Sintra Day Trip: Pena Palace, Cascais, and Cabo da Roca

Four of Portugal's best-known sights sit west of Lisbon, and reaching all of them in a day on your own means rental cars, parking, and a lot of guesswork.

This semi-private day trip takes that off your plate with round-trip transport in an air-conditioned minibus and a group capped at eight guests, so the pace stays relaxed and the stops stay unhurried.

Walk the sheltered bay at Cascais, stand on the cliffs at Cabo da Roca where mainland Europe runs out into the Atlantic, and wander Sintra's cobbled historic center with its pastel facades. Two local tastings are built into the day: ginjinha, the Portuguese cherry liqueur, and a pastel de nata eaten fresh in Sintra.

The route finishes on the terraces of Pena Palace, the red-and-yellow hilltop palace, with free time in forested Pena Park and lookouts facing the Moorish Castle. Your expert English-speaking guide handles the route, the timings, and the recommendations, start to finish.