Sintra Parking: How to Get there & Best Parking

Our family has been lucky to visit Sintra a lot and here are our 4 favorite Sintra parking lots and tips with you! Many tourists will take the train to Sintra but if you are looking for a longer visit or more convenience, driving and parking in Sintra is possible!

Sintra Parking Table of Contents:

Overview of Sintra (and our #1 parking tip!)
4 Public Parking Lots We've Used
Street Parking in Sintra
Parking Tips for Each Castle
Ways to Get from Lot to Castle (Bus & Tuk Tuk Driver Rec!)
Stroller and Accessibility Notes (😞)
Tips on Visiting the Sintra Castles

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Why It's So Hard to Find Parking in Sintra

The enchanting town of Sintra is about an hour away from Lisbon, Portugal, and is nestled amidst lush hills and fairy-tale palaces. There are 2 main reasons parking is so difficult:

It is an ancient town with modern-sized crowds. The villages of Sintra go back to the Paleolithic era to the Bronze Age and then the Romans and Moors. The roads and pathways are literally ancient!
Tourist Buses and Trains from Lisbon appear every 5 minutes! There are thousands of tourists no matter the season.

But despite the difficulties, it is one of our family's favorite places in the world!

I also wrote a whole blog post on 20 Best Things to Do in Sintra including 5 top Castles, 5 beaches, 5 Hikes, our family's favorite foods and more!

#1 Tip for Parking in Sintra Year-round

My number 1 tip for parking in Sintra is to arrive before the tourist busses and trains from Lisbon. Trains arrive every 10 minutes in the morning (see Train Schedule in English at Comboios de Portugal's website).

This past Spring Break 2024, we had 2 rental cars for my in-laws and we found great parking at the Train Station. Thankfully most of the tours and big crowds begin to arrive around 9:30 to 10 AM. I know this because our first recommendation is near the Train Station. Keep reading for more!

Sintra Train Station Parking Lot - My Favorite Place to Park!

4 Public Parking Lots in Sintra

Below are 4 public parking lots we've used in Sintra, Portugal in order of my recommendation. If it's before 9 AM from September to May, I would recommend checking these out in this order. If you are visiting in the Summer (June to end of August), I would skip the Train Station parking lot as I would just assume it's full or too long of a wait in traffic to attempt!)

I share how to pay at each of these parking lots because its important to know beforehand so you don't get ticketed! And good to know the Portuguese word for parking lot... estacionmento!

#1 Sintra Train Station - My Favorite Sintra Parking Lot

Google Maps: The link is here and the address is Parque de Estacionamento Estacao de Sintra, 2710-579 Sintra
How Many Parking Spots: Around 25 with some Tuk Tuks using it.
How to Pay: You get a ticket when you enter and then you pay before you drive out and use the ticket to exit. Photo of me above paying the ticket. Cash only if I remember correctly.
Note: As I said above, we have found spots here before 9 AM but I would not try in Summer as the 1 mile before the parking lot winds through the old town and can be standstill in the summer.

#2 Estacionmento Rua Guilherme Gomes Fernandes - Hidden Gem Parking Lot in Sintra

#2 Estacionmento Rua Guilherme Gomes Fernandes, Sintra

Google Maps: The link is here and the address is the end of Rua Guilherme Gomes Fernandes, Sintra.
How Many Parking Spots: Around 50-60.
How to Pay: You get a ticket when you enter and then you pay before you drive out and use the ticket to exit. You can pay by credit card.
Note: Once we had to wait for 5-10 minutes at the entrance because it was full. We just waited until the button for the ticket allowed us to move forward when another car left. Also note, to get up to the Historic Old Town you have to walk a lot of stairs! (basically, all of Sintra is terraced so lots of stairs!) Bring your grippiest most comfortable shoes because the cobblestones are slick! Below is a picture.

The stairs from Parking Lot #2 up to the Historic Town where the National Palace of Sintra is located.

#3 Sintra Estacionmento Parking Lot Near Departamento Urbanismo

I would recommend this parking lot last as it is farther away from the historic city center. It is actually only a 10 minute walk away from the Train Station and 22 minutes walk from the National Palace of Sintra (not Pena) so it will work in a pinch!

Google Maps: The link is here and the address is Av. Dr. Álvaro de Vasconcelos 13, 2710-420 Sintra.
How Many Parking Spots: Couple hundred but often full of people doing business at the City Building.
How to Pay: Unlike the first two, you need to pay for a ticket and then put it in your dashboard on the drivers side.
Note: Very important to make sure you park in a spot that is not reserved for city officials or city cars. You will see signs with X on them but just double check you are in a spot that doesn't have a sign or marking. Use the Google Translate App and the Camera feature to translate the signs.

#4 Free Parking Lot Up Near Monserrate Palace, Sintra

Actually my favorite parking lot because it's so easy (except the drive is windy!)

Ok this is actually my favorite parking lot but it is only close to 1 thing, Monserrate Palace. You drive a one way road up from the historic center up to the Palace (about 7 km but can take 20-30 minutes with the traffic). After you visit the palace, you have to drive another one way road back around the mountain which can take 9 km or about 20 minutes. The amazing this is that its free and mostly used for tour guides and locals. The Palace Ticket Booth is right across the road.

Google Maps: The link is here and the address is R. Barbosa du Bocage 136, 2710-405 Sintra
How Many Parking Spots: Around 30 and its never been full when we've visited all times of day from 10 AM to 5 PM for sunset.
How to Pay: It's free!
Note: There's a lovely lake behind the parking lot if you want to hike and explore!

