Sintra Wine
& Palace
Palaces at Dawn, Wine Cellars at Dusk — Sintra at Its Most Memorable
Sintra is one of Europe's most beautiful hilltop towns — a UNESCO World Heritage site of forest, mist, and fantastical palaces. This private tour pairs the palaces with the Colares wine region just to the west, one of the rarest wine appellations in the world, pressed between the Serra de Sintra and the open Atlantic.
Pickup from your hotel in the Greater Lisbon area is followed by the drive north to Sintra, arriving before the crowds reach Pena Palace. From the hilltop, the route turns west through Atlantic scrubland to the village of Colares and the Adega Regional de Colares — Portugal's oldest wine cooperative — for a cellar tour and a tasting of Ramisco wines found virtually nowhere else on earth. The day ends at Cabo da Roca, the westernmost tip of continental Europe.
Nothing about this tour is fixed. Want to swap Pena Palace for the mysterious gothic Quinta da Regaleira? Prefer to linger in Colares over a long lunch by the Atlantic? Already visited Cabo da Roca and would rather end at Cascais? Just tell us — every detail can be shaped around your group, your interests, and your pace.
Six Experiences That Define This Tour
Sintra Historic Town — A UNESCO World Heritage Hilltop
A maze of cobbled lanes, ornate 19th-century villas, and the Sintra National Palace with its extraordinary pair of conical chimneys. Your guide walks you through the historic core, brings the royal and romantic history to life, and points you to the original 1862 pastry shop where Sintra's famous travesseiros and queijadas are still made by hand.
Pena Palace — Portugal's Most Fantastical Palace
Pena Palace is the defining image of Portuguese Romanticism — a riot of yellow and red battlements, towers, turrets, and terraces built in 1854. Walking its ramparts with the pine forest falling away below and the Atlantic on the western horizon on clear days is one of the most memorable experiences in Portugal. Entry is included in your tour price.
Colares Wine Region — The Vines That Survived Phylloxera
When phylloxera devastated Europe's vineyards, the Colares region was untouched — deep Atlantic sand was impenetrable to the root louse. The ungrafted Ramisco vines growing here are among the oldest in Europe, producing wine of extraordinary character: saline, tightly structured, and built for long ageing. Colares is the westernmost DOC in continental Europe.
Adega Regional de Colares — Portugal's Oldest Wine Cooperative
Founded in 1931 and housed in a magnificent 19th-century building, Portugal's oldest wine cooperative has vast halls lined with ancient oak casks where wines age in Atlantic-cooled air. The tasting includes the white Malvasia, a rosé, and the jewel — the Ramisco red, with its iron tannins, Atlantic salinity, and extraordinary longevity. Included in your tour price.
Colares Village & the Atlantic Coastline
A quiet, unhurried village of whitewashed houses and vine-covered walls, where streets open suddenly onto the Atlantic horizon — and life still moves at the pace of the seasons rather than the tourist itinerary. A world apart from the crowds of Sintra town, and a glimpse of a Sintra that most visitors never see.
Cabo da Roca — Where the Land Ends and the Sea Begins
The westernmost point of continental Europe — granite cliffs dropping into the Atlantic and a lighthouse standing watch. Camões wrote of this place: "Here, where the land ends and the sea begins." Standing at the cape in the late afternoon, with the Atlantic breeze and the gold-turning light, it is impossible not to feel the weight of that line.
All six highlights are included in every tour, but nothing is set in stone. Already visited Pena Palace? We'll take you to Quinta da Regaleira instead — equally extraordinary, far less visited. Want more time in Colares over a long seafood lunch? We'll linger. Prefer to end at Guincho beach rather than Cabo da Roca? Say the word. This tour is entirely yours to shape.
Full-Day Itinerary
Your guide picks you up from your hotel in the Greater Lisbon area at around 09:00 — the exact time is agreed when you book. The order below is deliberate: Sintra town and Pena Palace are best enjoyed before the mid-morning coach groups arrive, and the wine cellar visit works beautifully in the afternoon when the light over the Adega's oak barrels is at its richest.
Every aspect of this tour can be shaped before departure and adjusted freely on the day. Already seen Pena Palace? We can visit Quinta da Regaleira or the Monserrate Palace instead. Want to spend more time in the wine cellar tasting older vintages? Simply say so. Prefer to add a stop at Cabo Espichel, where dinosaur tracks were discovered in the coastal cliffs? We'll make it happen. There is no extra charge for personalisation — this is your day.
Private Pickup from Your Hotel
Your guide meets you at your hotel lobby in a comfortable, air-conditioned private vehicle. The drive from Lisbon to Sintra takes around 40 minutes — the Tagus estuary widening to the west and the forested ridge of the Serra appearing on the horizon as the city falls away.
Sintra Historic Town & National Palace
The cobbled lanes, azulejo-tiled facades, and twin conical chimneys of the Sintra National Palace set the tone. Your guide walks you through the historic centre, explaining the centuries of royal summers that shaped Sintra's extraordinary landscape, before stopping at Piriquita — the bakery making Sintra's famous travesseiros and queijadas since 1862. Both are essential.
Pena Palace — The Hilltop Romantic Palace
Pena Palace crowns the hilltop in vivid yellow and red — turrets, coloured battlements, Moorish arches, and Renaissance arcades built in 1854 by King Ferdinand II as his personal Romantic ideal. The palace exterior and ramparts are included; your guide brings the extraordinary story of its creation to life.
Colares Village & Atlantic Views
The route descends through the Serra and turns west through terraced vineyards toward the coast. Colares is a brief but essential stop — a quiet, genuinely local place of whitewashed houses, vine-shaded streets, and sudden views over Praia Grande and the Atlantic. After the bustle of Sintra's tourist trail, it feels like a secret that most visitors drive straight past.
