Plenty, and most of it is free. The cliff walks at Cabo da Roca, Azenhas do Mar and its rock pool, the forest tracks of the serra, the old town and its pastries, and the tram to Praia das Maçãs for €5. Two of the ticketed sites are not palace visits: Monserrate is a garden with a palace in it, and the Capuchos is a convent of cork cells in the forest.
The jeep tours are built for this: viewpoints, forest tracks, the coast, lunch in Colares, with the palaces from the outside. The list, with costs and buses, is below the tours.
Tours off the palace circuit
Three jeep days that spend the afternoon on the serra and the coast. The full comparison, and the tuk-tuks for the short version, are in the chips above.
Mr. Local Tours · 5.0/5 · 144 reviews
A classic jeep or a vintage car, private, from the station
No tickets in the price; monuments from the viewpoints. Private jeep or vintage car with a local driver-guide. Lunch extra.
From €60 per adult · “Meeting Point in Sintra”
Wonder Van · 4.9/5 · 36 reviews
A shared UMM jeep with the Pena park ticket, Regaleira to finish
Pena park ticket included; rooms not. Regaleira ticket bought with the group on the day. Classic UMM jeep, guide at the wheel. Lunch extra.
From €117 per adult · “1 - Meeting Location in Sintra”
Flamingo Experiences · 5.0/5 · 30 reviews
The off-road one: Regaleira, the forest tracks, two beaches, Cascais
No tickets in the price; Regaleira ticket at the gate. Snacks, water, ginja, a Polaroid, blankets and sunscreen on board. Lunch extra.
From €79 per adult · “Sintra Jeep Safari”
All 4 compared: Jeep and 4x4 tours in Sintra →Bookings go through Viator at the same price; we earn a commission.
Why we would book one
- The serra’s tracks and Adraga are the part of Sintra no bus reaches; the jeep does them in an afternoon.
- Nothing to book ahead: Mr. Local and Cintra Local see the palaces from viewpoints; Wonder Van includes the Pena park ticket and buys Regaleira’s on the day; Flamingo adds Regaleira at the gate.
- From €60 per person private, €79 shared; Cintra Local puts lunch in Colares in the middle.
On your own: the list
What there is off the palace circuit, how to reach it without a car, and what it costs.
| Place | How to get there | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| Bus 1253 from Sintra station, about 41 minutes | Free. The cross, the 140-metre cliff, the walk north along the edge, and the way down to Praia da Ursa for the sure-footed. Come at five. | |
| Bus 1254 from Portela de Sintra, 35 minutes | Free. The white village on the cliff and the rock pool at its foot; a fish restaurant at water level. | |
| From Sintra, 45 minutes, spring to summer | €5 adult, €2.50 for ages 7 to 18 and over 65, on board. The ride is the outing; the beach has cafés. | |
| Bus 435 from the station, on the €13.50 pass | €12, one ticket for park and palace, no slots. Most of the visit is the garden; the palace takes 30 minutes. | |
| Taxi or car; the nearest bus stop is a 40-minute walk | €11. Cork-lined cells in the forest, an hour, no queues. Agree the return with the taxi driver. | |
| From Portela de Sintra or the old town | From €60 per person private, €79 shared: forest tracks, hidden viewpoints, Adraga or Azenhas, the cape. | |
| From São Pedro or the old town | Free. The Santa Maria trail from São Pedro to the Moorish Castle gate, 1.8 km and about an hour uphill by the Parques de Sintra figure; the path past Vila Sassetti from the old town to the Pena park gate in under an hour, steep and shaded. | |
| Pena park ticket, Monserrate, Regaleira | Pena’s park and outer terraces on the €12 park ticket, no rooms; Monserrate’s garden and palace on one €12 ticket; Regaleira’s garden, tunnels and well for €20 with a timed slot. | |
| On foot from the station, ten to fifteen minutes | Free. The National Palace square, the streets, a travesseiro at Piriquita; the walk on to Regaleira and the tram stop. |
- Return train from Rossio
- €5.10
- Tram to Praia das Maçãs
- €5
- Monserrate
- €12
- Capuchos
- €11
- Cabo da Roca, Azenhas, the old town
- €0
- Tickets, tram and train, per adult
- €33.10
Before the Carris Metropolitana bus fares, the €13.50 bus pass for Monserrate, the taxi to the Capuchos and lunch.
If you want the serra and the coast in one afternoon rather than three buses, the jeeps above do exactly that; a tuk-tuk from the station does the hill’s viewpoints in an hour or two.
Bus times from the Carris Metropolitana open API, read Sep 18, 2026; the tram from the municipal notice of May 2026, read Sep 18, 2026; tickets and hours from Parques de Sintra, checked Aug 29, 2026. The places from our own visits.
What to change if
- You have already done the palaces
- The coast day: bus 1253 to the cape, the walk north, then Azenhas do Mar, and back to Sintra for a late train. Or a jeep and let someone else drive the tracks.
- You want somewhere quiet
- The Capuchos on a weekday, and Monserrate at four in the afternoon, the monument where you walk straight in.
- You are with kids
- The tram to Praia das Maçãs and the beach, or a tuk-tuk from the station past the palaces without going in. Not the cliff path at the cape.
- It rains
- The old town and its cafés, Regaleira’s tunnels and Pena’s rooms. The cape is for a dry, windy day.
Questions
Is Sintra worth visiting if I skip the palaces?
Yes, for the coast and the serra: Cabo da Roca, Azenhas do Mar, the beaches and the forest tracks are free or close to it, and quieter than the hill. Give it an afternoon by bus, or a day by jeep.
What can I do in Sintra without monument tickets?
The cape, Azenhas do Mar, the cliff walks, the old town, the walk down from the castle gate to the town, and the tram ride to the beach for €5. Monserrate’s garden and the Capuchos are the two tickets worth adding.
Can I see the serra without a car?
The edges of it: bus 1253 crosses to the cape and the 435 reaches Monserrate. The tracks in the middle, the viewpoints and the Capuchos need a jeep tour, a taxi or your own car.
Where do the jeeps go?
The forest roads and viewpoints of the serra and the palaces from outside on all four; Azenhas do Mar on Mr. Local’s and Cintra Local’s, Praia da Adraga off-road on Flamingo’s and Cintra Local’s, lunch in Colares on Cintra Local’s; two end in Cascais. The jeep page compares four.