Lisbon to Sintra Train Tickets: A 5-Step Guide

Most people sort out Sintra by train in five decisions. Where to start, which ticket, where to buy it, how to get from the station to the palaces, and how to book Pena. This guide takes them in that order. It ends with the case where a tour is easier.

Prices and rules below come from CP, Parques de Sintra and the 434 bus operator, read on 21 October 2026. The timetable is dated, as step 1 explains.

Step 1: Start at Rossio

The CP Sintra line leaves from Lisboa Rossio, Oriente and Entrecampos, according to Parques de Sintra. CP's own Discover Sintra page starts the trip at Rossio, the station in the city centre.

CP's full timetable for the Sintra line is the only full one CP lists for the line, and it says "valid since June 30, 2024". It lists Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. On those days a train leaves Rossio every 30 minutes, at 1 and 31 minutes past the hour from 06:01. The 06:01 reaches Sintra at 06:41, which is 40 minutes. It does not list weekdays, so check your own date on cp.pt before you go.

Step 2: Choose your Lisbon to Sintra train tickets

For a day trip the return is the cheapest. CP's price table, in force since 1 January 2026, lists a Lisbon to Sintra return at €5.10. Here are the other ways to pay.

The tourist pass is loaded on a navegante occasional card, which costs €0.50 more. It pays off only if you ride the Cascais line the same day, because the return already covers Sintra for €1.60 less. Carris says the Lisboa Card gives free use of the Sintra and Cascais CP lines. It is worth buying for the sights, not for this one trip.

Key Takeaway The €5.10 return is €1.60 cheaper than CP's €6.70 tourist pass, so use the pass only if you add the Cascais line.

Step 3: Buy the ticket before you board

For Lisbon urban trains, CP lists ticket offices at stations, automatic vending machines and Multibanco, which only loads tickets. For other train types the same page also lists the CP app and an online office. It does not list them here. You must hold a valid ticket before boarding. CP's Lisbon tickets page says to validate it every time you travel, and that fines apply if you do not.

There is one exception. If your station and the 200 metres around it have no sales point, you can buy from the inspector in cash.

Pro Tip Buy your return at the machine the evening before. Then the morning is just walking to the platform, and you can book Pena for the first slot.

Step 4: Get from Sintra station to the palaces

At Sintra, Parques de Sintra names bus 434 as the way from the station to the Moorish Castle and Pena. The operator's website says the 434 runs every day from 8:50 to 18:40, about every 10 minutes, and that the last departure leaves Pena at 19:08. Its page contradicts itself on that last time, with another answer giving 19:00.

The same page says a 24-hour hop-on hop-off day ticket costs €13.50 per person, with 8% off online, and covers buses 434 and 435 but not palace entry. It also says the Lisboa Card does not work on them. The park operator gives 10 to 15 minutes from the station to the National Palace in the town, and buses 434 and 435 also stop there.

Pena is not open to private cars. Once through the park entrance, it takes about 30 minutes to reach the palace, because the way up is steep. A shuttle between entrance and palace costs €4.50 round trip, and it must be bought in advance.

Step 5: Book Pena, then decide whether a tour is easier

Pena is the step that goes wrong. Parques de Sintra lets you into the palace only on the date and time you booked, and says "there is no delay tolerance". Arrive after your slot and you cannot enter, and the ticket cannot be refunded. Arrive early and you cannot enter either. The time on the ticket is the palace entry, not the park entry. Online tickets can be rescheduled free within one year.

The park opens at 9:00 and the palace at 9:30 and closes at 18:30. The Essential visit costs €20 for an adult, and a park-only ticket costs €12. The operator says the afternoon is at the moment the quieter time at the palace, so use the morning for the park.

Things to Do in Lisbon's count of GetYourGuide listings in October 2026 found 63 Sintra listings. The Pena Palace ticket was the busiest, with 106 bookings on the day before our 19 October count. The next, a day tour, had 58.

The Pena Palace and Park entrance ticket is from €12 per person on GetYourGuide, rated 4.3 from 21,966 reviews. It lists the Pena Palace and Park and the Chalet of the Countess of Edla, with an audio guide, and is non-refundable. Parques de Sintra's own list has €12 for the park alone and €20 for the palace, so check which option you pick and choose your time slot there.

The Moorish Castle skip-the-line ticket is from €12 per person, rated 4.6 from 3,638 reviews. It excludes transport to the castle, which is a stop on bus 434. It is non-refundable.

For a day without logistics, the half-day Sintra tour with Pena Palace and Regaleira is from €79 per person, rated 4.9 from 1,297 reviews. It takes 5.5 hours, uses an air-conditioned people carrier, has up to 8 people, and offers pickup. It starts at a shop next to the Hard Rock Cafe in Lisbon. Free cancellation runs until 24 hours before. It excludes the €10 Pena terraces ticket and the €20 Quinta da Regaleira entrance, so it is a guided visit of the terraces, not the palace interior.

If you want two unhurried days, stay the night. Live Sintra Boutique Guest House has 8 rooms and is about 580 metres from the station, rated 9.0 on Booking.com from 159 reviews. Lawrences Hotel is in the centre of Sintra, a four-minute walk from the National Palace, rated 8.1 from 199 reviews, both as shown on 21 October 2026.

For more day trips, see our Sintra tickets and day trips from Lisbon page.

A day trip goes wrong at the first fixed time, not at the last.

When a tour is the wrong choice

A tour is the wrong choice if you want the palace interior and a time of your own choosing. The half-day tour excludes the Pena terraces ticket and Regaleira entry, and it gives you a guided visit of the terraces. The train is the wrong choice if you travel with a lot of luggage or limited mobility, since the bus and the climb at Pena add steps.