Lunch at Leisure — or Upgrade with the Cliffside Add-On
Your guide recommends the right restaurant — from a simple local tasco to the dramatically situated Restaurante Azenhas do Mar, perched on the Atlantic cliffs with a sea view that stops conversation mid-sentence. To pre-reserve a cliffside table, add the Cliffside Lunch at Azenhas do Mar when you book.
Adega Regional de Colares — Cellar Tour & Wine Tasting
Like entering a quiet cathedral — the air cool and salted from the Atlantic, vast halls lined with ancient oak casks. Your guide explains the Ramisco grape and the sandy soils that protected these vines from phylloxera. Three wines follow: the Malvasia white, a rosé, and the Ramisco red — lean, mineral, unlike anything you have tasted before. Cellar tour and tasting included.
Cabo da Roca — The Westernmost Point of Europe
The westernmost point of continental Europe — granite cliffs falling sheer into the Atlantic, a lighthouse, and the wind almost always present. The quote from Camões carved into the monument — "Here, where the land ends and the sea begins" — lands differently once you are standing at it in the late afternoon light. A certificate of attendance is available from the lighthouse shop.
Return to Your Lisbon Hotel
Approximately one hour back to Lisbon along the coast road. Your guide drops you at your hotel or any agreed location. Most groups are back in Lisbon between 18:00 and 19:00.
Scenes from the Tour
Photos will be added shortly. Check back soon.
Pena Palace, Sintra
Sintra Historic Town Centre
Sintra National Palace
Adega Regional de Colares — Cellar
Colares Wine Tasting
Colares Village
Cabo da Roca — Westernmost Europe
Quinta da Regaleira Initiation Well
Serra de Sintra Forest & Landscape
Optional Add-Ons
These extras can be added when you get in touch to book. Each one is fully arranged by us — simply mention which you'd like and we'll take care of everything.
Cliffside Lunch at Azenhas do Mar
A pre-reserved table at Restaurante Azenhas do Mar — one of the most dramatically situated restaurants on the entire Lisbon coast. Perched on the clifftop above the white-and-blue village of Azenhas do Mar, with the Atlantic stretching to the horizon directly below your table, this is a lunch that earns its reputation. The menu is built around fresh fish and traditional Portuguese seafood: amêijoas à Bulhão Pato (clams with garlic, white wine and coriander), grilled sea bream and sea bass landed that morning, barnacles, octopus salad, and a generous house wine to accompany it all. The setting is extraordinary, the food is excellent, and the pace is unhurried — Azenhas do Mar is not a place for rushing. Perfectly positioned on the route between Colares village and the wine cellar.
Includes starter, main course, dessert, coffee, and a carafe of house wine or soft drinks. Pre-reserved in advance when you book.
Quinta da Regaleira — The Mysterious Palace
For those who want to explore a second Sintra palace — and one of the most unusual in all of Portugal. Quinta da Regaleira is a late 19th-century gothic estate built by a wealthy eccentric with a deep interest in Templar symbolism, Freemasonry, and Rosicrucian mysticism. Where Pena Palace is extroverted and colourful, Regaleira is dark, mysterious, and endlessly fascinating: towers, grottos, a romantic lake, a secret underground chapel, and — most famously — the Initiation Well, a breathtaking spiral stone staircase that descends nine levels into the earth, connected by underground tunnels to other grottos and wells across the grounds. Sintra has two extraordinary palaces; this add-on lets you see both. Allow an additional 90 minutes.
Includes Quinta da Regaleira entry ticket. Approximately 90 additional minutes. Best timed in the morning, following the Sintra town visit.
Included & Not Included
What's Included
- Private air-conditioned vehicle for the full day
- Professional English-speaking guide throughout
- Hotel pickup and hotel drop-off within the Greater Lisbon area
- All transport between stops
- Pena Palace entry tickets
- Adega Regional de Colares cellar tour & 3-wine tasting
- Bottled water & light refreshments during transportation
- Itinerary customisation at no extra charge
Not Included
- Lunch (own expense — guide recommends; or add Cliffside Lunch)
- Quinta da Regaleira entry (available as add-on · +€16/person)
- Sintra National Palace interior (optional · ~€10/person)
- Personal purchases, souvenirs, and tips
- Gratuities (appreciated but never expected)
- Travel insurance (recommended)
Simple, Transparent Pricing
Prices include Pena Palace entry tickets and the Adega Regional de Colares cellar tour & wine tasting. Add-ons are priced separately per person.
Payment: full payment is taken by credit card in advance to confirm your booking. No cash required — everything is settled before the day begins.
Cancellation: Free cancellation with 48-hour notice. Please refer to our Quality & Cancellation Policy for full details.
Practical Information
Meeting Point
Door-to-door hotel pickup anywhere in the Greater Lisbon area — Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais, Estoril, and Oeiras. We come to you — no rushing to a bus stop or transfer point.
What to Wear
Comfortable walking shoes suitable for cobbled streets and Pena Palace's hilltop paths. Light layers are essential year-round — Sintra is famously cooler than Lisbon. A light jacket or windproof layer is always worth bringing, even in summer.
Suitable For
Families, couples, solo travellers, and seniors. Sintra town and Colares are easy walking. Pena Palace has some steep cobbled paths — we take them at your group's pace. No strenuous hiking involved.
Sintra's Microclimate
Sintra sits in its own Atlantic microclimate — it can be overcast or lightly misty when Lisbon is sunny, and the Serra is lush and green year-round as a result. The tour runs in all weather. Light rain adds to Sintra's famously romantic atmosphere rather than detracting from it.