which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.
It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.
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