Sintra is one of Portugal's most visited destinations for good reason. UNESCO World Heritage status since 1995 recognises a unique cultural landscape — a hilltop town in the Serra de Sintra where 19th-century Romanticist palaces, Moorish fortifications, and 18th-century Masonic estates coexist in a forest that clings to the Atlantic hills. Byron, who visited in 1809, called it "glorious Eden." On a misty morning with the castles emerging from the clouds, you will understand exactly why.

The town sits 30km northwest of Lisbon in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, accessible by direct train from Rossio station (40 minutes, €2.35) — one of the great value rail journeys in Portugal. The historic centre is a 5-minute uphill walk from the station. Tuk-tuks and vintage Volkswagen Beetles are available for the steeper approaches to the palaces.

Timing matters in Sintra. Mid-week arrivals and early starts (before 10am) transform the experience. Pena Palace can have queues of 200 people by 11am in summer; arrive at opening and you'll have the first hour of the ramparts almost alone. The best Sintra experience is three hours of early-morning palace visits followed by lunch in the old town and an afternoon drive to Cabo da Roca for the sunset.

For surfers staying in Ericeira (30 minutes north), Sintra is the default rest-day option. The palaces and Cabo da Roca make for a rich half-day before an evening session at Foz do Lizandro. The Atlantic beaches between Sintra and Cabo da Roca — Praia Grande, Praia das Maçãs — are also world-class surf and swim spots in their own right.