October 2018

So many people recommended we visit the town of Sintra while we were in Lisbon, and I wish we’d spent more time there! It truly is a beautiful, charming town full of old palaces and Moorish castles perched high atop leafy green mountains. People will tell you it’s a 40-minute trip from Lisbon… IT’S NOT! It’s about 45m on the train (or via car) just from Lisbon city center to Sintra town center! Give yourself at least 1.5 hours to get to any of the sites… Getting there for us was an epic fail involving a very Frodo/Samwise climbing up Mount Doom type situation, but at least we have a crazy story to share with friends now! 🙂 My advice? Neither walk, nor run up to the castles from Sintra center. Take a bus. Or taxi. Or anything on wheels 🙂 Links to the best Sintra itineraries below, along with one hilarious story of how we got there – so read on if you want a good laugh!

Many of you have asked for tips on how to pack for trips like Portugal, where you’re just as likely to chill at a sidewalk cafe or coastal beach as you are to wander around a centuries’ old palace amidst narrow, winding cobblestone lanes… Sharing some tips on where to shop all the outfit styles I wore on this trip (lots of flowy dresses + wide leg pants!), along with links to some of my current favorite finds to inspire your next vacation wardrobe refresh below! SHOP THE POST