Sights in Portugal

Portugal's big sights cluster around Lisbon, Sintra and Porto, all linked by train, and booking rules are looser than in Spain or France. The rules that matter: Pena Palace and the Belém monuments now sell timed slots, the main state museums close on Mondays, and the much-publicised free entry is for residents only.

Checked 6 October 2026

Our sight guides for Portugal

Visiting sights in Portugal

Passes and combined tickets

The Lisboa Card is Lisbon's official city pass: €31 for 24 hours, €51 for 48 and €62 for 72 (children 4–15: €21, €28, €35; October 2026). It covers free entry to about 50 museums and monuments, including the Jerónimos Monastery, Belém Tower and São Jorge Castle, plus metro, buses, trams and, according to the card's 2024 leaflet, CP trains to Sintra and Cascais. Two catches. Jerónimos and Belém Tower need a time slot booked with your card number, with no advance booking, so slots can be gone on the day. And the Sintra palaces, Pena included, are only discounted: you pay the difference at the ticket office and cannot book them online with the card.

Free days and discounts

Do not plan around free entry. Under the Acesso 52 scheme, Portuguese citizens and residents of Portugal get 52 free days a year at the state museums, monuments and palaces run by Museus e Monumentos de Portugal, such as Jerónimos. Tourists, including other EU citizens, do not qualify, even though the European Commission objected in December 2024. The scheme was still running in August 2026. The free Sunday and holiday mornings (until 14:00) for everyone that older guidebooks describe ended in September 2023. Children aged 12 and under do get in free at state sites. Sintra's palaces are run separately by Parques de Sintra, outside the scheme, and sell youth (6–17), senior and family tickets.

Getting between the sights

Trains do most of the work. CP's Sintra line runs from Lisbon Rossio, Entrecampos and Oriente to Sintra, and bus 434 climbs from Sintra station to Pena and the Moorish Castle. Since July 2026 tour coaches are kept out of the Volta do Duche area and ride-hailing cars may only use 12 pick-up zones, so the bus and walking trails are the practical way up. Lisbon to Porto takes 2h58 on the Alfa Pendular or about 3h23 on the Intercity, every hour or two from Santa Apolónia and Oriente; book on cp.pt. In Lisbon, tram 15 runs out to Belém and tram 28 climbs through the old quarters; both are included in the Lisboa Card.

Opening days and booking habits

Monday is the day to avoid for state museums and monuments: Jerónimos, for example, is closed on Mondays and on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May, 13 June (Lisbon's Saint Anthony holiday) and 25 December, and national museums close on national holidays. In Sintra, Pena's park opens from 9:00 to 19:00 and the palace from 9:30 to 18:30 (October 2026). Booking is newer here than in Spain: Pena Palace tickets are now sold only for a set date and time, and Jerónimos and Belém Tower slots are capped. Bring ID for reduced youth or senior rates, and a physical Lisboa Card if you plan to book slots with it.

Seasons, holidays and crowds

Summer, Easter and long weekends are the crush periods. Sintra became so congested that the town tested traffic restrictions over Easter and made them permanent in July 2026, and Lisboa Card holders report finding Jerónimos and Belém Tower slots gone for the day in high season. In summer, take an early train to Sintra and head for Pena first, or book the first palace slot. June brings the Santo António festivities, and Lisbon's state monuments such as Jerónimos close on 13 June.

Scams and problems to know about

Pickpockets work Lisbon's tourist areas: the police made 80 pickpocket arrests in the first half of 2025, including in the Baixa and Alfama parish of Santa Maria Maior and in Belém. The National Guard has also made arrests at Sintra's tourist sites. Crowded trams such as the 28 and busy tram stops are classic spots, so keep bags in front of you. Tuk-tuks are everywhere, but since April 2025 Lisbon has barred them from 337 streets, and fined about 24,200 times in nine months. A tuk-tuk ride is an unmetered tour priced by the operator, so agree the route, time and price before you get in. To reach Pena from Sintra station, bus 434 is the public option.

Also worth the trip

Not on Sightsale yet, but worth knowing about.

  • Livraria Lello and the Ribeira, Porto

    Porto's ornate bookshop and its riverfront old town, the base for trips up the Douro Valley.

Questions people ask about visiting Portugal

Is the Lisboa Card worth it?

It pays off if you will ride public transport a lot and visit several of Jerónimos, Belém Tower, São Jorge Castle and other included museums in 24–72 hours. It costs €31, €51 or €62 for adults (October 2026). It does not include the Sintra palaces, only a discount on them, and Jerónimos and Belém Tower still need a slot booked with your card number on the day, subject to capacity.

Are museums in Portugal free on Sundays?

Not for tourists any more. Since August 2024, free entry at state museums and monuments is for Portuguese citizens and residents only, up to 52 days a year (Acesso 52), and that was still the case in August 2026. Children aged 12 and under get in free at state sites.

How do I get from Lisbon to Sintra and Pena Palace?

Take the CP Sintra line from Rossio (or Entrecampos or Oriente) to Sintra, then bus 434 up to Pena and the Moorish Castle. Since July 2026 Sintra keeps tour coaches out of the centre and limits ride-hailing cars to set pick-up zones. Book a Pena Palace slot before you go, as palace tickets are sold for a set date and time.

Are Lisbon museums closed on Mondays?

Most of the main state museums and monuments are, including Jerónimos; the Lisboa Card's own guidance warns that the main monuments and museums close on Mondays. They also close on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 December, and Jerónimos closes on 13 June. Sintra's parks and palaces are run by Parques de Sintra and keep their own hours, so check them before moving a Lisbon day to Sintra.

Sources for this page (16)
  1. Visit Lisboa shop – Lisboa Card (prices, conditions, reservations) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  2. Visit Lisboa – Lisboa Card (accessed 6 October 2026)
  3. Lisboa Card leaflet, June 2024 (transport included) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  4. Visit Lisboa – Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (hours and closing days) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  5. Forbes Portugal – Novo regime de entrada gratuita em museus e monumentos (1 August 2024) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  6. Notícias ao Minuto (Lusa) – Convento de Cristo e Palácio da Ajuda com mais entradas gratuitas (1 August 2026) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  7. 24 Notícias – museums archive (European Commission on resident-only free entry, December 2024) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  8. Portuguese Government – Museus e monumentos gratuitos para residentes aos domingos e feriados (2023) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  9. Parques de Sintra – Park and National Palace of Pena (hours, prices, timed tickets) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  10. Parques de Sintra – how to get there (accessed 6 October 2026)
  11. The Portugal Post – How Sintra's new traffic rules will change your visit (10 July 2026) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  12. The Man in Seat 61 – Lisbon to Porto by train (accessed 6 October 2026)
  13. RTP – Lisboa multou em média quase 90 tuk-tuk por dia até final de 2025 (accessed 6 October 2026)
  14. 24 Notícias – pickpocketing archive (PSP and GNR arrests, 2024–2025) (accessed 6 October 2026)
  15. Postal – Seis carteiristas detidos pela PSP em zona turística de Lisboa (accessed 6 October 2026)
  16. GOV.UK – Portugal travel advice: safety and security (accessed 6 October 2026)