Hotels near Sintra Historic Centre

The town itself deserves more than the twenty minutes most day-trippers give it. Sintra Vila is a compact grid of cobbled lanes below the National Palace, and it is where the two pastries worth crossing the country for are made. Travesseiros are long puff-pastry pillows filled with almond and egg cream, dusted in sugar, served warm. Queijadas are small crisp-shelled tarts of fresh cheese, cinnamon and sugar, documented in Sintra since the 13th century.

Rua das Padarias is the street to walk. Piriquita has baked travesseiros there since 1862 and sells them for about 1.60 EUR each; the queue moves faster than it looks. Beyond the pastry, the lanes hold tile workshops, the Museu Anjos Teixeira in a converted watermill, and the small Igreja de Sao Martinho. Late afternoon, once the coaches have gone, the centre empties out.

Pro Tip: Buy travesseiros at 08:30 before heading up the hill. The first batch comes out of the oven warm and there is no queue. Eat them on the 434 bus rather than lining up again at 16:00 with everyone else.