In shortFrom Lisbon the trip runs in two legs. The CP suburban Sintra Line leaves from Oriente, Rossio and Entrecampos, taking about 40 minutes from Rossio and 47 from Oriente to Sintra station. Scotturb bus 434 then climbs from the station to the park, and inside the main entrance you need about 30 minutes to reach the start of the palace route.
40 minRossio to Sintra
47 minOriente to Sintra
09:30Palace interior opens
from €479-hour tour from Lisbon
Leaving Lisbon: three stations and one road
Trains on the CP suburban Sintra Line leave three Lisbon stations: Rossio, Entrecampos and Oriente. The official access page lists these as the departure points for Sintra, and a third-party timetable summary puts the ride at about 40 minutes from Rossio and 47 from Oriente. Check the day's schedule before you leave, because the carrier publishes its own times and they are the ones that count at the platform.
By road the way in is the IC19 out of Lisbon, with the IC30 arriving from Mafra and the A5 plus the EN9 coming up from Cascais. Either way, both the train and the road stop short of the monument. The train ends at Sintra railway station in the town below, and the car has to be left down there too.
Lisbon to Sintra train: which station to leave from
Rossio sits in the middle of the city and is the shortest ride of the three, which is why most visitors use it. Oriente adds a few minutes but suits anyone staying out towards Parque das Nações, and Entrecampos is the one to use if you are already on that side of town. All three put you at Sintra station, where bus 434 begins its circuit.
Arriving in Sintra is halfway. From the station you still have the climb to the park gates: Scotturb bus 434 runs roughly every 10 minutes with its first departure at 08:50, or you can walk one of the three marked trails, the quickest being Villa Sassetti at 1,850 m in 45 minutes. Once through the main entrance, the official site asks you to allow about 30 minutes to reach the start of the palace interior route, whether you walk or take the transfer that comes round every 15 minutes. The page on this site about reaching the gates from Sintra town sets out each of those options in detail.
Out of central Lisbon at 8:00 AM, eight people in the van
A 9-hour small group of up to 8 that leaves central Lisbon at 8:00 AM with a local guide and driver, and includes the Park and/or Palace of Pena entrance fee when you select that option, so the train, the 434 and the timed slot all come off your list.
★ 4.9/5 · 1,975 reviews
Driving in from Lisbon, and where the car stops
Come out of Lisbon by car and the vehicle becomes useless for the last leg: Parques de Sintra does not authorise private vehicles at the Park and National Palace of Pena. The Rampa da Pena, the last stretch of road up to the monument, is permanently closed to private cars and kept for public transport, so no map route gets you to the gate in your own car.
Parques de Sintra points drivers at Sintra's historic centre or the peripheral car parks, Lourel among them, and expects you to change onto bus 434 there. The historic centre is not a free-for-all either: driving into it is reserved for residents. Under the traffic measures announced in July 2026, tour coaches park at Lourel and transfer their passengers onto buses 434 and 435, which means a coach group finishes the climb on the same buses as independent visitors.
How a day from Lisbon fits around a fixed palace time
Interior tickets carry one date and one time. You cannot go in before that time, and there is no grace period once it has passed, which is the single fact that shapes the whole day from Lisbon. Everything upstream of the door is a chain: the train, the bus or the trail, then half an hour of climbing inside the park.
Book the first interior time of the day, around 09:30, and treat 09:00 at the gate as your deadline. That lines up with the 08:50 departure of the 434 and leaves the half-hour climb intact rather than rushed. The early start matters most in the busy months: Pena park and palace took about 1.9 million visitors in 2025, and the pressure builds at the boarding queue at the station and on the walk up from the main entrance.
A late time works if you plan the way back. The last interior admission is 18:00 and the route closes at 18:30, the park shuts at 19:00 with its own last admission at 18:00, and the final 434 leaves the Pena stop around 19:00. Anything booked between mid-morning and mid-afternoon puts you on the hill at the same hour as every coach transfer.
- Be on an early Sintra Line train from Rossio, Entrecampos or Oriente: about 40 minutes from Rossio, 47 from Oriente
- Bus 434 starts at 08:50 from Sintra station and runs roughly every 10 minutes
- Pena Park opens at 09:00; the palace interior opens at 09:30
- Budget a further half hour inside the gate to reach the interior route, on foot or on the park transfer that comes round every 15 minutes
- The Chalet of the Countess of Edla, included in the park and palace visit, closes at 17:30 with last admission at 17:00
- Last interior admission 18:00, route closes 18:30, park closes 19:00, last 434 from the Pena stop around 19:00
Tours that leave Lisbon and take you to the palace
Three departures listed on this site start in central Lisbon and carry you through to the hill, so the train, the bus and the climb stop being your problem. If the forecast for the hills turns against you, each of the three can be cancelled at no cost up to 24 hours before departure.
