• Private Tour
• Family Friendly
• Carbon Neutral

This magical place will bring you to a world of fairytales, princesses, Castles and caves!! In our tour we combine the most popular sights with hidden spots for you and your friends to enjoy!

Destination

Lisbon, Portugal

Category

Off The Beaten Track

Duration

4 hours

Transport mode

Car

Available languages

English, Português

Included

• Private guide
• Travel insurance
• Driver
• Equipment
• A/C Car
• Water

Excluded

• Meals and snacks

What you can expect

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with Sofia .

1. Meeting point

   Meet at Portela de Sintra - Lisbon to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. Meeting point

   Sintra train station

4. Moorish Castle

   A castle that withstood time, was a strong hold keeping Lisbon safe and walk on history as it's one of the oldest monuments in Sintra!

5. Capuchin Convent

   A place of contemplation, mystery and simplicity as where those who lived there!

6. Cabo da Roca

   The place where land finishes and the sea begins!

7. End of Tour

   I will drop you at the train station of Sintra

8. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

I can personalize this tour for you

• Tell me your preferred date and group size
• Tell me your preferences and wishes so I can customize the tour for you
• Wait for my personal offer in your inbox!

Contact me

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Tony🇺🇸 United States

28 June 2024

Our day with Sofia was absolutely perfect! All I can say is trust her ideas and be willing to adjust your plan to her suggestions. She knows what she is talking about! We started early per her suggestion and thankfully we did. We took a train from Lisbon into Sintra to meet Sofia and begin at Peña Palace. We arrived before the big tourist crowds and thankfully we did! As our tour through the palace was over, thousands of people were in line. We had lunch on the oeanfromt at a lovely Portuguese seafood restaurant that had incredible food with perfect views! We ended the trip by going to the Capuchin Convent and so glad we did. Seeing how the monks lived at the time and learning their history was so intriguing. The drive up the mountain to the convent as beautiful. We basically had this place to ourselves and it was the perfect complement to the palace. Zero regrets about this tour with Sofia!Perfect Day in Sintra!

Unknown

14 June 2023

We were very pleased with Sofia. Not only was she very knowledgeable about Sintra, but was able to communicate with us perfectly and was a charming person. We were very happy with her and delighted that she was our gude.

Unknown

3 June 2023

Sofia is the best Tour Guide we have experienced. She is very professional, expert in her Sintra history, consderate in her concern for our wheelchair and accomodating in all respects. Her English is perfect and made it very easy to be with. Our Excellent Review

Kristina🇺🇸 United States

10 July 2025

We loved our tour of Sintra with Sofia! We intentionally chose this tour and added a tour of Quinta da Regaleira. The pace was perfect for our 10 year old. Sofia grew up in the area so is able to share more than just memorized facts. She loves Sintra—the history and the beauty. While our daughter was a little antsy about a 4-hour tour, she didn’t want it to end! We needed a stop for coffee and a snack, and she took us to the most perfect place. Then she walked us to the place she recommended for lunch as our tour ended and pointed out where to return for pastries before our trip back to Lisbon. A tour loved by all ages!

brian🇺🇸 United States

9 July 2025

Amazing hike and even better conversation. Sofia was incredible. She shared all of the local knowledge that she has and stopped along the way to explain plants, history and even smell the roses! She pointed out the best lunch spots and shared other tips with us. We hope to see Sofia again, she was the best! Hike was beautiful! We loved our time with Sofia!

Rachael

9 July 2025

During our visit to Sintra, Portugal was going through a heat wave. But somehow Sofia still made our experience great! Our group consisted of my husband and I, our two toddlers, and my parents. Instead of walking up to the castle like we had planned, Sofia helped us to catch a bus so that the kids and grandparents would be more comfortable. Once we arrived at the castle, Sofia had great stories and information about the castle that kept everyone engaged and having fun. Afterwards, Sofia helped us to find an amazing restaurant in town before we caught our train back to Lisbon. I wish the weather had cooperated so we could have done more hiking, but Sofia did an excellent job at adjusting her plans to make sure we all could still enjoy Sintra and have a great time. Thank you, Sofia!!Sofia is the best!

