Quinta da Regaleria, Sintra, Portugal

8:30:00 AM Out And About Global 1 Comments

The Regalaria only received one star from Rick Steves', but it was probably my favorite thing we saw in Sintra. The house itself is small and only worth about 30 minutes, but the lush grounds, filled with grottos, benches, ponds and towers, are great. Built between 1904-1910 by Carvalho Monteiro it is a quirky mix of several styles. The exterior of the house with its arches and pinnacles is ornate Gothic. Hidden within the gardens are the symbols of Masonry, Alchemy, and Knights Templar, ideas Monteiro believed in.

The Details
Quinta da Regaleria
Address: Quinta da Regaleria 2710-567 Sintra, Portugal
Hours: 10am-8:00pm/high season; 10am-5pm/low season
Cost: €6 adults, €4 youth, €3 children, €18 family
Time: 2 hours
Tip: Bring a flash light

The garden is huge and you could really spend several hours wandering through it. You don't go far before you come across a water feature, tower, statue, or staircase. We were a little pressed for time as we arrived late in the day, but to be honest, 2 hours was the limit of my children's attention span for green space. If left to my own, I could have spent more time.

This well was a lot of fun. After spiraling down 80 feet you are brought to dark tunnels that lead to...you're not really sure. We used our cell phones as flash lights to guide us until we reached a pool of water with stepping stones across it. It is so bizarre, but fun! The well and tunnels are supposed to represent heaven meeting the earth, and death & resurrection. There is a lot of symbology that I didn't get.