Sintra When the Fairy-Tale Palace Is Real

Sintra is thirty minutes from Lisbon by train. The Pena Palace is a Romanticist confection of yellow and red towers on a hilltop. The Quinta da Regaleira has an Initiation Well -- a spiral staircase descending nine platforms representing Dante's circles.

Practical notes: Train from Rossio station (40 min). Book Pena Palace tickets online -- it sells out. Budget a full day.