Traveling from Lisbon to Sintra by train is the easiest and most budget-friendly way to explore one of Portugal’s most enchanting day-trip destinations. The departures are frequent departures and you’ll get scenic views along with a direct route that takes under 45 minutes. Whether you're heading to Pena Palace, Moorish Castle, or simply wandering the old town, this rail journey is a hassle-free start to your Sintra adventure.
Taking the train from Lisbon to Sintra is hands down the easiest, most efficient way to make this popular day trip. Here’s why it works so well:
Convenience: Trains run every 20 minutes from Lisbon’s Rossio Station, and the ride takes just 40 to 47 minutes. No need to book in advance—just show up and go.
No traffic, no stress: Unlike driving, the train skips the congestion and strict road restrictions that affect cars near Sintra’s historic center and attractions like Pena Palace.
Avoid parking chaos: Sintra has limited parking, steep cobbled streets, and vehicle access rules that don’t apply to train travelers. With the train, you step off close to the old town and local bus lines.
Budget-friendly: A one-way adult ticket costs just a few euros, and combo passes are available for train and local buses, making this option easy on your wallet.
Scenic & reliable: Sit back and enjoy the rolling views of Lisbon’s suburbs and the foothills of the Sintra mountains. It’s a peaceful, air-conditioned ride with frequent departures all day.
There are two direct train routes from Lisbon to Sintra. Both are fast, frequent, and affordable. Which one you choose depends on where you're starting from in Lisbon.
Once you arrive at Sintra train station, you’re already close to the historic town center which is just a 10-minute walk to the National Palace and old town lanes. From here, you have several ways to get around:
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
I had not written details of my trip and called cs for help. They were professional and resolved my issue. Guides were informed and fun!
Nelson was awesome guide. He managed to get us through all the places, gave us free time and recommendations of local specialities. Thanks a lot!
I liked the organization and especially the guides Maira and Marta! They are excellent people who helped me a lot to find a group where I could understand the language better! One point for improvement is to make it more visible on the ticket that the tour is run by Buendia, because I got lost at the meeting waiting for people from Headout! Maira was sensational in explaining the history of the place and was also concerned about our safety during the tour! Buying the tour from Headout was easy and practical!
The tour in itself was good. Howeer the guide was a bit rude
Very well organized, started on time. The tour guide was so informative! Highly recommended!
Wonderful! So much historic information! Good pace we got to see a lot in a short period of time!
Robinson el mejor guía!!! Estuvo padrísimo y muy interesante. Gracias
All inclusive, super organized, the guide did an excellent job and showed knowledge. A great experience.
Sintra, Cabo da Roca, and Cascais: The best of Portugal packed into one hassle-free day-trip.
Inclusions
Day trip to Sintra, Cascais, and Cabo da Roca
Round-trip AC transfers
Pick-up from Lisbon
Guided walking tour of: Pena Palace, Pena Park, and Quinta da Regaleira (as per option selected)
Tickets to: Pena Palace, Pena Park, and Quinta da Regaleira (as per option selected)
Expert Portuguese, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and English-speaking guide (as per option selected)
Headsets for clear guide audio
Exclusions
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
Hugo was an incredible tour guide with tons of knowledge to share! Really learnt a lot about Sintra and the surround areas.
Our tour guide Susan is considerate and responsible. She detailed all information for tourist. And controled schedule well. We accidenatally lost our cell phone in during the trip, but she managed to resolve that issue for us in a short time. We appreicate her dedication.
Great experience, awesome guide, Catarina is so much fun, told us a lot of about the places we visited, made us feel really welcome and was super helpful.
We had an excellent day trip! Everything was very well organized, and the experience exceeded our expectations. Our tour guide was truly outstanding—knowledgeable, friendly, and passionate. Unfortunately, I don’t remember his name, but he had blue eyes and short, darkish hair. He made the day not only informative but also really enjoyable. The places we visited were absolutely incredible, and thanks to his recommendations, we were able to discover some hidden gems we wouldn’t have found on our own. I highly recommend this tour to anyone looking for a memorable and enriching experience.
