Sintra: The Fairy-Tale Palace Is Real

Sintra: The Fairy-Tale Palace Is Real

30 minutes from Lisbon by train. Pena Palace: Romanticist yellow and red towers on a hilltop. Quinta da Regaleira: the Initiation Well is a spiral staircase descending nine platforms representing Dante's circles — the kind of architecture that makes you check whether you're still in reality. Train from Rossio (40 min). Book Pena tickets online — it sells out. Full day.