One day we decided to venture out of Lisbon to the wonderful towns of Sintra and Belem. Within the cities, we were able to see three of the Seven Wonders of Portugal.

Sintra

We had a lovely Uber driver who encouraged us to see the Castelo dos Mouros, or Castle of the Moors, and we weren’t disappointed. I recommend heading here first to walk around the grounds and explore the 8th Century castle.

Then, it’s an easy walk over to Pena Palace, which is the most vibrant, magnificent building. The Palace sits on top of the Sintra mountains and represents 19th Century Romanticism in Portugal. All the buildings and walls within the Palace are brightly painted or tiled, and the balcony offers a beautiful view of the Portuguese countryside.

One tip is to leave enough time to see both castles, as it’s a bit of a drive to get to the castles from the town of Sintra.

Belem

The last little day trip was to Belem. Belem is a quick train ride from Cais do Sodré in Lisbon.

Unfortunately, the Jerónimos Monastery, another world heritage site, was closed on the day that we were in Belem but it was beautiful to walk around the outside. It’s built in the gothic style and has incredible detail.

We also wondered down to the water where we saw the Tower of Belem. The tide usually covers the tower but the day we went we were able to walk right down to the tower.

Lisbon, Sintra, and Belem were all beautiful places to visit and I highly recommend making your way to Portugal!

Leah x

Paris | Southwest France | San Sebastian | Lisbon | Sintra and Belem