Dilia🇨🇦 Canada

24 June 2025

We had a fantastic private tour of Sintra with Sofia! She was incredibly accommodating, tailoring the day to fit our family’s interests and requests. She was especially thoughtful with our children, making sure they were comfortable and engaged throughout the tour. Sofia’s knowledge, flexibility, and warm personality made the experience both enjoyable and memorable. Highly recommend her for a personalized and family-friendly experience in Sintra!

Marsha

12 April 2025

Sofia knows and loves Sintra! She met us at our hotel and we had a wonderful day. We went to her favorite local seafood restaurant and had sea bass caught that morning. Fantastic! A storm one week before we arrived caused major damage to trees and roads, so she had to adjust the itinerary, and took us to other beautiful spots along the coast. We even got to visit a local winery and craft beer brewery. What fun! Thank you, Sofia!!Great intro to Sintra!

Jennifer

4 April 2025

When we were walking on our tour with Sofia, another guide stopped us and said "you have the best guide in Sintra." He was right! Not only did Sofia work with us to adjust our tour timing after a scheduling snafu on our end, she arranged a great walk/hike for us that was kid-friendly and got our heart rates up even if the mountain roads were closed. The best tour guide

Steve🇺🇸 United States

13 November 2024

My wife and I booked an 8-hour day with Sofia for the 2nd of our 2-day stay in Sintra. Sofia met us at our hotel, we jumped in her car and off we went to learn & see as much as we could in one day. Being a Sintra native, Sofia knew the city and its environs intimately and spoke energetically as we drove. Our first stop was at the grounds of a hotel that had a wonderful overlook of the area. Leaving there, our next stop was Monseratte Palace which has extensive grounds and gardens and the Palace was a beautiful building. Unfortunately, the building was not used for many years before becoming a museum and virtually all of the furnishings were sold via auctions. We spent considerable time in the palace going from one empty room to another. And while Sofia was very knowledgeable about the Palace, there was very little to see. After a snack at the shop on the Palace grounds, we took another pretty ride to the Capuchin Convent, used by monks for centuries, but now a museum that depicted the incredible spartan life these religious men lived. It was very interesting and Sofia knew lots of things that she shared about the convent, including the many nights that she and her fellow girl scouts spent sleeping there as children. To me, this stop was was very interesting even though each room we visited was also empty. But, unlike the Palace, these empty rooms realistically portrayed the strict and hard life the monks lived. Our final stop was a very nice restaurant on the coast overlooking the beach, surfers and the coastline. With the day ending, Sofia drive us back to our hotel where we said our goodbyes. Overall, it was an enjoyable and informative day but we would have preferred to see more places rather than spending almost our entire day at the limited number of places we visited. I agreed with Sofia that the Peña Place was not worth the time because of the crowds but there are many other places in & around Sintra that I suspect are very worthwhile seeing but we never had the chance nor time. I think a better approach than seeing two places in depth would be to see a number of places, agreed upon before the tour date, so that the clients could choose those places of most interest to them. This is not to say that Sofia did a less than stellar job. She was outstanding for what we saw, but I wish we could have seen more places.A good day with Sofia

Richard🇺🇸 United States

11 October 2024

We had an absolute blast with Sofia, she was knowledgeable and showed us a great time. Her passion for Sintra made it feel like a friend showing you the city she grew up in, I would highly recommend to everyone! First time in Sintra

Zakhia

27 September 2024

Sofia was a great guide and host. Very knowledgeable about the history of Portugal and the areas that we visited; and was able to tailor the tour to accommodate the sudden weather change and our requests. Time and reflection at Fatima was lovely and the local cuisine for lunch at a quaint village restaurant was perfect too. Thanks for a great day Sofia!catered to pur needs

Erin🇺🇸 United States

20 September 2024

Sofia made our guided tour experience wonderful. She’s incredibly well-informed about Portuguese history and shared all manner of insider anecdotes which helped us better understand what we were seeing and provided insight into daily life. We felt like we were with a new local friend! 10/10 would go with Sofia again.You MUST Work with Sofia!!!

