Through Two Tourist Hotspots: Obidos & Sintra
Portugal is on fire. TV screens are filled with graphic footage of firefighters tackling any number of wildfire blazes throughout the interior and a state of emergency has been declared in some areas. Eyes in bars are glued to the screen, with much shaking of heads. On the train journey south from Braga, we pass under a gigantic smoke cloud drifting from some of those fires towards the coast, blocking out the sun for nearly an hour of the journey.
After three changes and four trains – one of them unplanned as train number three unexpectedly aborts at Leiria – we alight at the rather remote station at Obidos which is pretty much in the middle of nowhere and not in Obidos at all. Only three other people get off the train and they all disappear down one or other of the many dirt tracks, but, remarkably given the seemingly remote location, Uber comes good and we’re soon down on the farm.
In truth, Quinta da Pegada is not really a farm any longer, but is a recent conversion to a b&b – no, it’s a conversion to a “b” not a “b&b” as they haven’t yet made a kitchen so breakfast isn’t on the agenda. There’s still a handful of animals – pigs, goats, chicken and geese – who compete for food in the same paddock and in doing so provide some entertainment with their ongoing squabbles. The building itself is 300 years old, the last third of those in the hands of the family of the current occupiers.
Obidos is in the so-cute-as-to-be-a-coach-tour-destination category, so is pretty busy during the middle part of the day, a little quieter by evening, filled with people entranced by its tiny streets leading up the hill to the castle. The castle itself is, like our quinta, also now a concession to tourism, and has been converted to two pousadas, both looking exceedingly pricey. But although the castle is out of bounds, the old city walls are intact enough to provide a lengthy walkway along the top.
It is in fact a grand if slightly precarious walk along said wall, giving great views across the red rooftops of the town and miles of surrounding countryside, together with a view of the town’s aqueduct which from this angle gives a true perspective of its impressive length. The entire aqueduct construction, commissioned by Queen Catherine of Austria in 1573, is still completely intact, though of course it has long since ceased to serve its original purpose.
Walking along the top of the ancient city walls is so good, though we can’t help but laugh at how different it would be if this was back home in England – no way would the public be allowed to complete such a walk without hefty safety barriers and a billion warnings in place, or more likely, not at all. It’s a great walk with magnificent views, even in those moments when we pass people coming in the other direction on the narrow top, smiling as we squeeze by close to the precipitous drop on our right. You go through, madam, I’ll stand here on the edge…
It’s very easy to see why Obidos is so popular; it’s an impossibly quaint and enormously photogenic town with pleasant surprises around every twist and turn in its steep cobbled streets. Avoiding the fall hazards on the slippery, chunky cobbles on slopes whilst slaloming around tons of other visitors is almost as treacherous as the top of the wall. Almost.
You can see all there is to see in Obidos in a day really, so for a different experience we head out to nearby Foz do Arelho on the coast, where the devilishly strong currents of the lagoon waters provide a chance to have some unusual fun, namely being swept out at great speed towards the Atlantic on the swirling flows. When Michaela and I find something like this, we invariably revert to being little children and for a hilarious half hour we are by far the oldest daft kids on the beach. Laughter in the sun. Love it.
Back next day to the remote Obidos train station where we are perhaps unsurprisingly the only passengers boarding the train south, the sunkissed platform all to ourselves, the on-board ticket collector grateful to have something to do. Just under two hours later we’ve transferred from one tourist hotspot to another as we wander into the town of Sintra which must rank very high on the palace-per-square-metre scale if there is such a thing.
Arriving in Sintra in the afternoon is like being late to a party: everybody else is already here. As in, roughly half the population of the world. No, it’s not quite that bad but it sure is busy on this sunny Friday – and there’s more British and American voices here than we’ve heard anywhere on this trip. “Oona granday Sirvaysa and oona vino branco please mate. And av one yerself”.
