Walking Lisbon: The hills of Sintra

The hills of Sintra are home to some of the most lavish, beautiful and extravagant palaces in Portugal.

The most popular two by far, and easiest to access, are the Palace of Pena (Palacio Nacional da Pena), and Sintra's Town Palace (Palacio Nacional da Vila de Sintra).

The Town Palace, in the town centre, is extremely well preserved and boasts some extraordinary rooms, ranging from a gold-encrusted reception covered in paintings, to a kitchen that lies beneath two very tall conical chimneys.

Not so old, but no less impressive, is the Palace of Pena, which is best reached on the Scott URB bus, with a hop-on hop-off day ticket.

The palace is perched high on a hill above the central square of the town, and attracts hundreds of visitors filing slowly around its corridors to glimpse the interiors of the royal bedrooms.

The palace was originally a chapel in the middle ages, before becoming a monastery in the early 16th century. However, its spectacular transformation came when it was bought by the King-Consort Don Fernando II in 1838, who decided to create a palace and grounds that reflected many different historic styles and the finest Portuguese craftsmanship.

Many of the exterior walls are covered in patterned tiles with Moorish-style domes.

The interior is just as impressive, featuring a tiled dining room, reception rooms with beautiful views over the surrounding green hills, as well as the original vaulted cloisters featuring a tiled courtyard.

The palace may be busy thanks to it being a feature of the Lisbon tourist trail, but the grounds are far less visited, despite being recognised as a World Heritage site .

This is where holidaymakers looking for an active break can spend a long afternoon, as the park is packed with trees and plants from all over the world, landscaped trails, rocky viewpoints and some challenging climbs.

Highlights include giant redwood trees, other huge trees with J-shaped base branches (Thuja plicata) and tree ferns from Australia and New Zealand.

One of the best views can be had from the Queens' Throne, set among gigantic mountain boulders, where you can take in the palace, thousands of dark green tree tops, and on a clear day see all the way to the coast.

The area below the palace is also worth exploring, where there are a series of linked ponds which have black swans, ducks and lots of impressively large carp.

And if your legs will still carry you, the Moorish Castle is very close. The restored walls are perfect for taking in views of almost all the Sintra region. On a clear day you can even see as far as Lisbon.

For more information on visiting Sintra in Portugal see the Portuguese Tourist Board website.