The guide was great... enjoyed his humour. The palace is just so average... I can't believe people pay all that money for that.
Our guided tour with Headout to Sintra, Cascais, and other stunning spots was fantastic. Mario, our guide, was incredibly informative, had a great sense of humor, and drove expertly. His knowledge and personality made the experience memorable. Highly recommend this tour for a fun and insightful day trip from Lisbon!
Our guide Hugo was the best! He was charismatic and very knowledgeable, giving us plenty of history to understand more about the places we were going. I would highly recommend this tour. It was a small group and the van was very comfortable. The locations we went to were stunning.
I thought the booked tour was more guided and the two speech tour was also a little bit boring. Sorry I would not recommend this tour
Everything was great, guide Ivo was awesome !
There was no indication of the final march to the Pena castle. Way too far & steep to walk for seniors. It would have been good to know how far & steep that final climb was going to be round trip. Guide was very good but focused on the front of the bus. We ended up sitting near the back & 2 women continually talked the whole time. It was difficult to hear the guide.
We didn't once feel rushed. When I told the guide I couldn't hear as we were at the back he put the microphone on.
A full-day tour of Sintra, along with breathtaking views from Europe's westernmost point.
Inclusions
Full-day trip to Pena Palace, Sintra, Cabo da Roca, and Cascais
Experienced local guide in a language of your choice
Guided tour of Sintra and Guincho Beach
Free time in Sintra and Cascais
Round-trip transfers from Lisbon in an AC coach
Entry to Pena Palace & Park (based on option selected)
Exclusions
Food & drinks
Tips
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
Enjoy views of Sintra's hills from the Moorish Castle & explore two of its unique UNESCO Sites.
Inclusions
Exclusions
Small group, we were 5. Friendly guide, Sofia, accommodating up to 4 languages.
Tour guide was awesome. Very professional and a great driver.
A blend of history, spirituality, and charm—all combined in a single, convenient day tour.
Inclusions
Exclusions
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
The tour came as advertised. It was well organized, people assembled at the location and were divided into groups by language. The tour guide gave out information at both sites ( could have added more while we were driving to the site). We had 90 minutes on our own at lunch time, which was good.
It was all good, the guide was friendly and solved all our doubts. He was with us the whole time. We really liked his explanations. The trip was good too.
Andrea was a great guide! She gave great information with a good mix of free time. We enjoyed our day with her and were super happy that of the two groups our bus was divided into, we were in Andrea's group! Just a heads up for future travellers, the Pena Palace is an extra 10 euros that is not included in your tour price.
The guides were good....enthusiastic... and knowledgeable. They knew their stuff.
The guide was very attentive and friendly. He let us enjoy the tour without overwhelming us.
The tour in the palace was too crowded and needed the tour guide present to discuss the rooms
We had a misunderstanding about the tickets but in the end they solved it.... the visits were very good and the guide was a 10.
We liked everything, and especially the guide. Damián was a charm !!!!
Good tour. Well organized. Wonderful guide Mario. But he walked too fast.
Experience the best of Sintra with a guided walking tour and AC transfers from Lisbon.
Inclusions
Full-day trip to Sintra
Round-trip AC transfers
Pick-up from Lisbon
Guided walking tour of Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira with tickets (as per option selected)
Expert Portuguese, Spanish, French, and English-speaking guide (as per option selected)
Headsets for clear guide audio
Exclusions
It was beautiful to see Sintra and surrounding areas. Especially around Lisbon Belem etc If I were to go back I would visit some more sights which I didnt get too but at least I could see with the guide. It was a lovely small group too which made it even nicer. I loved the custard tarts everyone of them delicious. The guide was chatty, funny and nice taste in music for the tour.
The tour guide was awesome!!! Very informative and friendly.