Karine

17 September 2024

Julian🇺🇸 United States

16 July 2024

Sofia was a wonderful host. She is extremely knowledgable about history and Sintra, having grown up there. She personalized a tour for us and arranged it so that we skip most of the crowds. She took us a a lovely spot for lunch by the beach. At the end of the day she felt like family. Like family

Richard🇸🇰 Slovakia

15 July 2024

We (a family of 4, sons are 5 and 9) spent a whole day with Sofia in Sintra and it was amazing. She took us to much less crowded areas, but with very interesting history value. This tour was also very comfortable for our kids, so we can only recommend both Sintra and Sofia :)Amazing day in Sintra with Sofia!

Amber🇨🇦 Canada

5 July 2024

Sofia was such a wonderful guide. From designing a tour for our group of friends, to guiding us where to park and meeting us there so we had no worries about location, to taking us on a wonderful tour with all the history of Sintra and making sure we could have a nice lunch together. I would recommend Sofia to anyone looking to explore Sintra!Great day in Sintra!

Christina

24 June 2024

Our day with Sofia in Sintra was amazing, so much so that even though we had returned home and become busy with other things, my father-in-law reached out asking how he can give Sofia accolades, our day with her was definitely a highlight of our trip. In his words, he has not met a guide who was as professional as her. She fiercely represented her people and her homeland and she answered each and every question genuinely. Everything was well-arranged and Sofia went above and beyond with planning. She was a great communicator, candid to speak with, and we learned so much. All of her recommendation were phenomenal and we enjoyed seeing Sintra with her. 1 month on, still talking about the tour!

Sue🇬🇧 United Kingdom

20 June 2024

From the very start Sofia was brilliant. Great communication and she arrived very promptly. Her knowledge of sintra and cascais was fantastic. The palace she selected was extremely interesting. We had superb lunch of fresh fish on the coast. Then a leisurely drive by the coast to cascais. John and I had a brilliant day and we would highly recommend Sofia. Fabulous day with Sofia

Jaynine🇺🇸 United States

6 June 2024

Sofia was lovely and a wealth of information. We customized our Sintra tour to focus on Quinta de Regaleira and then also got some history from viewing points of two other historical sights as well as lots of history while driving. I have a deeper appreciation of what we saw and while the pictures would have been beautiful the visit wouldn't have been as meaningful without the rich historical stories to go with it. Understand that Sintra is big and there is much to see, too much to see everything in 5 hours. I can't wait to return and spend a few more days in Sintra to explore more of the beautiful sights and history. Do not miss this tour!

Gail🇺🇸 United States

1 June 2024

We had a wonderful tour with Sofia . Two of our friends did not want to make the trek up to the Castle . Sofia accommodated us with giving us an informative tour highlighting the varied vegetation and architecture through the village up to the National Palace. We had breaks and opportunities to ask questions while she entertained us with her many stories and experiences growing up in Sintra and its history. We ended up at the palace overlooking the village with the incredible views . The tour was a delightful day and memorable one . I would highly recommend Sofia. Gail

Susan🇺🇸 United States

14 May 2024

Our delayed flight, and late hour of arriving through us for a loop. We showed up for our Sintra Tour a day early, so did not have the opportunity to meet Sofia. We missed so much of Sintra. Because of our missed opportunity, we cannot complete the price-value rating.Jetlag made us do it!