Tips for Street Parking in Sintra

We've used street parking in Sintra many times and its always just a lucky find as we are on our way to park at one of the parking lots. I don't really have a great secret tip on finding these except to be patient! A couple of streets we've found include:

Behind the Library Biblioteca Municipal de Sintra on Rua Gomes de Amorim. Google Maps Link here.
Along Volta do Duche. Google Maps Link here. We have an electric car and charged here.
We found parking ONE TIME in these 5-8 spots here before you get into town on N249!

Where To Park in Sintra For Each Castle

For the most part, I will recommend each of the parking lots above as your starting place for the castles in Sintra. But for simplicity, here is a list of each Castle and the closest parking lot.

1) Parking "Closest" to Pena Palace (National Palace of Pena)

First, you must read this section on how to access Pena Palace. It is another 1 hour from the historic town of Sintra to the palace so when you are making your mandatory timed ticket recommendations, make sure you allow 1-2 hours just to get there!

Closest Parking Lot: Personal vehicles are not allowed to drive up the mountain to Pena or Moorish Castle so you have to take a Bus or Tuk Tuk, the best place to get that is the Sintra Train Station Parking Lot.

2) Parking Closest to Moorish Castle

I will write more on Moorish Castle because its one of my kids favorites and just the most legit castle walls I've ever seen! It is located on top of the mountain and 5 minute walk from the exit of the Park of Pena so I recommend vistiing them together. It does take about 1 hour from the historic town of Sintra to the Castle Ticket Booth and you cannot drive up there as a non-tour company.

Closest Parking Lot: Since you have to take a Bus or Tuk Tuk, the best place to get that is the Sintra Train Station Parking Lot.

3) Quinta da Regaleira Parking Lot

If you can walk up easily, the closest parking lot is the #2 parking lot above, Estacionmento Rua Guilherme Gomes Fernandes. It is a 20 minute walk up (use Google Maps it will take you up stairs in the walking mode!) to the Quinta. Or you can catch a tuk tuk to take you directly there from the Historic Town.

4) Monserrate

This is the easiest and cheapest one! Directly oppsitie the Ticket Booth, there is a large parking lot for Monserrate Palace which is free. Makes it an easy 2nd palace if you only have 1 day in Sintra and it has beautiufl botanical gardens. The cafe is great too and my kids love the free App Game!

5) Parking Lot Closest to National Palace of Sintra

This is the large white building located in the center of the historic town and while many tourists miss it for the other famous palaces, I highly recommend it! The Sintra National Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is significant for its unique blend of Gothic, Manueline, and Moorish architectural styles and its historical role as a royal residence for Portuguese monarchs.

Closest Parking Lot: The closest parking lot is the #2 parking lot above, Estacionmento Rua Guilherme Gomes Fernandes. It is a 5-10 minute walk up the stairs to the palace.

Ways to Get from Sintra Town Center to the Castles

Now that you've parked, you need to get up the mountain to Pena Palace or Moorish Castle! There are 2 main ways:

The vast majority of tourisits to Sintra use either tour buses or the local bus get to up the mountain to the castles. We rode on the local bus (#434) once from the Train Station to Pena Palace. It is I believe 15 euros for 24 hours or about 4 euros for one way. I will say the drawback are the lines. During spring break when we used it, there was a long line to get on and it took over an hour waiting for 4 spots for our family!

Tuk Tuk - Ride from Historic Town to Pena Palace Gates

My recommended way is to take a Tuk Tuk. We've used them 3 times now with our out of town guests and its worked great. We parked in the Train Station parking lot and then taken the drive about 45 minutes up to the mountain. On our last visit with my in-laws, we met Vasco Picolo who has a local tour company called Born and Raised Sintra Experience. He was fantastic and charged 15 euros per person for going up and down. He showed us some cool photo spots and had so much info as a ntaive of Sintra. The company's Instagram is here and What's App number is +351-910-797-922. He speaks great English.

Tour Company from Lisbon

If you read all this info and decide it will just be easier to have a done-for-you tour from Lisbon, I recommend booking with GetYourGuide as they have highly rated tours where you can ususally cancel within 24 hours if you travel plans change. Below are a few:

Guided Day Tour of Sintra, Pena, Regaleira & Cascais
- "All tickets are included. Visit Quinta da Regaleira, its emblematic well, and the historic Pena Palace. Relax in the picturesque fishing village of Cascais."
- Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
- Duration: 9.5 hours
- Includes transportation to and from Rossio Square in Lisbon.
Pena Palace, Sintra, Cabo da Roca, & Cascais Daytrip
- "Discover Sintra’s beauty and history, its romantic Pena Palace, and the stunning coastlines of Cabo da Roca Lighthouse and Cascais on a full-day trip from Lisbon."
- Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
- Duration: 8 hours
- You can choose from a variety of pick-up locations in Lisbon.
Sintra, Pena Palace, Cabo da Roca, & Cascais Tour
- "Experience the beauty of Sintra on a full-day guided tour from Lisbon. Admire the breathtaking Pena Palace and Royal Gardens, and indulge in views of Cabo da Roca, Cascais, and coastlines."
- Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.
- Duration: 9 hours
- Includes transportation to and from Av. da Liberdade 24 in Lisbon

Accessibility and Strollers in Sintra

I am so sorry to say this but Sintra is one of the least accessible places in Portugal. I have a family member who uses a wheelchair and none of the 5 main castles would be accessible. Thankfully, Queluz National Palace is mostly accessible and the gardens are lovely! It is 20 minutes away from Sintra but was where the royal family mostly lived.

Sintra's numerous staircases and uneven cobblestone paths, make it virtually inaccessible to those with mobility issues. For families with young children, navigating Sintra with a stroller can be particularly difficult due to the lack of ramps and smooth pathways. I highly recommend leaving your stroller at home and opting for a baby carrier instead, which allows for easier movement and access to Sintra's many attractions.