Walking Sintra to Cascais

7 Days & 6 Nights 4.6 Read 9 reviews
  • Walk from the wooded hills to the rugged coastline in the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park
  • Explore the colourful monuments of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sintra
  • Cabo da Roca lighthouse, the westernmost point of mainland Europe
  • Discover the atmospheric "moon hills" of Sintra and hilltop Peninha Chapel
  • Delicious fresh seafood as you finish in the lovely seaside town of Cascais
Walk through the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, from inland wooded trails to the rugged Atlantic coast, with views over golden sandy beaches before finishing at the seaside town of Cascais. Explore the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Sintra, renowned for its exquisite palaces, castles, monasteries and lush tropical gardens. Easily accessible from nearby Lisbon, it is clear to see why it was a popular sanctuary for Portuguese nobility between the 15th and 19th centuries. Feast on fresh seafood and Colares wine along the way, whilst staying overnight in boutique hotels and charming quinta-style guesthouses, where you'll receive a warm Portuguese welcome.
Easily accessible from Lisbon, this tour offers moderately graded trails through a variety of coastal and inland landscapes on a mixture of paved and forest trails, clifftop paths and quiet country paths. There are some significant elevations gains in the Sintra hills, but nothing too challenging. Stay overnight in boutique hotels and quinta-style guesthouses. Perfect for those who like to mix their walking with lots of historical and cultural highlights.

Tour Type:

Slower Adventures | Where walking and cycling meet easy-going exploring, our Slower Adventures are the perfect combination. Most days are filled with picturesque journeys with some free time to dive into the destination and experience the people, local food and culture as you go.

Activity:

Multi Centre Walking | With a mix of loop and point-to-point walks stay 2 or 3 nights in one place which offers the chance to slow down and really explore a destination.

This trip is suitable for:

Solo Travellers

As a guide, we would suggest that the minimum age of traveler this tour would be suitable for is: 10 Years

Ideal if you have an interest in:

  • Foodie
  • Wine
  • Coastal Walking

Activity Level & Terrain

This trip is graded ‘moderate’ overall and you should be in good physical fitness to fully enjoy the walking on this tour. The route follows a mixture of gravel trails, forest and clifftop paths and daily ascents are between 270m and 540m. On Day 5 you will walk along clifftop coastal paths which can feel exposed so if you suffer from vertigo, you may wish to miss this day’s walk.

Navigation

The route is way-marked in places and not in others. You will receive a booklet including a description of the route, a small pdf of the map and points of interest. For navigation, you will also have access to the Macs Adventure Smartphone App enabling you to follow the route using your phone's GPS so you will have no problems finding the way. You can simply download the GPX tracks to your phone for offline use and off you go! 

Experience & Fitness

This route is suitable for most regular walkers of average fitness. You should train by walking some daily walks of similar daily distances to your planned itinerary.

Accommodations

Your holiday includes accommodation in boutique hotels and quinta-style guesthouses.

You can add on extra nights in any of the overnight locations. We also offer an upgrade to the Lawrence's Hotel in Sintra. Please select this as part of the booking if you would like this option.

Single Rooms & Solo Walkers

If you require single rooms we would be happy to accommodate you although there is a single room supplement payable. We also welcome solo walkers on this tour, again a supplement is payable.

Meals

A breakfast will be provided by your accommodation every morning. These usually consist of a selection of ham and cheeses, as well as some small pastries including the delicious “pastel de nata”, all accompanied by a cup of Galao (milky coffee). Dinners are not included, however there are options to dine out in all of the towns and villages. The food in Portugal is fantastic, famous for it’s codfish dish Bacelhau a bras amongst many other fresh seafood dishes, and the Sintra region in particular is home to the delicious pastry treat, Queijada de Sintra as well as the mouth-watering Colares wine.

Lunch is not included, but you can find small stores in which to purchase items for a picnic lunch, or some of your accommodations can make a picnic lunch if you ask in advance. In your route notes we give advice on where you can eat/pick up lunch.

