Sintra

Sintra's hills hold five major sights, and a cruise passenger can see one or two of them properly. This page is about choosing, not about seeing everything. Getting there takes 75 to 90 minutes each way from the Jardim do Tabaco terminal: a 10-minute walk to Santa Apolónia, the metro Blue Line to Restauradores, a two-minute walk to Rossio station, then the CP train to Sintra (about 40 minutes). With about three hours of travel and a safety margin, Sintra makes sense only on calls of eight to nine hours or more, with tickets bought before you sail. The sights fall into three groups, and the groups decide your day. In the lower town, on foot from the station, are the National Palace of Sintra (10 to 15 minutes' walk) and Quinta da Regaleira (20 to 25 minutes). No bus is needed, which removes the biggest source of delay. On the hilltop, reached by Scotturb bus 434, are Pena and the Moorish Castle; their entrances are a short walk apart on the same road, but the bus queue at the station can add 30 to 60 minutes in summer. West of town, on bus 435 or Carris Metropolitana 1253, is Monserrate, a quieter garden estate on the road to Colares. On a call of about nine hours, pick one site and add a walk through the town centre. On ten hours or more, pick one pair that shares a route: Pena with the Moorish Castle, the National Palace with Regaleira, or Regaleira with Monserrate, which are both on bus 435. Avoid mixing the hilltop with Monserrate: there is no direct bus between them, so you have to come back down to town and change. Scotturb's 24-hour ticket covers lines 434 and 435 (10.96 euros online). The Lisboa Card is not valid on these buses, and the combined CP Train&Bus ticket is currently suspended. Whatever you choose, aim to be back at Rossio at least 90 minutes before all-aboard.