Things to do in Sintra Portugal

Since our second visit to Sintra, we’ve been wanting to go to the Quinta da Regaleira. That time, our Tuk Tuk driver taking us to the top of the mountain to visit the Pena Palace and gardens raved about it (on our first visit, we didn’t go to Pena Palace, but visited the Sintra National Palace in the historic village). Since then, other Portuguese people we’ve met have told us to go. But we had never made it because either we never made the time, or our visiting guests wanted to check out the more popular Pena Palace. Sintra is a busy place, you usually have to park a ways out of town and hoof it over to where the historic village and the palaces are so it takes a bit of a commitment to visit.

But, when guests are in town, you have the perfect excuse to head to Sintra and when those guests “want to do things you guys haven’t done before”, the Quinta da Regaleira went screaming up to the top of the places to visit list.

The property has had many owners over the years dating back to the late 17th century, including a stint in the 1980s and 90s by the Japanese Aoki corporation before the town of Sintra bought it back. A house was first built on the land in 1807, but it was its most famous owner, the coffee magnate Antonio Augusto Carvalho Monteiro (the ‘Monteiro of the Millions’) who built the palace and the chapel. And it is the tunnel system and gardens for which the Quinta is famed, and its visitors most entertained.

Monteiro is alleged to have been a freemason and had ties to the Knights Templar There are Templar symbols, along with pagan and mythological ones, throughout the grounds. The highlight of the visit for most people is a stroll down the steps of the 27 meter Poço Iniciático (the initiation well) where it’s alleged that new Templar Knights would be led through the tunnels from its various entry points and would climb, blindfolded with sword near the heart, to the top of the well and its nine stories representing, allegedly, Dante’s nine circles of hell, purgatory and paradise coming into the light of the brotherhood. Today, you descend from the top, after navigating the queue, which can be lengthy but far less dangerous than a sword to your heart blindfolded, to the cave network below.

After leaving the cave network, take the opportunity to visit the gardens, grottos and the Regaleira Chapel with its beautiful carvings and pentagrams and Order of Christ of the Cross symbols.

A stroll through the palace is also worth it to learn about the history of the property, grounds and palace and to check out the ornately carved wooden ceilings and wall decorations.