Lisbon: Sintra Full Day Pena Palace, Regaleira & Monserrate

Was an incredible full day experience tour. Favio’s was so professional, friendly with the hole group. Our family enjoy a great day.

We would definitely recommend this experience. Our tourist guide Augustus was exceptional and made our daily trip unique !

Fast paced tour, but got to see many beautiful places. Augusto was a great travel guide. Gave great information/history about all the places we visited. I enjoyed that it was a small group tour.

It was a good trip to Pena Palace and Sintra - you had some choices - so if you wanted to wander around Sintra or do some other activities- it was a very flexible tour.

Gustavo to as so warm and knowledgeable. He was very organized, explained everything so well. Was so impressed by his passion for history and how proud he is of his country. He is very personable, reliable and sincere. Our friends and family really enjoyed tour. We were able to avoid crowds in Pena Palace and got to visit Monseratte, a palace still to be discovered by many. Such a gem and so romantic! Gustavo also shared more info with us about places to eat in our next leg of the trip afterwards. He is so thoughtful and goes above and beyond!

The trip was rushed. Although I purchased the full day (8 hours) the trip was completed in 6 hours. I wanted to stay a bit longer to walk around Monserrate, i was rushed.

Highly recommend this experience! We had a great, informative, comfortable experience with Gustav! Our trip to Sintra was comfortable and everything was on schedule during the day. Gustav shared history of the areas we visited in story form and it was extra engaging! A beautiful, must see area of Portugal! Book with Gustav for a perfect day!

A perfect way to enjoy Sintra! Gustavo is personable and was a wonderful guide for our tour. It was well paced and we loved the itinerary. I would highly recommend.

Such an incredible experience led by Gustavo of Lisbon Ahead Tours. The small group format was perfect for our family. It was comfortable and informative to learn about the area. Gustavo was personable and very helpful. We had a great time and would highly recommend!

Our tour guide was so nice and friendly! The palaces were beautiful and I’d recommend this trip to anyone who asks

I have been to different countries and I had taken a tour in each of them and at least with my experience when you take a tour there is one place that the tour takes you and you won’t get charged for it because that’s part of your tour but everywhere that we went with this tour we had to pay to enter, so I don’t know why I would get a tour and still pay to enter everywhere that the tour took me to. I could’ve just gotten on the bus and go there by the ticket and enter and it would’ve been way cheaper and when I got the ticket, it was not mentioned that I have to pay for everything that I want to go and visit

We were having a great time with this tour. Gustavo was really informative and very organised. He helped us with the ticket purchase as well . Not all tour has monserrate palace in the itinerary. We highly recommend this tour.

Wonderful experience. Gustavo, our guide was great! He is passionate and knowledgable of the country's history. Gustavo ensured we enjoyed the tour, adjusting so we could make the most of the day, including spending some time in Cascais. He also provided various suggestions for our stay in Lisbon. Highly recommend this tour!

This tour and especially our host, Gustavo, was a pleasant surprise on our trip to Lisbon! His knowledge and his positive energy made our day even better. He explained us everything with details, about the sights of the places we visited. The time allocated at each point was ideal and comfortable, without any pressure. We highly recommend booking this tour with Gustavo, if you visit Lisbon!

Our tour group arrived early at the palace which meant we avoided the queues. Unfortunately even though we were one of the earliest visitors at the palace the experience felt very rushed and there wasn’t enough time to get to the next attraction. We had booked to go to Quinta de Regaleira at the 11am time slot as per the company’s recommendation. However even our tour guide said we would be cutting it fine to get there on time. We arrived in Sintra with not enough time to walk to Quinta de Regaleira and as a result lost the 60 euros it cost us for the tickets. When we approached the company about this they have been very unhelpful and even changed there itinerary to take out where they’d said they recommend we book for the 11am slot, saying it was our choice what we did in our free time. It is not responsible of the company to advise us to book the 11am time slot, then not take any accountability for us not being able to get there. The tour and the tour guide was lovely, but the experience has been tainted by our interactions with the company who have been patronising, unhelpful and unprofessional. We are very disappointed and wouldn’t book with this company again.

Despite the bad weather causing some alterations to the planned schedule we still had a great day led by Gustavo from Lisbon Ahead. His enthusiasm for and knowledge of his country’s history was inspiring. He was polite, punctual and adaptable. We would definitely recommend this tour.

Be able to walk 15 000 à to 20 000 steps. The guide, Gustavo, was interresting, dynamic and helpful.

This was a fun day and very informative. Our guide Augusto was excellent! Sintra is a lovely little town and well worth the visit. The Pene Palace was also worth seeing but visitors should know that there is quite a hike to get to the palace itself. I ended up injuring my back and that hindered my enjoyment of the tour. Just a word of warning.

Lovely day with just 3 people including my wife. Paulo was just fantastic...charming, animated, energetic considerate , knowledgeable and more besides. His is a tiny 3 mini bus company so folks, go straight for his bus!

