Things to do in Lisbon, Sintra & Central Portugal

In Belém, the Manueline-carved Belém Tower and the caravel-shaped Monument to the Discoveries line the river, the Jerónimos Monastery holds the tombs of Vasco da Gama and the poet Luís de Camões, and Pastéis de Belém has baked its custard tarts by hand since 1837, with the gilded Coach of the Oceans at the National Coach Museum and the riverside MAAT close by. Historic Tram 28 climbs from Martim Moniz through Graça, stopping near the Graça Viewpoint and the eleven-towered São Jorge Castle, whose ticket includes a guided camera obscura visit; LX Factory fills a former industrial complex under the 25 de Abril Bridge with shops and street art, the Lisbon Oceanarium shows more than 500 species, and an orange ferry crosses the Tagus from Cais do Sodré to Cacilhas. In Sintra, bus 434 links the colourful Pena Palace and the 10th-century Moorish Castle, Quinta da Regaleira surrounds its Neo-Manueline palace with mysterious gardens, the National Palace of Sintra is crowned by two conical kitchen chimneys, and Cabo da Roca marks the westernmost point of continental Europe beside one of Portugal's oldest lighthouses. Further afield, Mafra National Palace holds a single-room library of about 30,000 volumes, the Gothic Batalha and Alcobaça monasteries pair well on one day trip, the Convent of Christ in Tomar shows the round Charola church, and in the Christmas season the walled town of Óbidos becomes the Óbidos Christmas Village.

Good to knowBelém Tower, the Jerónimos Monastery and the National Coach Museum are closed on Mondays and MAAT on Tuesdays, Jerónimos entry is booked by date and time, and booking the Lisbon Oceanarium online gives a discount. Pena Palace tickets are for a set date and time and private cars cannot reach the palace, so take bus 434 from Sintra station, which also serves the Moorish Castle; for Tram 28, board at the Martim Moniz terminus for a better chance of a seat. Mafra National Palace is closed on Tuesdays and its basilica is shut for restoration, and some terraces and cloisters of the Convent of Christ in Tomar are closed for conservation work, so check access on arrival.