Less than an hour from Portugal’s capital city, Lisbon, Sintra should be on everyone’s list of places to visit as an awesome day trip from Lisbon. With unique castles and beautiful palaces set within the wonderful natural scenery of the National Park, this fairytale destination is built for the postcard perfect photo. Explore my 20 favourite photos from my day in Sintra to discover just why you need to visit, you can find more information on to help plan the perfect 24 hours in Sintra here.
Sintra: My Top 20 Photos
Sintra: My Top Photography Tips
Sintra can get very busy as coaches full of day trippers arrive eager to check out this beautiful area. The early bird therefore definitely catches the worm and I would suggest getting to Pena Palace as soon as it opens (especially in peak Summer) so you can get your shots without hundreds of other tourists in the background. The softer light of the morning also reduces any pesky shadows.
With such amazing landscapes to photograph, consider bringing along a wide angle lens for your camera so you can capture the amazing architecture set against the lush greenery of the national park behind. Set the f number on your camera relatively high to retain the detail of the background (unless this is the effect you are going for).
As you will likely be walking around all day exploring the parks, palaces and castles of Sintra, carefully evaluate the equipment you bring along. You don’t want to lug a heavy lens around all day but on the other hand you don’t want to discover you’ve forgotten to bring an additional battery when you get to the High Cross viewpoint. I would recommend bringing your everyday lens (with some zoom capabilities, an 18-55mm should suffice), a wide angle lens and a lightweight tripod. As always pack at least one spare battery and memory card!
Find out more…
Sintra Tourist Board – https://www.visitportugal.com/sintra