Whereas Obidos had its castle and its quaintness, Sintra is positively dripping with palaces. Even the town hall looks like one. We wander first around the crazily indulgent Quinta da Regaleira where the rambling gardens with offbeat features creep somewhere close to Gaudi territory and the mansion itself betrays the exalted life of the privileged. This is a former home of a succession of wealthy merchants, each adding their own dose of ostentatious grandeur before selling up and moving on – the result is a rather endearing mish mash of indulgence and whim where Gaudi meets Louis XIV meets Disney.
Quinta da Regaleira
In the heart of the town down below is another of Sintra’s palace collection (Note: not sure of the correct collective noun for palaces….a folly of palaces, maybe?), the Palacio Nacional de Sintra, a favourite haunt of Portuguese royalty for nigh on 500 years. This particular palace’s major novelty is its twin kitchen chimneys which, despite having become Sintra’s most recognisable icon, wouldn’t look out of place at a Kent oast house (you might have to look that up). It’s an enchanting, rambling palace though, absolutely worthy of its proud history.
Yet again, as with so many Portugal destinations so far, Sintra is in a beautiful natural setting amongst dramatic green hills, so much so that we can’t help but wonder at the builders and architects who set about creating a settlement on such relentlessly uneven ground. Flat it is not. Way, way above the town, on top of the highest of the great green hills, lie the two major draws for visitors to Sintra: the Pena Palace and the Moorish castle.
The pair of them sit in total majesty above the town, so far up the hills that it hurts my neck just to look at them from down here, each of them silhouetted against the sky with just a tiny hint of the sinister. These are popular sites though, so popular that it’s necessary to book your visit ticket in advance. We snare a couple for Monday.
Lisbon is just a short train ride from Sintra, so rather than billet ourselves inside the capital city we opt for a day trip from here…more on that in our next post. And so to Monday and our trip up the mountainside on our pre-booked, pre-paid trip up to the two imposing sites of Pena Palace and the Moorish castle. We’ve been looking forward to this. Except…. we can’t, as, due to the “very real” (sic) threat of fire, the sites have as of today been shut down for the next five days.
Question. When did all this nonsense start? This business of closing sites and cancelling events because something might happen, not because something did happen? Seriously? Have we become so precious that we need to be wrapped in cotton wool? So dim that we need to be prevented from nearing any kind of risk? Honestly, the world is going mad. Let’s tell Christopher Columbus to stay home because it might get windy. Let’s tell Thomas Edison not to fool around with dangerous stuff. Don’t you just wish we could rewind the common sense dial?
Anyway, whatever, those who make these stupid decisions have closed the sites, so we will be leaving Sintra without seeing Pena Palace, which is a great shame as it is after all a major draw. So we move on, unedified on one level.
So, in our next post, we will explore Lisbon In A Day, we will find an alternative day out to replace our cancelled trip, and, most exciting of all, we will be detailing the ongoing saga of trying to get my driving licence and Bank cards sent to Portugal, during which we will learn that DHL turns out to be an acronym for…..Doesn’t Help Lots….
To be continued…..
42 Comments
Lynette d'Arty-Cross
The reason why these sites are closed because something “might” happen is because, as you know, people can be incredibly, unrelentingly stupid, and if the venue or site or whatever isn’t closed, they will sue if they’re injured as a result of their own idiocy. There are a lot of lawyers in my family who always like to explain this. 😉
Beautiful views and sights, Phil. I enjoyed reading about Sinatra and Obidos. It’s heartbreaking to hear about the fires, though. We have sooo many fires in this country now, more than 800.
Phil & Michaela
Which only reinforces my view that we need a common sense reset! Part of the trouble (in UK at least) is that insurance company lawyers will often decide that it’s cheaper to settle out of court than to fight the case, even when it’s not legit. Yep, parts of Portugal could do with a rainy day…
Christie
The skies looked so clear, I really don’t see why they closed all those sites. I’m sorry to hear you didn’t have a chance to visit them.. Anyway, after visiting Pena Palace, I think it is overrated, but that’s just my 2 cents.