Rebecca🇺🇸 United States

1 May 2024

Sofia was the perfect person to show my husband and I around Sintra. We are photographers and she made sure that we were given the best opportunities to capture some amazing images with lots of them being taken in places that most people do not get to see. While doing all of this she saw that our time together was at a relaxed pace and provided just the right amount of information about the scene itself and Sintra. Sofia was very prompt and professional with all correspondence prior to our tour. We left Sintra with great images, wonderful memories and a new friend. Sofia is the best!Exceptional Experience with Sofia

Stephanie 🇺🇸 United States

14 April 2024

We spent a day with Sofia touring the beautiful city of Evora. Sofia picked us up at our rental in Lisbon right on time and drove us through Portugal's beautiful countryside giving us interesting information along the way. We really enjoyed the sights she showed us and had a wonderful meal inside the walled city. I'm so glad we decided to leave Lisbon for the day as there is so much to see outside it. Sofia is really knowledgeable and such a delight to spend time with. I felt like we had a new friend by the end of the day. A beautiful day in Evora!

Stephanie 🇺🇸 United States

14 April 2024

My husband and I spent several hours touring Sintra with Sofia. It is such a beautiful city and Sofia was so knowledgeable about the area. We toured the beautiful park and palace of Monserrate, took a drive into the mountains, and visited the westernmost point of continental Europe, Cabo da Roca. Sofia is so personable which made the day a lot of fun. I would highly recommend booking Sofia as your tour guide.A wonderful day in Sintra!

simon🇬🇧 United Kingdom

10 April 2024

We had a fantastic tour with Sofia- looking at Sintra through a locals eyes - so informative and going to unexpected places- most enjoyable company and so friendly ... could not have hoped for a better experience Simon,Nicki and ChloeSintra experience

Ekin

27 March 2024

Sofia gave us, a group of six girlfriends, a tour of Sintra and we had a great time. She is very energetic, knowledgeable and fluent in English. She is a true local and loves her hometown. We loved spending time with her. I definitely recommend her!Great guide!

Richard🇨🇦 Canada

27 March 2024

My family spent the day on a tour of Sintra with Sofia. What a great experience. We met at our hotel and toured the beautiful old town. We visited the National Palace and the Quinta da Regaleira before hitting the beach for the for an amazing lunch with the freshest fish. Sofia was passionate and engaging and really engaged the kids. It was my daughters favorite tour from our trip. Sofia from Sintra

Olga🇺🇸 United States

19 March 2024

We had the absolute pleasure of spending a day in Sintra with Sofia. From the moment we started discussing the details of our tour, it became clear that Sofia is a true professional. Sofia's flexibility was truly remarkable; she effortlessly tailored the tour to accommodate our needs and requests, ensuring that every moment was personalized to perfection. Sofia's wealth of knowledge about Sintra, coupled with her perfect English, made for an enriching experience. Moreover, Sofia's keen eye for detail added an extra layer of richness to our exploration. She pointed out interesting nuances and hidden gems that we may have otherwise overlooked, making the experience all the more immersive and rewarding. Sofia's dedication to providing an exceptional experience was evident when she willingly embarked on a strenuous hike to showcase the most scenic views of the area. Her willingness to go the extra mile truly exemplified her commitment to ensuring that we had an unforgettable day. Navigating through the bustling streets of Sintra can be daunting, but with Sofia as our guide, it was an absolute breeze. Her expert navigation skills ensured that we seamlessly maneuvered through the busy roads, allowing us to focus entirely on soaking in the beauty of our surroundings. We highly recommend Sofia as a private guide and look forward to using her services again in the future. Thank you, Sofia, for an unforgettable day.Awesome day in Sintra with the best guide

Yakov🇺🇸 United States

29 February 2024

We absolutely loved our Sintra day with Sofia. From adults to kids in the group she kept everyone engaged throughout the day with tons of information about the sights, the town and the country. Sofia was extremely patient, kind and easy to interact with. Thank you so much for your time - we’ll be back for more next time. A+ tour with an A+++ guide.Amazing A+++ experience

Joachim🇺🇸 United States

6 January 2024

It was a lovely day discovering the Quinta da Regaleira then the Monserrato Palace and Cabo da Roca (the westernmost point in Portugal) with Sofia. She was very knowledgeable and many times an answer ahead just as we were about to ask the question. You could definitely tell that she is a true local. Sofia was also very caring by always watching out for our heads or tripping hazards.True Local!

