One week in Lisbon, Sintra and Cascais

This suggested week uses Lisbon as a single base and gives Sintra and Cascais one day each. It is designed for a trip with roughly five full sightseeing days between arrival and departure. Swap the order around your bookings and opening calendars; if the flights leave you more time, spend it in a favourite neighbourhood rather than adding another distant stop.

Before you assign dates

Book accommodation, then the attraction with the least flexible entry. If that is Pena Palace, start there. Its interior has a timed slot; arriving at the park entrance at that time is too late. Parques de Sintra advises allowing around thirty minutes between the park entrance and the palace interior. The Pena planning guide explains the visit in more detail.

Put any other museum calendars beside that booking before allocating the days below. This is a route proposal, not a diary of a week I personally followed. The photographs come from my Lisbon and coast archive.

Day 1: arrive and find the river

After settling in, follow whichever part of the Rossio-to-river route fits the time left. Baixa and Praça do Comércio give you a clear introduction to the centre. Stop for dinner near a route you already understand and save the hillier streets for tomorrow.

If the flight arrives late, reduce this to a meal near your room. It is easier to move a walk than to recover an evening spent crossing the city with luggage. The airport guide is the useful first read for this day.

Day 2: Alfama and two viewpoints

Make the morning an Alfama walk, starting high enough to let the route descend. Santa Luzia and Portas do Sol can be the viewpoint pair. Between them, take the time to follow the lanes instead of moving from terrace to terrace by transport.

After lunch, choose an interior that interests you or continue into the lower centre. Leave the opposite side of the city for another day. If you want an evening activity, make that the day’s one fixed appointment and keep the afternoon nearby.

Day 3: Belém and the Tagus

Give Belém the main part of the day. The river route combines outdoor stops with room for a chosen interior. Decide on that interior before travelling, since its opening day and ticket arrangements determine how the outing fits together.

Spend the remaining time along the river or return to central Lisbon for a quiet evening. Belém and Sintra are separate excursions in this itinerary; placing both in the same day would leave very little time for the visits themselves.

Day 4: one main Sintra visit

Travel from Lisbon on the Sintra line. The park authority names Rossio, Oriente and Entrecampos as departure options; choose the connection that fits your base. Once there, build the day around one booked attraction, with lunch and the town as the flexible parts.

Choose Pena for the palace-and-park visit or Quinta da Regaleira if that is the garden you most want to explore. You can use the one-attraction Sintra itinerary for either approach. Check the local transport route to your chosen entrance; private vehicles are restricted on the Pena approach.

Day 5: Cascais and time on the coast

Take the Cascais line from Cais do Sodré and follow the Cascais town-and-coast guide. Keep the station and town walk as the centre of the plan. For an indoor stop, the museum-quarter walk helps you choose a collection without stringing several museums together.

Choose how much coastline you want after lunch, based on weather and the walk back. A slower meal and a short waterfront stroll are a complete version of this day. If you would rather see the coast through successive small stops, use the coastal train-day guide instead.

Day 6: keep a movable Lisbon day

Leave this day available for a missed museum, Chiado or a return to the street you liked most. If you want a different view of the city, cross from Cais do Sodré to Cacilhas and use the Cacilhas afternoon guide. Check the current TTSL departure and return timetable before setting off.

This is also the day to move earlier in the week if a venue’s calendar makes it useful. Resist booking every hour in advance. A week feels more comfortable with one day that can absorb rain, tired legs or a place you want to revisit.

Day 7: departure, with a short local morning

Work back from the departure journey. If there is time, choose breakfast and one nearby walk; keep luggage collection on the same route. Do not add a ferry or an out-of-town visit merely because there is an empty space on the itinerary.

If you have seven full days in addition to travel, add a second Sintra day using the two-day Sintra guide, or give Lisbon another museum morning. Keep the same principle: each day should have a clear geographical centre, with the journey home included.

Sources & visitor information

Destination information checked on 4 October 2026. Use the linked venue or authority for current access and booking details.

• Getting to Sintra’s monuments · Parques de Sintra ↗
• Pena Palace entry timing · Parques de Sintra ↗
• Visitor information · Visit Cascais ↗
• River timetables · TTSL ↗