Alexandra & Luca
Things To Do
National Palace of Sintra
Historic city centre for anyone looking to get a flavour of Sintra. Great place to start your day trip! Make sure to have some local delicacies at the iconic Piriquita pastry shop! Famous for Travesseiro (Luca's and now Alex's favorite!), as well as Queijadas.
National Palace of Pena
The colourful palace everyone knows! When you think Sintra, you think Pena Palace, where Kings and Queens ruled the nation since the 19th Century. You definitely need a whole morning or afternoon to enjoy it properly, as you can also enjoy the enormous park where it's located. Getting to the park entrance is tricky, so local bus or Uber are recommended and on the way down, why not try one of the many tuk-tuks waiting for you? (P.S. Bring your athletic shoes!)
Cascais
Where the proposal happened! (Look out for the Helipad at the marina...man, Luca is smooth) Great area for a night out or some beach time. Loads of bars and restaurants, 10-minute drive from the wedding venue only and where Luca was born! Along the coastline, you can also reach Estoril in 5/10 minutes. More sandy beaches and the casino.
Rossio Square
Lisbon city centre is only a 30-minute drive from Sintra (Ubers will typically cost less than 30EUR, definitely recommended if travelling in a group). Rossio Square is a great place to start your day trip to Lisbon, specially if travelling by train. There is a direct line between Sintra and Lisbon Rossio station. From there, you can easily walk around places like Avenida da Liberdade (main street), Chiado and Baixa, great for night life, shopping and "all things touristy"! Finish the day in Praça do Comércio listening to some wonderful street performances and enjoying the river views.
Jerónimos Monastery
Along the coastline and 20-minute drive from the city centre, you will find this wonderful Monastery from the 15th century (definitely worth the visit), PLUS: - Pastéis de Belém pastry shop, home to world-famous NATAS! - Torre de Belém, UNESCO Heritage Site, medieval fortified tower - Padrão dos Descobrimentos monument, great place for some pics by the river