Nikol🇨🇦 Canada

21 November 2023

Sofia provided the two of us with a wonderful day tour of Sintra with pick up in Lisbon and return along the coast road with its beautiful views. Sofia shared her amazing knowledge in a way that was informative and understandable with many fascinating points of detail that we would never have discovered on our own and all of that without it being overwhelming. The tour nicely balanced the time needed to appreciate the two monuments we chose to visit with a bit of time in the village sufficient to acquire a lovely piece of jewelry as a remembrance of Portugal along with two breaks for a little rest and nourishment. Sintra must be seen to be believed and a private guide such as Sofia who grew up in Sintra and lives there now is truly a necessity for a full experience. Great day in Sintra

Wanda🇺🇸 United States

27 October 2023

I asked Sofia to create a tour based in what she felt was really interesting and that I was game. We saw an old Capuchin monastery deep in the hilly woods of Sintra. Then went to Cabo Roca, the Western most tip of Europe. And to a beach in Clare's to watch big waves breaking against Rocky headland. Sofia was engaging, fun, knowledgeable. Highly recommend Great tour with Sofia

Unknown

29 September 2023

It was wonderful to be educated about Sintra's historical features by someone as passionate about the area as Sofia. She provided deep background on Monserrat and on the convent that reflected her continuing interest, and she clearly enjoyed sharing her love for these topics with us. She also directed us to lunch at a local restaurant with delicious food and a wonderful view. We give her our highest recommendation. John and Mary Wonderful experience with Sofia!

robert🇺🇸 United States

28 September 2023

Sofia provided us with a full day of interesting information on all topics Sintra- history, culture, architecture, and flora and fauna. Her love of Sintra and Portugal is contagious. She is a pleasure to spend the day with. If Sofia is available, you will want her as your guide. Knowledgeable and fun.

Samantha🇸🇬 Singapore

16 August 2023

Sofia was a great guide in “going with the flow” and free styling an amazing tour for us at short notice. We weren’t interested in wasting time in long queues so she took us to beautiful scenic areas between Cascais and Sintra. Convent was a highlight! Sofia was wide knowledge and experience. We had a great time. She was able to fit our large luggage into her car and even dropped us to our new hotel at the end of the tour. Highly recommend!Sintra Coastline Go with the Sofia Flow!

Tami🇺🇸 United States

22 July 2023

Sofia was an amazing guide and really went above and beyond with the tour. She was very communicative, personable, and tailored the tour to our interests. Sofia was extremely knowledgeable and had such an amazing, personal perspective of Sintra. We learned so much about Quinta da Regaleira and the Palace of Montserrate. I highly recommend a tour with Sofia!! Sofia is amazing!

Lynne🇺🇸 United States

7 July 2023

Sophia is extremely knowledgeable, enthusiastic and entertaining. She has a vast amount of information about Portugal, the history, people, landscape and more. Sophia will customize your tour to meet your interests and needs. She is a pleasure to spend time with!Wonderful experience

Tricia🇬🇧 United Kingdom

17 June 2023

Sofia was a wonderful guide from the moment I made contact. I told her what we (a group of three friends), were interested in and she came up with the perfect itinerary to suit our needs. Her depth of knowledge is equal to her genuine love and pride in her country and specifically Sintra and its natural surrounds. She had such an infectious energy and passion that I think we would have followed her anywhere! Put your trust in her to create the perfect program for you and you will not be disappointed. We had a balance of seeing the castle, having the best local fish lunch by the sea, and exploring the hidden away natural wonder of the monastery. As I said, a perfect day all around and one that we will remember for a long time to come.Brilliant, magical day with Sofia

