The Sintra Coast is one of the best places to visit in Portugal. Offering amazing views and spectacular beaches you’ll have all to yourself, this hike deserves to be on everybody’s bucket list. Hiking the Sintra Coastal trail is an absolute must if you love outdoor adventure travel. If this is not on your Portugal travel itinerary yet, ADD IT ASAP!
This trail was an absolute hidden gem and the best activity I did on my entire 2-week trip to Portugal. Not only is the hike absolutely breathtaking, but it is also super accessible! It will only take you an easy 45-minute bus ride from Sintra, a popular tourist spot just outside of Lisbon.
Somehow this hike still remains a bit of a hidden gem for Portugal, which just makes it that much better! It’s the perfect opportunity to escape some of the crowds and enjoy one of the most epic spots the country has to offer.
If my description hasn’t convinced you enough, take a look at the pictures in this post! You will be jumping to add this to your trip itinerary. 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
There are actually several route variations you can take based on how long you want to hike for. Some excellent options are:
- Cabo Da Roca to Azenhas do Mar (10.8 km)
- Cabo Da Roca to Praia da Adraga (roughly 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 definitely recommend the entire 10.8km option.
How Long the Hiking the Sintra Coastal Trail Will Take
It can be hard to say how long to dedicate to the different variations of the hike. This is because it can fully depend on how much time you are going to spend at each of the beaches and how many of them you actually hike down to. I would say to leave yourself lots of buffer room to be able to stop and enjoy the beaches as you go. At one of the beaches, I actually spent a full hour.
Level of Difficulty on 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. Nothing a sturdy pair of shoes and taking it slow can’t handle though! Hiking boots are recommended, but if you are an experienced hiker you can probably get away with a pair of solid running shoes.
How to Get to Cabo Da Roca & 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 🙂