How to Visit the Stunning Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra, Portugal
Quinta da Regaleira is a Renaissance-style manor house located in Sintra, Portugal known for its stunning architecture and romantic gardens. While the property site dates back to the 16th century, the house and garden structures were constructed in the 20th century by millionaire António Augusto Carvalho Monteiro.
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Above photos: Palace of Quinta da Regaleira (left); Doorway of the Coachhouse (right)
Quinta da Regaleira ranks pretty high in popularity amongst visitors to Sintra. So, once you set your mind on going, you’ll want to start planning and purchasing advance tickets. This post will provide detailed information on how to plan your visit to this dreamy estate.
Getting to Quinta da Regaleira
Quinta da Regaleira is located approximately 0.8 miles from the Sintra train station. It is entirely possible to walk this distance. It will take about 20 – 30 minutes depending on how fast you walk.
Alternatively, the Sintra tourist bus line #435 runs continuously throughout the day. You can catch it right outside the train station and hop-off at the 4th stop for Regaleira. A full day hop-on-hop-off ticket can be purchased in advance here.
If you plan on walking through Sintra town and stopping to visit the National Palace of Sintra, and/or Biester Palace, then walking or flagging down a tuk-tuk will probably be easiest. If you plan on visiting Palacio de Seteais or the Palace of Monserrate after Regaleira, then you might want to have a bus ticket in your pocket for your return transportation back to town.
The only thing you don’t want to do is try to drive your own vehicle. There really isn’t any parking. And, if you go too far, you can’t turn around on the one-way road. For more information about parking in Sintra, click here.
Planning your visit
Opening times: Regaleira is open daily from 10:00 am until 7:30 pm, noting the last entry time slot is at 5:30 pm. Throughout the year, the Palace the Chapel close 30 minutes before the gardens.
Visit duration: I would allow between 1 – 2 hours to visit the palace and gardens, but you can easily spend more time here depending on how thoroughly you explore the grounds. We found that 1.5 hours was sufficient to see the major highlights at a comfortable, unhurried pace.
Tickets: A pre-booked timed-entry ticket is required. Tickets for adults start at € 15,00. Children under 5 years old can enter for free, and tickets for seniors (= or > 65) and young persons (between 6 – 17 years old) are € 10,00. Tickets with GetYourGuide start at $20.59 and include an audio guide (purchase here).
Finding your way around: Download the Regaleira iPhone app or the PDF map to help guide you through the property. It is easy to get turned-around and lose your sense of direction in the meandering gardens, but you are never far from a landmark feature to help re-orient yourself.
For additional information on where to stay in Sintra and other things to do, please read my post on Sintra here.
Photo gallery
Above photos: Miradouro (left), Guardians Portal (center and right)
Above photos: Initiation Well at Quinta da Regaleira
Above photos: Waterfall Lake (left); Fountain of Abundance (right)
Above photos: Garden wall and tower (left and center); Entry to Workshop of the Arts (right)
Above photos: Chapel of Quinta da Regaleira
Above photos: Palace, Quinta da Regaleira
Above photos: Regaleira Tower (center); Gothic exit portal (right)
For additional information on where to stay in Sintra and other things to do, please read my post on Sintra here.
Organized tours
Private and Group Guided Tours from Lisbon
Below are a few tour options below that depart from Lisbon. Get picked up at your hotel and set out with a guide for a culture-focused sightseeing tour. Private tours can be personalized according to your interests — or let your guide lead the way and see the top attractions.
Of course, Quinta da Regaleira is just one of the many notable historic attractions in Sintra and most visitors aim to take in as many of them as possible. For more information on additional attractions, itinerary suggestions, and helpful travel tips, click here to read my complete post on Sintra.
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