|
| |
|
SINTRA |
| |
|
|
| |
SINTRA is one of Portugal's most spectacular sights and is one of
the country's few UNESCO World Heritage sites. Sintra's extraordinary
subtropical microclimate allows for an abundance of cool, deciduous
woodland which attracted Moorish lords and the kings of Portugal here
from Lisbon during the hot summer months. The layout of Sintra - an
amalgamation of three villages - can be confusing, but the extraordinary
Palácio Nacional (daily 10am-1pm & 2-5pm, closed Wed; ¬2.50), about
twenty minutes' walk from the station, is an obvious landmark. The
palace was probably in existence under the Moors, but takes its present
form from the rebuilding commissioned by Dom João I and his successor,
Dom Manuel, in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Its style is a
fusion of Gothic and the latter king's Manueline additions. The hourly
tours are a bit of a trial unless you go early before the groups arrive,
but the chapel and its adjoining chamber - its floor worn by the
incessant pacing of the half-mad Afonso VI who was confined here for six
years by his brother Pedro I - are well worth seeing.
The charms of Sintra, famously penned by Lord Byron, lie as much in its
buildings as in its walks and paths ; one of the best walks leads past
the church of Santa Maria and up to the ruined ramparts of the Moorish
Castle (daily 10am-8pm; free), from where the views are extraordinary.
Beyond the castle, a steep ninety-minute walk from town, is the lower
entrance to the immense Pena Park , at the top end of which rears the
fabulous Palácio de Pena (Tues-Sun 10am-6.30pm; ¬2.50), a wild 1840s
fantasy of domes, towers and a drawbridge that does not draw. The
interior has been preserved exactly as left by the royal family on their
flight from Portugal in 1910.
After the follies of Pena, a visit to Seteais and Monserrate comes as
something of a relief. Seteais , just right of the Colares road, fifteen
minutes' walk from town, is one of the most elegant palaces in Portugal,
completed in the last years of the eighteenth century and entered
through a majestic classical arch; it is now a luxurious hotel and
restaurant. Beyond, the road leads past a series of beautiful private
estates to Monserrate - about an hour's walk. It's difficult to do
justice to the beauty of Monserrate, whose vast gardens (daily
9am-5/6pm; ¬1), filled with endless varieties of exotic trees and
subtropical shrubs and plants, extend as far as the eye can see.
Finding accommodation at Sintra in summer can be a problem, though if
you arrive early in the day you should end up with something. There are
a fair number of pensions: best value is probably the Adelaide , Rua
Guilherme Gomes Fernandes 11 (tel 219 230 873; £10-15/$16-24/¬18-27),
midway between the train station and Sintra village; or try Pensão
Económica , Patio de Olivença 6, handy for the train station (tel 219
230 229; £5-10/$8-16/¬9-18). The Pensão Pielas (tel 219 241 691;
£10-15/$16-24/¬18-27), on Rua João de Deus 70-72 near the station, is
not bad either and has a restaurant with budget menus. A bit further up
the price scale try the Swiss-run Casa Miradouro , Rua Sotto Mayor 55
(tel 219 235 900; £25-30/$40-48/¬45-54) or the Quinta Das Sequoias , on
the road to Monserrat (tel 219 243 821; £30-35/$48-56/¬54-63), a
fairy-tale mansion that looks across beautiful woodland to the Pena
Palace. Alternatively, some cheap private rooms (£5/$8/¬9-£20/$32/¬36)
can be booked through the extremely helpful tourist office (Oct-May
daily 9am-7pm, June-Sep open until 8pm; tel 219 231 157) in the centre,
just off the central Praça da República. There's a hostel (tel 219 241
210; £15-20/$24-32/¬27-36; closed noon-6pm) at Santa Eufemia, in the
hills above Sintra, 5km from town - take a local bus to São Pedro from
outside the train station and walk from there (2km). The nearest
campsites are well out of town: the most convenient are at the
beach-villages of Praia das Maçãs, Praia Grande and Azenhas do Mar, all
connected by bus. Restaurants are generally poor value, relying heavily
on the tour parties. Try Tulhas behind the turismo or the two Adega do
Saloio grillhouses, at the far end of the street.
|
| |
|
