Cultural Landscape of Sintra

The Cultural Landscape of Sintra is a protected area containing palaces, chapels, and gardens distributed across rolling hills and wooded terrain. The site brings together several elaborate building complexes with natural surroundings, covering roughly 960 hectares of varied parks and historical grounds.

In the 15th century, Portuguese noble families began building summer residences in Sintra, constructing palaces and elaborate gardens in the region. This tradition continued for several centuries, resulting in the layered architecture and landscape design visible there today.

The region reflects centuries of artistic influence that shaped how people chose to build and arrange their residences and gardens. Walking through Sintra, you encounter layers of different styles and aesthetics that reveal how tastes and ideas changed over time.

The area is located roughly a half hour from Lisbon and is reachable by regular train services, local buses, or private vehicles. The various monuments and gardens are distributed throughout the region, so it helps to plan which sites you want to visit before arriving.

The area benefits from a specific microclimate that allows local plant species to grow alongside exotic specimens brought from different parts of the world. This meeting of native and foreign plants creates a botanical character unlike other regions nearby.

Location: Sintra (Santa Maria e São Miguel, São Martinho e São Pedro de Penaferrim)

GPS coordinates: 38.77568,-9.42540

Latest update: December 8, 2025 21:07