We had an amazing experience with this tour. Our tour guide Gustavo was so amazing! He went above and beyond by suggesting places to visit and eat for the rest of our stay. The nicest tour guide you will meet! He knew exactly where the good spots were and what we could skip. He was also very knowledgeable about the history of everything! Highly, highly recommend this tour, ask for Gustavo!

Gustav was excellent! He did bring his great energy and knowledge. He was very on time and communication was great. The trip overall was very enjoyable. We made it in good time to see Pena palace before the crowds. The time spent in the town was just enough. The Moorish castle was a delight to end the day calmly after all the walking around. If you want to see Quinta…get tickets asap!!

We picked this itinerary because it gives you time at both Pena Castle and in Sintra village. Our guide Gustavo is knowledgeable, friendly and a lot of fun to be with. He also shielded us from the long queues to get tickets and to get into Pena Castle. 5 stars all the way!

I only had 2.5 days in Lisbon. I'm really happy I took this tour to Sintra! We saw alot in the day but it didn't feel rushed. Monserrate Palace & Gardens was serenity. Less crowded than the other Palaces. It took my breath away at how beautiful it was. Gustavo our guide was fun, knowledge and organized. I highly recommend this tour 👌🏼 Note: It's alot of walking, including alot of hills and uneven ground.

Visited Sintra on 01/06/25. It was a 5 star tour with a 6 star tour guide. Paulo guided us with so much knowledge and enthusiasm. A must to do if one is passionate about art, culture and history. The Park and Palace of Monserrate is a beautiful piece of architecture.

Gustav was very knowledgeable and friendly. Wear comfy shoes because there’s a fair amount of walking. Beautiful palaces and scenery.

I learned so much from our tour guide, Gustavo. As an engaging storyteller, he shared relevant history for each of the sights. This was my second tour to Sintra, and by far the better one. The van was comfortable for our small group of 8 and he was very easy to hear. Additionally, this tour group goes to Monserrate, which I’ve been told is a “ must see” location. After going there, I agree! Further, we completed the tour in about 8 hours without feeling rushed. My previous tour was about 10 hours long and it seemed like a very long day for us. I wholeheartedly recommend the Sintra Highlights tour.

We can’t recommend this tour highly enough! Our tour guide Paulo was a consummate professional—punctual, organized, and attentive to every detail. His passion for Sintra’s history shone through in every story, making each palace and garden come alive. With his deep knowledge and engaging teaching style, we felt like VIPs on a personalized adventure. Beyond his expertise, Paulo’s warm personality and charming presence made the day genuinely delightful.

Great tour! Glad we did the inside tour of Pena Palace as well. It was nice to be in a small group. We toyed with doing a private tour but due to budget this was a great option.

very good tour, tour guide very friendly and have all information, van was good with air conditioning

We had a wonderful tour today of Sintra with Gustavo. He was friendly and handled our group professionally. Gustavo was so knowledgeable and we learned so much about Portugal, Lisboa and Sintra. The Pena castle was gorgeous inside and out. We also purchased tickets for the Quinta de Regalaria and Montserrate. I would highly recommend this tour. It is the best way to see Sintra and avoid the crowds. Good shoes and an umbrella are a must.

My wife and I had a great time on the tour. Our tour guide gave us a very detailed history of Portugal with respect to its former rulers which placed the sites we visited into context. We were picked up at the designated meeting point and made it to the sites on time at the head of the queue and seems well known to the staff working at the sites We selected this as we only wanted to see sites in Sintra and have a shorter tour only without going out to the coast which other tours include but means they are 8-10 hours in length. Ours was around 5 hours.

Our guide Paolo was amazing!!!! He was so welcoming and his enthusiasm for Sintra and Lisbon really came across with his stories and presentations. (You can tell that he really enjoys his job and sharing his knowledge.) And the biggest and best surprise was when he did a beautiful rendition of "Amazing Grace" in the music room in Montserrat (to showcase the quality of the acoustics in this beautiful room). We were very lucky to have Paolo assigned as our guide for the day. He is "simply the best...better than all the rest" 👍👍👍👍👍

Paulo did an excellent job. He is highly knowledgeable and, even in heavy rain, made sure to look after everyone on the tour.

Very friendly, knowledgeable and punctual tour guide. We visited 3 amazing locations in Sintra and also had time to enjoy lunch on our own.

We really enjoyed our tour with Gustavo. He showed us Sintra and shared his knowledge and his passion about Portugal. The schedule was also perfect and left us with a lot of flexibility. We enjoyed visiting Pena Palace very early to beat the crowds.

We had a great time. Gustavo was an excellent guide; friendly and informative. The tour had a nice balance of guided time and free time. We highly recommend this company.

