Day 2 of our trip was a doozy! We had a full day tour to Sintra with our guide Pats. Sintra was an important town for Portugal royalty, with many sovereigns building their castles and palaces here. It is also known for its lush greenery and gardens.

We visited the Moorish Castle, hiking along the castle wall ruins to enjoy beautiful views of Pena Palace and all the way to the coast. This castle dates back to the 8th and 9th centuries when Portugal was under Islamic rule by the Moors.

After a quick pastry stop, we drove down to the town of Sintra and walked to the Sintra National Palace for a guided tour. Pats shared more about the important monarchs who lived and ruled from here. It was inhabited from the 14th to the 19th century, and is the best preserved medieval royal residence in Portugal. Like so many places in Portugal, beautiful tiles adorned the walls.

After the castle and palace tour, it was lunch time! We boarded the sprinter again and made our way to a lovely seaside restaurant in Azenhas do Mar. We enjoyed fresh fish, veggies and even got to try a local delicacy – sea barnacles! (In case you’re wondering… they had a rubbery texture and tasted like the sea.)

Our last stop ended up being a quickie – we were running out of time and it was getting late. We made a quick stop at Cascais, a beautiful resort town on the coast, for a spin through their citadel and a gelato at the local Santini. Yum!

We arrived back to Lisbon exhausted and ready for bed. Night night!