Casa Mario

The Casa Mario is a 3-bedroom house in a central Sintra neighborhood. The stone house is in a quiet, residential neighborhood, but close to shops and restaurants.

Set on one level, the Casa Mario consists of a comfortable living room with TV, an elegant dining room, and a spacious well-equipped kitchen with gas range, dishwasher, microwave, and washing machine. There are three bedrooms, one with two single beds, one with a double and one with an extra wide queen bed. The bathroom has a shower.

There is a small patio behind the house with tables and chairs.

The train station is about ten minutes away by foot. There are a number of shops and restaurants within a five to ten minute walk. The historic center of Sintra with its National Palace is about a 25 minute walk or a 20 minute bus ride.

There is a large free parking lot about a quarter mile away. Nearby there is free parking when available, but there is no dedicated parking space.

WiFi speed as of 4/30/21 122 Mbps Down/20 Mbps Up

The town of Sintra has something for everyone: decadent palaces, quiet cobblestone streets, and gorgeous parks. Its location is excellent as well because it is just a short drive or bus ride to the expansive Portuguese beaches and a direct train connection into cosmopolitan Lisbon.

Its natural beauty, pleasant climate, and proximity to the capital made it a favored resort among the nobility and the royal family. Today it is a popular tourist destination, primarily for the stately 15th century National Palace and the whimsical 19th century Pena Palace. Day visitors often miss other monuments such as the foreboding 9th century Castle of the Moors and the 19th century Monserrate Palace, a masterpiece of Moorish Revival architecture.

Central Sintra, is made up of three parts, Vila Velha, Estefânia, and São Pedro.

The Vila Velha, or old town, is the historic part of Sintra. The Palácio Nacional, a magnificent white edifice in the heart of the town, is a stunning example of a harmonious blend of architectural styles. The bustling town is literally at its doorstep. Tiny cafés serving the Sintra specialty, queijadas, delicious cheese cakes, and hot coffee abound, and there are a maze of quaint streets to meander. The old town is close to several other major areas of interest, including the Moorish castle perched on the hill overlooking Sintra, the stunning Pena Palace, and the lush, unique gardens of Monserrate.

The São Pedro quarter is close by and is best known for its bimonthly Sunday market. This market sells fresh produce, cheese, meats and much more. They even sell pão chouriço, spicy sausage tucked in fresh dough and baked on an open fire. There are many restaurants in the area as well.

Estefânia is the area around the Sintra train station. Trains to Lisbon and other parts of Portugal regularly come and go. There are excellent restaurants in the area, mostly patronized by locals, and the city market has an abundance of butchers, florists and produce vendors.

Sintra has a good local bus transportation system. There are also plenty of taxis and Uber drivers.

Sintra has frequent trains to and from Lisbon’s central Rossio station . The ride takes about 50 minutes. Connections to other destinations are often made at the Entrecampos station which is about 30 minutes away. For example, Evora can be reached in about 2 hours by changing at Entrecampos.

Sintra is close to local highways making it a practical base for seeing Central Portugal for drivers as well. For example, Evora by car takes about 1 hour 45 minutes.

For those so inclined, there are plenty of hiking possibilities in and around Sintra.

Mario is friendly, speaks good English, and is available for help if needed. And our UnTours staff person is always just a phone call away.