Castelo Dos Mouros

What a great way to spend a day exploring history!
You can walk the winding road upwards… but be careful of the buses on the road… they take up a lot of space. I suggest taking the 434 bus to the castle, they even have a pass for all of the palaces for tourists. This castle is nestled upon the hills of Sintra offering amazing views from every view point available. Wear comfy shoes, because you will be climbing a lot of stairs, winding around, up and down. But well worth the visit!
Take a 360 look around and just be amazed at what you see.

I really enjoyed this place! Lots of stairs to climb, but the castle itself is very cool AND there’s a great view of Sintra! Highly recommend exploring, and make sure you buy tickets online to save money! There’s the 434 bus that takes you up here from the Sintra train station, and I highly highly highly suggest taking that! Definitely come here if you’re in Sintra! It was probably my favorite place in Sintra.

If you are in Lisbon and can spare a day, I highly recommend a trip to Sintra and the Castle of the Moors.
From Lisbon, its less than an hour train ride from Rossio station. When you get out of the station, follow the people up the hill to the center of town. There are tons of things to see and do in Sintra, which is why I recommend a full day here, but I’ll focus on the Castle, which is a Unesco World Heritage site.
There’s a 434 bus that drives in a loop to some of the major attractions. You might be tempted to walk — don’t. The bus is only 5 Euros, and the road is all uphill and incredibly twisty. Plus, you will do a lot of climbing and walking once you get to the top.
The castle was constructed during the 8^th century, with many additions and renovations since that time. Its astounding to think people over 1200 years ago had the technology and skills to create something so massive on the top of a mountain!
Where the bus drops you off, you purchase a ticket, and begin your walk up the hill to the top. The views are scenic, and there are several places where you can sit to rest or just enjoy the amazing scenery.
Climb the tops of the towers. You will be rewarded with amazing views of the mountains and countryside, and will see some of the other attractions like the Palace of Pena.

Ruins of a former castle/​fort set up high in the mountains with breathtaking views. The climbs will reward you will great views to the city below and over to Pena Palace. My kids loved exploring the ruins. Full trip report and photos if you need on
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Beautiful castle fortress way up high in the hills of Sintra. You’re so high up you can see the Atlantic Ocean from the top. The fortress of this Moorish castle are fascinating to explore but very exhausting. I can only recommend visiting if you’re in good physical shape because it is rather steep in spots. If you’re in top shape and want to visit, you’ll be happy you did. An extremely comfortable pair of sneakers is highly recommended for the hike. Also, it’s quite a bit cooler and windy up here so because to bring a sweatshirt as well.

Deux routards pour le fameux guide mais ceci avant la rénovation du lieu.
On accède au château des maures à pied depuis la Pena par le parc accro-​branches. 10 min de marche maximum. Le château des maures avec ses murailles, sa citadelle, sa place d’armes ravira petits et grands. Belle vue sur la ville de Sintra et son Palais royal et aussi sur la Pena.
On peut accéder à toutes les tours et marcher sur les murailles.
Pour revenir à la gare de Sintra, on peut reprendre le chemin par les bois, chemin de randonnée (20 min de marche) ou reprendre le bus devant le château de la Pena.

If you’re in Lisbon, DO NOT pass up the chance to go to Sintra.
First of all, it’s so convenient to get there by train from Lisbon. Takes about 50 minutes and trains leave every half hour on weekends fom Rossio train station. When we got to Sintra, we weren’t sure where to go. Guides may offer tour packages but politely decline and just follow the crowd that gets off the train. Everyone’s going to the same place, pretty much. From the Sintra train station, just go out and walk a few minutes to the bus stop. The 434 bus takes you on a loop to most of Sitnra’s highlights and only costs 5 Euro.
That’s how we made it to Castelo dos Mouros. The castle ruins are amazing … but what makes this experience spectacular are the unparalleled views of Sintra below. Just picture perfect and breathtaking.
You can buy tickets here for this site and for other Sintra spots to save time (we bought a pass for Palacio de Pena here as well)

A fabulous fort steeped in history built high up in the hills. If you are game you can walk up here from the town centre of Sintra and it’s a good uphill walk but worth doing. You pass through some amazing small villages, scenery and so on along the way. If I recall correctly it took us about 90 mins to walk up the hill.
If you like history and castles /​forts you will enjoy this place. See my photos for an appreciation of the view and the history. If you are in Sintra for a day you have to visit this place.