Of the three, Sintra-Cascais-Pena Palace 8-People Small Group Tour from Lisbon is the earliest off the mark. The meeting point is Avenida da Liberdade 9 at 8:00 AM, a minute's walk from Restauradores metro on the blue line; from there it is 9 hours in an air-conditioned vehicle, with a local guide and driver and no more than 8 people, and the Park and/or Palace of Pena entrance fee is covered if you choose that option when booking. From €47, 4.9 ★ (1975 reviews), conducted in English only. Food, drinks and hotel pick-up are not included.
West of Sintra, the Sintra and Cascais Small-Group Day Trip from Lisbon puts the coast into the same day. It runs 8 hours in an air-conditioned minivan with a local expert guide, meeting in front of the Hard Rock Cafe, and Pena Palace and Park tickets are included or optional depending on the option you pick; the operator states that with the no-tickets option same-day palace tickets may be limited or unavailable. Quinta da Regaleira comes only with the upgrade that includes it. From €49, 4.8 ★ (8054 reviews). Cabo da Roca, the most westerly point of mainland Europe with a lighthouse working since 1772, is the other coastal name people ask about; of the departures here, this is the one that takes you west to Cascais.
Sintra Tour with Pena Palace and Regaleira All Tickets Included is the one with nothing left to arrange. Eight hours, a small group of 8, an air-conditioned vehicle, all tickets plus guided visits to Pena Park and Palace and to Quinta da Regaleira, meeting at Praça da Figueira in front of the statue. From €120, 4.9 ★ (1220 reviews). Lunch is not included.
| Tour | Price from | Duration | Group | Pena tickets | Also includes | Best for |
|---|
| Sintra-Cascais-Pena Palace 8-People Small Group Tour from Lisbon | €47 | 9 hours | Maximum 8 | Park and/or palace entrance fee if that option is selected | Local guide and driver, air-conditioned vehicle, 8:00 AM meeting at Avenida da Liberdade 9, English only | The earliest start from a central meeting point |
|---|
| Sintra and Cascais Small-Group Day Trip from Lisbon | €49 | 8 hours | Small group minivan | Included or optional depending on the option chosen; with the no-tickets option same-day tickets may be limited or unavailable | Local expert guide, air-conditioned minivan, meeting at the Hard Rock Cafe, Regaleira only with the upgrade | Sintra plus the coast at Cascais |
|---|
| Sintra Tour with Pena Palace and Regaleira All Tickets Included | €120 | 8 hours | Small group of 8 | All tickets included, with a guided visit to Pena Park and Palace | Guided visit to Quinta da Regaleira, air-conditioned vehicle, meeting at Praça da Figueira | Two timed monuments handled in one day |
|---|
Travel to Sintra yourself, or take a tour from Lisbon
Going under your own steam is straightforward as far as Sintra station, and it is the flexible choice if your interior time is early, you are travelling light and you are happy to walk. The risk sits in the last hour: a full 434 at the station, a slower climb than expected, and a door that will not open before or after the time on your ticket.
If you want that risk off the table, pick by what you want the day to contain. For the earliest arrival on the hill at the lowest starting price, take the 9-hour small group at €47 and select the Pena entrance option when you book rather than leaving it open. For Sintra with Cascais on the same day, the 8-hour day trip at €49 does it, again with the ticket option chosen. If two timed monuments in one day is the plan, the €120 small group turns up with all the tickets and guided visits at Pena and Regaleira already in hand.
Questions people ask
Do the tours from Lisbon include entry to the palace interior?
It depends on the tour. Sintra Tour with Pena Palace and Regaleira All Tickets Included comes with all tickets and guided visits at both monuments. The 9-hour Sintra-Cascais-Pena Palace small group includes the Park and/or Palace entrance fee if you select that option, and on the Sintra and Cascais day trip the Pena tickets are included or optional depending on the option you choose, with the operator warning that same-day palace tickets may be limited or unavailable on the no-tickets option.
Is there any leeway if my train or bus runs late?
No. A palace ticket admits you only at the exact date and time it carries, there is no grace period for a late arrival, and turning up early does not get you in either. That is why you want slack built in at the Lisbon end rather than at the gate, where the climb to the interior route still takes about 30 minutes.
Which Lisbon departure adds Quinta da Regaleira or Cascais?
Regaleira is covered on the 8-hour small group from Praça da Figueira, where the guided visit and the ticket are both part of the day. Cascais comes with the 8-hour Sintra and Cascais day trip that meets at the Hard Rock Cafe, which can also include Regaleira if you take the upgrade option. The 9-hour departure from Avenida da Liberdade is the long day at the lowest starting price.
Are there days when Pena is closed?
The closures are limited to Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, then 31 December and 1 January. Every other day the park runs 09:00 to 19:00 and the palace interior 09:30 to 18:30. Strong wind is the other thing that can shut the park to circulation, leaving the palace reachable only by the transfer bus, so read the Parques de Sintra notices page the evening before you take the train.
Can a taxi or a ride-hailing car take me all the way up?
Yes. Under the traffic measures announced in July 2026, taxis and ride-hailing vehicles may still reach Pena using a designated pick-up spot, while tour coaches have to use the Lourel peripheral car park and transfer passengers onto buses 434 and 435. Private cars are excluded from the monument and from the Rampa da Pena approach road in every case.
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