Phil & Michaela
The other two were pretty cool, so yeah we might have been disappointed with Pena anyway!
restlessjo
Glad you made it out to Foz for a bit of fun. We have a soft spot for Obidos but it’s lethal on a rainy day. Those cobbles become impossible. Sintra was affected by the fires a couple of years ago and it’s not the easiest place to evacuate from so I guess they were erring on the side of safety, but it doesn’t bode well for the rest of summer.
Phil & Michaela
Yes, we commented at the time that it must be treacherous when it rains. Enjoyed both towns but the crowds are increasing as we hit the more regular places, just as you said they would 😄
Miriam
Portugal looks amazing. Must admit I knew nothing about the fires as I haven’t watched the news in so long. Such quaint towns, love the look of those cobbled steep colourful, scenic streets. Sintra with all its castles looks pretty and enchanting but I have to say, with regard to the closures and lots of other BS happening all over the world … common sense ain’t so common anymore. Keep enjoying.
Phil & Michaela
Portugal has a wealth of beautiful towns, no doubt about it.
Eha Carr
Thank you for taking me to two places hitherto but names. Am scrolling up-and-down, as usual pretending to be there. For some reason like walking along the streets of the smaller and, by the look of it less touristy, streets of Obidos more . .. and adore all that bougainvillea! Being European-born am quite used to having to look I don’t fall down and over narrow steps and passages – hate when these are artificially ‘made safe’! Oh, and the older I get, the more I love being a ‘daft kid’ . . . so . . . 🙂 !
Phil & Michaela
Thankfully, I’m not really certain that I ever grew up….
Alison
You surely must be palaced out. Portugal seems like a country that just keeps on giving. So many wonderful places. I think Australia must be top of the list for safety! Everything would be closed
Looks like you’re having so much fun though.
Phil & Michaela
It definitely is a very attractive country full of lovely towns. This tour has been on our list for years so it’s great to finally be doing it…
Monkey's Tale
We’re too litigous nowadays. Duouro was on fire last fall when we were there. We could see the flames as we drove away. And it seems it is much busier in summer than fall. There were a few small groups in Obidos, but they didnt leave the main street or walk the wall. I hope one of your visits is to Belem, although I can’t imagine how busy it is in summer. Maggie
Phil & Michaela
We may not make Belem, we’re currently in Setubal on our journey south. The wall walk around Obidos is really quite lovely, great views all the way round.
Heyjude
We only visited Pena Palace and thought it was a bit underwhelming, but it was a hot and humid day which we’re not good with. As for the cobbles, I know from experience in Lisbon how treacherous they are in the rain. Sounds like you are heading for the busy part of the country now.
Phil & Michaela
A few people have said the same Jude, that Pena wasn’t so great, so maybe we didn’t miss much.
Suzanne@PictureRetirement
Now, I am sorry we didn’t add Obidos to our itinerary this past April. Looks like a photographer’s dream. I think you saw the best of Sintra and wouldn’t fret about missing Pena Palace. It is quirky and colorful on the outside, but the inside tour was crowded and uncomfortable.
Regarding your question, we were recently in Canada and had a day planned to visit several cheese producers (dairies), which was mostly about the drive, but also about the cheese. Anyway, we reached the first, closed. The second, closed. Seeing a pattern, we pressed on to the third anyway – closed. At least there was a body at that location, so we asked him why the closures. His reply, ‘business closed because of the smoke.’ Dejected, we drove back to the city, passing several beaches along the way, all packed with sunbathers and picnickers. It was like a national holiday. Talk about common sense.
Phil & Michaela
Yes a few people have now said that Pena is nothing special. As for the other stuff, common sense has indeed long bitten the dust.
Suzanne@PictureRetirement
Not exactly ‘nothing special’, but not worth the angst of missing it.
Annie Berger
You were at least lucky that you were able to enjoy charming Obidos and a good swath of Sinatra, even with the gobs of fellow travelers, before the threat of fires made a palace impossible.