As I was considering this tour (as you might be right now), I couldn’t help but notice that some posts to this and other sites mentioned ways of getting to Sintra via public transit that were far less expensive. I am so glad I was swayed by all the positive reviews posted about Lisbon Ahead and booked this tour. It turned out to be well worth it. Let me share a few reasons: Convenience: Our guide, Gustavo, was at the meeting spot well in advance of the start time. Once our group of six had all arrived, he took us directly to Pena Palace, to be among those admitted at 9:30, and he already had our tickets, saving us the time we would have wasted in line for them. After each site visit, he met us at a designated spot, and whisked us to the next location. The van was comfortable, air-conditioned, and spacious. Had I relied on public transit, I would have seen far less and been frustrated trying to get from place to place. Knowledgeable guide: Gustavo taught us so much about the history of Portugal, its relationships with other countries, and the ways the sites we visited related to historical events. Had I relied on public transit, I would have had time to visit one or two sites, not three, and I wouldn’t have learned nearly as much. He also offered recommendations about sites and culinary delights in other destinations in Portugal. Enthusiasm: With over 40 years of teaching experience, I know that enthusiasm for one’s subject matter is contagious. Gustavo displayed tremendous enthusiasm and pride for Portugal, and for the noteworthy features of each building and garden we visited. Good use of time: The day’s itinerary was perfectly planned to allow for coffee/pastry breaks, lunch, and an optional visit to Quinta da Regaleira (which all six of chose to do). It was so relaxing to rely on Gustavo‘s experience about how much time we would need at each place. Communication: I had questions prior to leaving home, and, with a single call from the U.S., got prompt, courteous responses. Details about timing, meeting location, cancellation deadlines and policies, and about the admission fees (above the cost of the tour) was sent via email messages that were well timed and clear. As Gustavo explained to me, some customers do not read what is and isn’t included and then express disappointment when they discover that they must bring money or a credit card to pay admission fees. Having read the details, both posted online and sent via email, I knew what to expect, and was not surprised. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised to find that, as a senior, I could purchase admission for even less than I had expected. This was a memorable, wonderful, and relaxing day, not because I worked at planning it all out, but because I left the planning to Lisbon Abroad. I highly recommend that anyone considering this tour read about what is and is not included (to avoid being surprised on the day of the tour) and then book it! Thank you, Gustavo and Lisbon Abroad. It is my pleasure to post this well-deserved recommendation.

This was an outstanding experience due largely to our guide, Paulo Mendes. He seemed to enjoy introducing us to the area around Lisbon, its history, and the three sites we visited. Paulo was able to present a highly interesting and educational tour experience with warmth and humor while also being attentive to his travelers’ interests and comfort. We highly recommend this tour with Paulo.

Paulo was phenominal. He was passionate about his tour, and he was very attentitive to our needs. It was fun and informative!

Paulo Mendes re-lives the history of Portugal, and is a great tour guide. He is very kind and personable, and his knowledge is fantastic!!! We highly recommend Paulo from Lisbon Ahead as a guide!!!

I can’t recommend this tour enough. Our guide Paulo was wonderful— kind, fun and knowledgeable. His guidance was essential to dodge the huge line ups and we were able to see a lot of Sintra in a day. He took is to see some marvellous spots and told us lots of wonderful stories along the way. Thank you Paulo for being so dedicated and charismatic!

We got a lot of history and we were on time to see everything we planned on Very interesting castles and something everyone should see.

Three Sinatra palaces in one day from Lisbon is a lot to pack in, and this tour manages to accomplish it with a break for lunch. Our friendly and multi-talented guide Augusto not only drove us safely, he coordinated all the tickets, and provided historical and local information. Free time is provided at Quinta de Regaleira and Sinatra for lunch, and also at Montserrate Palace. Be prepared for lots of walking, and much of it uphill.

Fantastic tour with fantastic guide Paulo! Three locations, all of them covered in just enough time with Paulo who was great, very knowledgeable and passionate about the history of Sintra. Highly recommended!

Paulo was a great tour guide. His explanations greatly enhanced our experience. Unfortunately we were unable to see the Monserrate Palace due to a shutdown of all sites in the Sintra area because of high temperatures and fire danger. As a result, Paulo took us to Cabo da Roca and Cascais instead.

I highly recommend them. We liked that despite other tours available in Lisbon, we managed to see Pena early in the morning when it’s less crowded and pleasant to visit. Also, we visited Monserrate which other tours are not including it in their itinerary (really beautiful and underrated). Our tour guide, Paulo, was very friendly, funny, he shared a lot of interesting facts with us and was very engaged with the group. Also he is a very good photographer and singer. Would totally repeat this experience.

Guide needed more talk, more knowledge of the area. Headsets would have been very handy, a lot of talks are lost. Didn’t know we would have to paid additional money. Another place was visited and felt as a filler, not part of the original tour. Expensive

Gustavo is very personable and he shared a lot of historical information with us. We were very happy with our trip to Sintra!!

Paulo was an excellent guide. He made our trip to Sintra to a perfekt experience. And the three palaces and gardens were very intersting to visit. I recommend this tour. History, arcitecture, nature, beauty.