The town of Sintra lies about 20 miles west of the capital Lisbon. It is a town of many former royal palaces, in the town centre as well as in the nearby hills.

The Palacio Nacional de Pena (National Palace of Pena) is probably the most spectacular of the former royal palaces around Sintra. It sits on a hilltop high above the town with its distinctive brightly pained walls and ornate architecture.

The neo-manueline romantic palace at Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra was not used by royalty, but is a spectacular fantasy with feature gardens on a steep hillside.

The Initiation well (Poco Iniciato) in the gardens of Quinta da Regaleira, Sintra. An amazing tower built into the earth rather than rising up from the earth.

Palace gardens and Sintra historical old town with Moorish castle on the hill behind, Portugal