Sintra City Centre

Sintra's town centre is small, steep and busy, and it rewards a slow approach. Most visitors arrive with a list of palaces and rush through the streets between them, but the lanes, squares and shops are part of the attraction. The centre sits in a fold of the hills, a short climb above the station, with villas, gardens and stone walls rising on all sides, and the town's microclimate, cooler and damper than the coast, gives it a green, slightly misty look.

The main square, the Largo da República, is where you get your bearings. Its centrepiece is the National Palace, with its two white conical chimneys, and around it are the cafes, tourist office, taxi rank and the stop for the tuk-tuks and buses that run up to the other monuments. A few steps away, the main street, the Rua das Padarias, is lined with bakeries and shops, and Sintra's food specialities are easy to find here. The travesseiro, a long, flaky pastry filled with almond and egg cream, is the town's signature sweet, and the Casa Piriquita is the most famous place to buy it. The queijada, a small sweet cheese tart, is the other classic, and the old Sapa bakery in the Volta do Duche district has been making them for generations. A cup of strong coffee and a travesseiro makes a good start to a day of sightseeing.

Shopping in the centre offers more than the usual souvenirs. Small shops sell ceramics, cork products, hand-painted tiles, lace, wine and liqueurs, and a number of galleries and antique dealers occupy side streets. Prices are higher at the main square than away from it, so look around. The streets are cobbled and steep, with many stairways, and the buildings are painted in cream, pink and ochre, with wrought-iron balconies and tiled facades. Occasional glimpses of palaces and woods above the rooftops remind you of the scale of the setting.

Practical tips make a big difference. The town is extremely popular, and from mid-morning to late afternoon in the high season, the streets are crowded and traffic is slow, so start early, or stay late when the day-trippers have left. Parking is limited and expensive, and the train from Lisbon is the best way to arrive. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a jacket, as the weather can change quickly and mist often settles over the hills. From the centre, it takes about twenty minutes by bus or tuk-tuk, or a longer walk, to reach the Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle, and Quinta da Regaleira lies a short walk away.

The centre suits anyone planning a visit to Sintra, as a place to eat, rest and make plans. Allow at least an hour for wandering, longer if you have a meal.