Included
  • 6 nights in boutique hotels and charming guesthouses
  • Breakfast at each accommodation
  • Door-to-door baggage transfer as per itinerary
  • Transfers as per itinerary and arrival transfer from Lisbon to Sintra
  • Detailed Information Pack
  • GPX tracks and access to our smartphone app
  • 24/7 telephone support from our UK office
Excluded
  • Travel insurance (required)
  • Travel to Lisbon before the start, and from Cascais on the final day
  • Lunches and Dinners
  • Drinks and snacks
  • Personal equipment
  • Entrance Fees
Extras
  • Additional nights before, during and after the walk
  • Transfer from Cascais to the airport on the final day

When To Go

Availability

You can start this walking tour on any day of the week from January through to June, and from September through to December, subject to availability.

Time of Year

Sintra offers great weather most of the year round but we do not offer this tour in the months of July and August as it can get very hot then, and doesn't make for enjoyable walking. Average temperatures the rest of the year range from 10-15°C (70°F) in the winter to 25-30 °C (77 °F) in the summer months. The inland regions are always slightly cooler than Cascais due to the higher elevations.

Weather and Climate

Sintra offers great weather most of the year round but we do not offer this tour in the months of July and August as it can get very hot then, and doesn't make for enjoyable walking. Average temperatures the rest of the year range from 10-15°C (70°F) in the winter to 25-30 °C (77 °F) in the summer months. The inland regions are always slightly cooler than Cascais due to the higher elevations.

Getting to the Start

Lisbon Airport is easily accessed by direct flights from across the UK, Europe and several cities in the US. Major airlines who fly there include American Airlines, TAP, British Airways, Easyjet and Ryanair amongst others.

If you are travelling to Lisbon from elsewhere in Portugal or Spain, it is also easily accessed by rail. View rail timetables at the Comboios de Portugal website.  

Getting from the End

It is very easy to get between Cascais and Lisbon Airport. Take the train to Casa do Sodre station in Lisbon (40min) and then catch the bus to the airport (20min).

Luggage Transfer

Your bags will be collected from your accommodation as per your itinerary and moved onto your next overnight accommodation. We ask you to limit your luggage to one bag of up to 20kg per person.

At Macs Adventure, we work in partnership with many luggage transfer providers who set a limit on how many bags/suitcases they will transfer per person, and also the weight of the bag/suitcase.  Your booking includes transfer of 1 bag per person.  It is very important that you read the luggage information specific to your tour before departure. If you do not adhere to these limits, there is a great possibility that you will be charged locally both for extra bags or if they are too heavy. This limitation can be a challenge, especially as airlines generally have limits that are higher. However, our luggage providers have reasons for these limits (usually due to the Health and Safety of their employees), which we must respect.

General Information

The reviews for this tour up until November 2019, are based on a previous itinerary. As of November 2019, minor changes and improvements have been made. The routes were all re-checked and route notes re-written in 2019 to alleviate problems with GPS and routefinding. And an additional night has been included at Sao Saturnino Convent as this appears to be a real highlight for many of our customers!


Please be prepared by packing all necessary items, for example, proper rain gear (jacket and pants), sun hat, sunscreen. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.

Equipment

Please be prepared by packing all necessary items. Your information pack has a detailed equipment list, which includes standard walking gear such as good walking boots or shoes, warm and waterproof clothes for the cooler months and lightweight clothing for summer, and a day pack.

Travel Insurance

It is a requirement of booking this tour with Macs Adventure that you have suitable travel insurance which covers you for the activity and emergency evacuation and hospital care.

How far in advance do I need to book?
What equipment do I need?

Itinerary

Day 1 Arrive Sintra Day 2 Sintra Palaces and Monuments Loop Walk 6 miles / 10 km Day 3 Transfer to Monserrate Palace, walk to Praia Grande 9 miles / 14.5 km Day 4 Walk to Azoia 8 miles / 13 km Day 5 Loop walk from Azoia 6 miles / 10 km Day 6 Walk to Cascais 10 miles / 16 km Day 7 Onward Travel

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