Phil & Michaela
And from some other comments, maybe we didn’t miss too much after all.
Lookoom
Obidos is so charming that it has lost its authenticity, but it’s true that Portugal is no longer just a country that lives off tourism; it’s a developed country. It’s a shame for Pena Palace, although crowded with tourists, it’s a place steeped in Portuguese recent history.
Phil & Michaela
Really enjoying Portugal so far, the northern towns in particular
WanderingCanadians
Obidos and Sintra both look charming. Beautiful views from the old city walls, even if walking along them can be a bit dodgy given the lack of safety barriers. All those palaces are lovely. It’s too bad about the wildfires and that you weren’t able to visit Pena Palace and the Moorish castle.
Phil & Michaela
The northern towns were lovely to explore, so attractive and welcoming
grandmisadventures
Obidos does look perfectly charming. I would love to wander those city walls and soak in the views from above. Sintra though has those incredibly detailed architecture gems that I would love to marvel at all day. Best to do both I guess.
But what I really love is your talk about risk and avoiding it. On a much smaller scale, the number of times I get frustrated with the elementary school for the dumb reasons they cancel school- top of the list being the ‘suggestion of high wind’ and for the eclipse. When did a suggestion of something happening classify closing things down.
Phil & Michaela
Yep….common sense is pretty much off the radar these days. Everyone seems to want to find a reason to say “no”!
Toonsarah
We’re not picking up much news on our Arctic expedition so I’d not heard about the fires in Portugal though I know a VT friend in Greece (near Athens) has had to leave her house as a precaution. I sympathise about your cancelled Pena Palace visit although from what I’ve read it can get so crowded you may not have enjoyed the experience a lot. I didn’t manage to fit it in to a flying visit to Sintra years ago but I remember being rather taken with Quinta da Regaleira 😀 Obidos looks rather lovely, I have to say!
Phil & Michaela
Great places, Sarah. Sintra is really lovely despite being so popular…in the meantime I’ve been wowing my head off at your polar bears!!!
Forestwood
Portugal was one of my desitnations that I did not make it to. Sorry to read that they are having trouble with fires. It has been very hot over that way, hasn’t it? Still it is so good that you guys continued on to Obidos.
I agree with you about the overbearing nature of tourist spots – at least here in Australia they follow the English example. Even in Germany we are allowed to walk along the old walls. Norway – go ahead and walk up Preikestolen – if you fall off, then you have no sense.
Interesting how attitudes are different and thanks so much for sharing your Portuguese experience with me. As I doubt I will get to explore that country myself.
Phil & Michaela
It really is developing into a great trip, everywhere in Portugal has been so rewarding so far….
Forestwood
Now my eyes are even greener! But if I can’t go there myself, your blog is the next best thing. How long is the trip from England to the Portuguese landfall? Can’t be too far, surely? At least not by Aussie standards. Lol.
Phil & Michaela
Couple of hours’ flight time is all
Forestwood
So equivalent to us flying from Brisbane to Sydney. Lol…
Andrew Petcher
We walked those walls, at some points I was terrified and glad to get down. I saw one young man walking whilst texting, brave or stupid I couldn’t tell.
Phil & Michaela
Stupid, probably. Obidos was so worth visiting though, and so far we are sharing your love of Portugal. Lovely places.
Andrew Petcher
We stayed in Obidos, really nice in the evening when the coach parties have all gone.
Latitude Adjustment: A Tale of Two Wanderers
Both of these places are on our list for a return trip to Portugal. Great information. Did you encounter many crowds?
Cheers!
Phil & Michaela
Lots!
Travelbloggingacademy
Very creative blog post! What are your goals or challenges at the moment?
Phil & Michaela
Well our current goal is reaching Mostar the slow way!
Travelbloggingacademy
Awesome! You seem both to have very adventurous spirits! Very inspirational to read your content. I start by the way a Master Program of Travel Journalism the 7th of September. Maybe cool for you to check it out? https://perutours.nl/academy/