Sintra’s Coast is one of the best places to visit in Portugal. It has cliff-side ocean viewpoints, spectacular beaches you can get all to yourself, and one of the best hikes in Portugal: The Sintra Coastal Trail (aka the Cabo da Roca hike).
Hiking Sintra’s Coastal Trail was my favourite activity I did on my entire 2-week trip to Portugal.
It is only a short 45-minute bus ride from Sintra, easy to find from the Cabo da Roca parking area, and has very few tourists on the trail.
Here is everything you need to know before hiking the Sintra Coastal trail in Portugal.
Read Related: The Ultimate 2 Week Itinerary in Portugal Without A Car
How to Hike the Sintra Coastal Trail in Portugal
About the Sintra Coastal Trail Hike & Routes to Take
Trail Starting Point: Cabo da Roca
Difficulty: Moderate with some difficult sections
Type of trail: Point to point
Depending on how long you want to hike, there are a few route variations for the Sintra Coastal hike:
- Cabo Da Roca to Azenhas do Mar (10.8 km)
- Cabo Da Roca to Praia da Adraga (just under 5km)
- Cabo Da Roca to Praia da Ursa and back (roughly 1.5km there and back)
⭐️ It is important to note that this does not include the hikes down to the beaches, which can take 20 minutes each way
All of these options are great and which one you should choose depends solely on the amount of hiking and time you want to dedicate to this trail. If you have all day and are an experienced hiker then I recommend the entire 10.8km option.
How Long the Hiking the Sintra Coastal Trail Will Take
Dedicate an entire day to hiking the Sintra Coast, no matter which length variation you choose. There are so many beaches to hike down to along the entire route that you could spend the whole day exploring even the shortest hiking route.
- Cabo Da Roca to Azenhas do Mar: Takes 8+ hours including beach stops (4 -5 hours without stopping.
- Cabo Da Roca to Praia da Adraga: At least 5+ hours including beach stops
- Cabo Da Roca to Praia da Ursa and back: At least 4 hours including beach stops
The hiking trail itself doesn’t take as much time, but hiking down to each beach adds 20+ minutes each way. Plus you’ll want to spend some time enjoying and exploring the beaches.
When I hiked Cabo da Roca to Praia da Ursa, I spent about 5-6 hours because I hiked down to 2 beaches, went swimming, and took lots of self-portraits amongst the crazy rock formations.
How Difficult is the Sintra Coastal Trail?
The hike itself consists mostly of a narrow dirt trail that hugs the coastline. The majority of the trail is considered moderate, however, there are some steeper portions.
If you plan to hike down to some of the beaches (which you absolutely should), then it becomes more difficult. Hiking boots are highly recommended. I hiked in running shoes and it was a challenge.
How to Get to Cabo Da Roca & Instructions to Find the Trailhead
The best way to access this part of the trail is from a tourist lookout spot called Cabo Da Roca. To reach this spot, you can either drive, take the 403 bus from Sintra’s train station or pay for a cab. The bus ride takes about 45 minutes and is actually quite scenic. You can buy your ticket on board, but make sure you have cash.
Once you reach Cabo da Roca, you will walk a short way (about 5 mins) to the trailhead. The trailhead is not super obvious but luckily isn’t too hard to find if you know what you are looking for. You are going to walk back on the road the bus or car just drove in on until you see a little dirt off-trail on the left side of the road.
It should only take you a few minutes of walking to find it. If you continue further down the road, you will come across other dirt paths that all lead back to the same trail, so you don’t have to stress too much about missing it.
What Time of Year to Hike the Sintra Coastal Trail
Hiking on the Sintra Coastal trail is pretty accessible at all times of the year in Portugal. However, visiting in the spring and fall can be optimal. You won’t have to deal with the hot summer temperatures, which can be pretty inhibiting in the middle of the day. It will also mean there will be a lot fewer people because you will be visiting outside of peak season. A double win!
Food Options Along the Trail
A picnic on the beach is an excellent choice when hiking the Sintra Coastal trail, but there are some restaurants at different spots along the way too. First, there is a cafe-style restaurant at the starting point in Cabo da Roca. If you are just returning back to that same spot, you have a food option there. There is also a restaurant in Praia da Adraga. Whether you are stopping here or continuing on, this is another great spot to eat.
Navigation on the Sintra Coastal Trail
The trail does not have a ton of markers to indicate the route, so there may be some points that are slightly confusing. Despite this, the trail is still relatively easy to follow and worst comes to worst just follow the coast. There are some spots where you’ll come along a fork in the trail, but they are usually just little off-trails that lead to a lookout or back to the same path.
You can also download an offline map as extra reassurance. I used maps.me and was able to actually see the trail on the map and route roughly how much longer it was going to take me to get to the next hiking spot. You just have to download the map in advance on wifi and pinpoint the different stops.
How to Get Back to Cabo Da Roca
From Praia da Adraga: A road runs directly from this town so you can take a taxi or an Uber back to Cabo da Roca. You can also ride back directly to Sintra if you are staying there and don’t mind the extra cost.
From Azenhas do Mar: You can either take an uber or taxi back to Cabo da Roca to catch the bus back to where you are staying. Or if you are staying in Sintra, you can take bus 440 or 441 straight to the Sintra station. It takes roughly 25 minutes.
Final Thoughts on Hiking the Sintra Coastal Trail
Hiking the Sintra Coastal trail starting in Cabo da Roca is by far one of the most epic adventures to embark on in Portugal. If you love the outdoors, beautiful views, hiking, and gorgeous beaches then this is the place for you. To top it all off the trail is super easy to get to from major tourist spots using public transportation. Add this to your itinerary ASAP!
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Happy adventuring!
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WOW this trail looks gorgeous!! Definitely putting this on my bucket list! Thanks for sharing your lovely adventures 🙂