How to Get Around Sintra: What Actually Works for Travellers

When I started planning our three-day trip to Sintra, figuring out how to get around the town turned out to be far more confusing than deciding which palaces to visit.

Every travel forum I visited seemed to have the same advice from locals: “Don’t rent a car in Sintra.” Fair enough.

But my itinerary included Monserrate Palace and Praia da Adraga, both easier to reach by car.

Suddenly, avoiding a car didn’t seem so straightforward.

Then I opened Google Maps and thought I’d cracked it.

Everything looked close enough to walk, with the occasional tourist bus or Bolt ride.

After spending three days there, I realised the best way to get around Sintra wasn’t one mode of transport. It was a combination of walking, the tourist loop shuttle buses and the occasional Bolt ride.

That’s the exact combination I’d recommend to most first-time visitors.

So, in this guide, I’ll show you exactly how we got around Sintra, what worked, what didn’t, and which transport option makes the most sense depending on your itinerary.

We’ll look at everything from the tourist loop buses and public buses to Bolt, tuk-tuks, quirky microcars, so you can confidently explore Sintra without a car.

My best tips for getting around Sintra

Best ways to get around Sintra without a car

1. Sintra tourist loop buses

The easiest way to get around Sintra is on the Scotturb tourist loop white buses. There are only two tourist loop routes, 434 and 435.

Together they connect most of Sintra’s main attractions, including Pena Palace, the Moorish Castle, Quinta da Regaleira and Monserrate Palace.

If you’re only visiting Pena Palace and the Historic Centre, you’ll probably only use Route 434. Route 435 is mainly useful for Monserrate Palace.

We mainly used Route 434 during our trip, and I genuinely think it made our visit much easier.

The buses usually run every 10 to 15 minutes, so you rarely have to wait long.

So it is super useful specially if you are just spending one day in Sintra, you won’t waste much time at all in waiting.

How to buy Sintra loop bus tickets

You can buy individual tickets from the driver by cash or card or buy a 24-hour pass online or on the spot.

The 24-hour pass offers much better value than buying individual tickets.If you buy it online it works out even cheaper.

A single ride costs around €5, while the 24-hour pass costs about €10.

If you’re taking the bus to Pena Palace and back, you’ve already recovered the cost of the pass.

We paid €13 on the bus but later realised we could have saved about €3 by buying the pass online beforehand.

It also meant we didn’t have to worry about carrying exact cash for every journey.

Things to know before you ride 434 and 435 Sintra shuttle buses

Keep in mind: Although they’re called hop-on hop-off buses, these aren’t the typical open-top sightseeing buses. They’re regular public buses that stop at Sintra’s main tourist attractions.

2. Carris Metropolitana buses (for the beaches)

If you’re planning to visit Cabo da Roca or Sintra’s beaches, you’ll probably end up using the regular Carris Metropolitana yellow buses instead of the tourist loop buses.

We didn’t use these buses ourselves because we had a rental car to get to Sintra outskirts.

They’re not designed for sightseeing, so don’t expect one bus that takes you to all of Sintra’s beaches.

Most routes start from Sintra Train Station, not the Historic Centre.

If you are staying at a guesthouse in the Historic Centre, you can first take the tourist loop bus to Sintra Station and then change to a Carris Metropolitana bus.

Useful Carris Metropolitana bus routes for exploring Sintra coast

Using google map to know the bus number is easier. But always cross check with official website

Keep in mind that, apart from Cabo da Roca, these buses don’t stop at the beaches themselves. You’ll still need to walk downhill to most beaches and then climb back up afterwards.

3. Walking Around Sintra

Historic Sintra is compact and walkable, with many of its main attractions within walking distance of each other. But that’s only true for the Historic Centre.

Attractions like Monserrate Palace are nearly 8 km away, so you can’t explore all of Sintra on foot.

While exploring Pena Park and the Historic Centre, we realised it wasn’t just the distance that mattered. It was the hills.

Don’t judge a walk by the number of metres on Google Maps.

An 800-metre walk can easily take 15 minutes because of the steep hills, cobbles and crowds.

4. Using Bolt taxi to get around Sintra

Bolt app cabs, usually cheaper than Uber, are the easiest way to get around Sintra after dark once the buses stop running.

We never found the need to use Bolt during the day.

But after having dinner near Sintra Station, we realised the tourist loop buses had already stopped for the day.

Instead of walking the 2 km slightly uphill back to our hotel in the Historic Centre, we booked a Bolt for the three of us. The ride cost just €3.

So once the Carris Metropolitana buses and tourist loop buses stop running (around 7 pm in the off-season and 8 pm in summer), Bolt becomes the easiest way to get around.

Although 2 km doesn’t sound like much on paper, walking through the Historic Centre after dark is a weird experience.

Most shops and restaurants inside the UNESCO-listed town shut by around 6 pm, leaving the streets almost empty.

On our first evening, it genuinely felt like a zombie apocalypse. Walking through Sintra after dark, we could easily understand why the town is surrounded by so many ghost stories.

The only drawback is that cars aren’t allowed into parts of the Historic Centre.