The only tour covering both Sintra and Lisbon and the Belém Tower & Pena Palace.
Inclusions
Exclusions
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
Inclusions
Guided experience
Transfers from Lisbon, Setúbal, and Sesimbra
Support boat
Harness
Helmet
Life jacket
Wetsuit
Personal accident insurance
This ticket has the following options that you can choose from:
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
Inclusions
Full-day tour of Cascais, Cape Roca, and Sintra
Entry & guided tour at Quinta da Regaleira and Pena Palace
Round-trip AC transfers from Lisbon
Small-group tour (8 to 18 people max)
Live commentary on board
Informal local guide-cum-driver
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
The quinta was the best and the labrynth grotto is something not in the guide but in the free time for lunch definitely visit it. I loved that transportation to the cabo da roca, quinta and pena was set and we go thru the attractions line in a breeze. Worth it, soloing would have taken ages thru the transportation and queues.
None of these options are why I gave the score I did. In the email it said that punctuality is key and the group was there at 8:05 as instructed. However, the bus did not arrive until 9:30 cutting short any extra time we had at the sites. This was not the fault of the guide, Carlos, who was also upset. What should have been done is to compensate our tike lost in some way. Carlos did great and made the best of the situation. But the whole ordeal of waiting an hour was ridiculous. What if it was raining, cold, etc? You made us wait over an hour and some of us were up early to be there on time.
Very well planned. The tour guide (Inês) was very kind and attentive at all times to enjoy the experience and learn all the history of the visit. Recommended.
No planning needed—see the best of Sintra with a day trip that fits your schedule!
Inclusions
Guided tour of the Sintra region
AC transfers from Lisbon
English, French, Spanish, or Portuguese-speaking guide (as per option selected)
Visit: Sintra, Cascais, Cabo da Roca, & Estoril (as per option selected)
Entry to Pena Palace, Pena Gardens, & Quinta da Regaleira (as per option selected)
Exclusions
You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.
I didn't like it at all. They promise a guided tour and the guide only talks on the bus, then they leave you adrift without further explanation, defend yourself as you can, without signage, without at least a map, nothing. That's not a tour, it's just a transportation service.
Very important information of Portugal, of each of the cities, of the apparition of the Virgin and the little shepherds, the attention, in general everything was very good,
A viagem foi maravilhosa. Os lugares incríveis, uma experiência inexplicável. A guia Raquel muito simpática e atenciosa.
Ótima experiência. Valeu muito ter conhecido todos os locais. A única sugestão é tentar planejar um pouco mais de tempo para o mosteiro de batalha, que é um local incrível.
The guide Monica was very friendly and knowledgeable. The tour of many hours felt short 😊 thank you.
Explore four of Portugal’s most iconic destinations in one seamless, guided day trip from Lisbon.
Inclusions
Full-day tour of Batalha, Fátima, Nazaré, Óbidos
AC transfers from Lisbon
Entry to Batalha Monasterie
Expert Portuguese, English, and Spanish-speaking guide
Lunch (as per option selected)
Exclusions
The journey takes around 40 minutes from Rossio Station and about 47 minutes from Oriente Station, depending on the route and time of day.
Most tourists depart from Rossio Station, located in central Lisbon. If you’re staying near the airport or in eastern Lisbon, Oriente Station is more convenient.
Trains run every 15 to 30 minutes throughout the day, with slightly reduced frequency during late evenings and weekends.
A single ticket costs around €2.40 for adults and €1.20 for children or seniors. Round trips are simply double the one-way fare.
You can buy tickets at automated machines or staffed counters at the station. Payments can be made by card or cash, and tickets are loaded onto a reusable Viva Viagem or Navegante card.
No pre-booking is required. However, during peak tourist hours, especially at Rossio Station, it’s smart to arrive early to avoid long queues.
Yes. Viva Viagem and Navegante cards are accepted on both the Lisbon-Sintra trains and Sintra’s local buses (434/435), making travel seamless.