Lena🇺🇸 United States

13 June 2023

The best tour! Sofia was very knowledgeable, friendly and easy going. We had a wonderful time and learned a lot. I highly recommend her tours. Sintra with Sofia

Elizabeth🇺🇸 United States

19 May 2023

We enjoyed our tour so much. Sofia is a “Renaissance” woman who speaks knowledgeably about most anything—in our case, not only ancient history and Moorish architecture, but also botany and whatever the study of butterflies is. A highlight of our trip. Multidimensional Tour

Unknown

19 May 2023

Sofia is a traveler’s best friend. She is a fount of information about Sintra - its history both recent and extended as well as it’s natural history. Sofia met my needs for safety and comfort. She brings passion and energy to her guidance.Fun & Informative

Juliana🇺🇸 United States

23 March 2023

It was such a pleasure to spend the day with Sofia seeing Sintra! Our day was off to a bit of a rocky start – a badly sprained ankle (on my part) and a jet lagged baby made for a late beginning and some extra crying as we got to Sintra. But Sofia was flexible and made our day amazing nonetheless. She knew so much about the area and the places we visited, and knew how to engage our 3 year old. Would absolutely recommend her to anyone. Such a lovely outing!

Grace🇺🇸 United States

12 March 2023

We really enjoyed our day with Sofia… You can just tell how much she loves Sintra and all the unique history, culture and beauty it has to offer. Our 5-hour tour was just the right pace and mix of highlights for us. We don’t really love the tourist traps and Sofia did a great job of mixing things up so we got to experience some of that but also just take in the area as a local would… Highly recommend! Sofia loves Sintra and shows off her town

Jacob🇺🇸 United States

15 December 2022

We had the best time on our tour with Sofia in Sintra. Sofia is so knowledgeable about all things Sintra and you can tell she really loves her home! Sofia gave us a very detailed tour of the Quinta da Regaleira ( which was our favorite) drove us through the mountains of Sintra and finished the tour with a stop in Cabo da Roca. Our trip to Sintra with Sofia was one of our favorite parts of our trip to Portugal! Great tour!

Steven🇺🇸 United States

11 November 2022

Sophia was an excellent hostess. She is very friendly passionate about her country and Sintra. She is a wealth of knowledge about the area. We had a great mix of history with the palace along with nature and the mountain. She has been in travel many years and can share her own personal stories and suggestions of world travel. She feels more like a trusted travel companion then a tour guide. Highly recommend her as your hostess for this experience. Thank you Sintra

Penny🇺🇸 United States

6 November 2022

Sofía is very knowledgeable and friendly. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with her and would highly recommend her!Excellent Guide

Helen🇺🇸 United States

27 October 2022

Sofia was absolutely lovely. She was nice, high-energy, and filled with interesting information about the town's history and present. It was rainy, so we couldn't do the original planned hike, but Sofia came up with a great alternative tour and we had a wonderful time, finding out all sorts of things and going places we never would have gone on our own. Our children (7, 10, and 13) had a great time, too. Thank you, Sofia! Wonderful time in Sintra

Ray🇺🇸 United States

26 October 2022

Sofia grew up in Sintra. She customized a great tour for us. After asking what we were interested in, she arranged a very detailed tour of Quinta da Regaleira and Convent of the Capuchos. Her personalized stories made for a great day. She also picked a nice restaurant for lunch and took us to Cabo da Roca. At her recommendation, we hit Pena Palace on our own. She just felt that although Pena Palace is worth a visit, she did feel very passionate about it. Before it was colorfully painted about 30 years ago, it was not a very big attraction. Sofia, the Sintra Expert

Lisa🇺🇸 United States

20 October 2022

Besides having an expert command of English (among several languages she speaks) Sophia has a love for the detailed information and history that makes a tour special. Her knowledge of architecture, botonny, history and local lore made the walking tour the highlight of our trip to Portugal. Both my husband and I felt that when we return to Portugal, our first call will be to Sofia Beyond Fabulous