Bolt will drop you at the nearest access point, so you’ll need to walk the rest of the way.

We were dropped about 200 metres from our hotel, which wasn’t a problem for us, but it’s something to keep in mind if you’re travelling with heavy luggage or have limited mobility.

5. Electric microcars

One of the quirkiest ways to get around Sintra is by renting a Renault Twizy, a tiny two-seater electric microcar designed for narrow streets and easy parking.

I only spotted a handful of tourists using them during our trip.

I first noticed one parked outside Queijadas da Sapa, where we’d stopped to try Sintra’s famous cinnamon egg tarts.

I’d never seen these tiny cars before, so I asked the couple renting one why they’d chosen it.

They said it was much easier than driving a regular car around Sintra.

These two-seater electric microcars cost around €80/person to rent for 6 to 8 hours and can be booked online on Viator.

They let you explore at your own pace, stop wherever you like and are much easier to park than a regular car.

You’ll also need a valid driving licence to rent one.

The biggest downside is that they only seat two people. So if you’re travelling as a family like we were, they probably won’t work for you.

We spent around €10 on the tourist loop buses for the day, whereas a Twizy works out to roughly €80 per person!

I’d consider renting one if you’re travelling as a couple and don’t mind the cost.

6. Sintra tram

While the world knows Lisbon’s iconic yellow trams, Sintra’s historic tram remains one of Portugal’s best-kept secrets.

I don’t blame people for overlooking it because it isn’t really a practical way to get around Sintra anymore. It’s an experience, and I absolutely loved it.

The tram first opened in 1904 and still runs along the same 11 km route from Sintra to the beach town of Praia das Maçãs, passing through eight stops along the way.

The full journey takes around 45 minutes and costs just €5 one way.

Here’s the catch though.

If your goal is simply to get from Sintra to Praia das Maçãs, take the bus instead.

The tram is much slower, which is exactly what makes it so charming.

It isn’t crowded either.

When we travelled in autumn, apart from me and my son, there were only two other passengers in our carriage, making the ride feel surprisingly peaceful.

Along the way, the tram passes through Ribeira de Sintra, Galamares, Colares and Banzão before reaching Praia das Maçãs.

Unless you’re staying in one of these towns, I’d ride it for the journey rather than as transport.

We boarded the tram at Centro Ciência Viva Sintra on our last day, while we were exploring the outskirts of Sintra by car.

That stretch between Centro Ciência Viva and Galamares was easily my favourite part of the journey with autumn leaves and yellow forests.

Transport options in Sintra you should skip

While researching how to get around Sintra, you’ll probably come across tuk-tuks and horse-drawn carriages. They both look tempting, but it is worth it if your goal is to explore Sintra efficiently.

1. Tuk-Tuks

Don’t take a tuk-tuk in Sintra if your goal is to explore Sintra’s palaces and gardens.

Unlike Lisbon, Sintra isn’t a city where you admire landmarks from the road before moving on.

We actually took a tuk-tuk tour in Lisbon because it made sense there.

Many attractions, like Belém Tower and the Monument to the Discoveries, only need a quick stop before you continue to the next sight.

In Sintra, it’s completely different.

Attractions like Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira that got 4 hectare garden plus initiation well and Monserrate Palace are places you’ll spend hours exploring inside.

A quick stop outside the entrance isn’t what you’ve travelled to Sintra for.

They’re expensive too.

2. Horse-Drawn Carriages

Don’t expect a horse-drawn carriage to show you Sintra’s highlights. Unlike carriage rides I have taken in cities like Vienna and Seville, the route stays almost entirely within the forest.

It doesn’t pass the palaces or even enter the Historic Centre, so you’re paying for a ride through woodland rather than Sintra’s famous sights.

I was tempted to book one until I realised where it actually went. Personally, I’d rather walk through the forest than ride through it.

If you’re visiting Sintra to see its iconic palaces and gardens, this is one experience you can safely skip.

Final thoughts : The only time renting a car in Sintra makes sense

Rent a car in Sintra only if you’re planning to explore the coastline, continue a Portugal road trip or stay for several days. For everything else, skip it.

The palaces, gardens and Historic Centre are easier to explore on foot and by bus than by driving.

We drove into Sintra from Nazaré. Driving along A8 highway was super easy.

Because we had a car, we could spend a few hours in Mafra and Ericeira, which made the trip even more enjoyable.

But the moment we tackled its narrow, winding roads, we couldn’t wait to park the car and leave it there for the next two days.

Walking and using the tourist buses was far more relaxing than dealing with traffic, one-way streets and limited parking.

Where a car really earns its place is beyond the town.

We visited Cabo da Roca, Praia da Adraga and several other beaches in a single day, something that would have been difficult by public transport.

Heads up: If you’re planning to rent a car in Sintra instead of driving in from Lisbon or another city, book it well in advance.

There are only a handful of rental offices in town.

We usually rent from Europcar on road trips, but their nearest branch was around 8 km from our hotel in the Historic Centre.

If you’re already driving to Sintra, it’s much easier to keep the car parked while you explore the town.

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