Palacio da Pena

Discovering Sintra and Cascais

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December 26th 2008
We had a much earlier start the next day. We had reserved a tour guide who could take us to Sintra and Lisbon’s western coast. Sintra is located roughly half hour northwest of Lisbon, on the slopes of the granite Serra. The town was a summer retreat for the kings of Portugal and was recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1995. Our guide, Pedro (a redhead in Portugal?) picked us up at the ... read more

Europe » Portugal » Lisbon & Tagus Valley » Sintra

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Following its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil a... ... read more