Wondering if you should hike the Sintra Coastal Trail from Cabo da Roca? I’ll save you some time… YOU HAVE TO!
I hiked the Sintra Coastal Trail (aka Cabo da Roca hike) on my two days in Sintra. It ended up being my #1 highlight for my entire trip to Portugal.
I hiked from Cabo da Roca to Praia da Ursa, past there a little, and then re-traced my steps backwards. I did it completely alone using only public transportation!
The trail has insane coast views with massive cliffs and a stunning light house. It also has stunning beaches with very few people on them (I had one beach tucked into a cove 100% to myself).
In this guide, you will find EVERYTHING you need to know to experience this coastal trail for yourself. I’ll cover how to get there by bus, where to find parking, the best routes and distances, and of course, a ton of pictures to convince you to add this trail to your itinerary!
About the Sintra Coastal Trail:
The name refers to the entire coastal trail that stretches 11.5 km between Cabo da Roca and Azenhas do Mar. It follows tight to the coast, overlooking the ocean and is part of the Sintra-Cascais Nature Park.
There are several beaches to hike down to like Praia da Aroeira, Praia da Ursa, and Praia Grande. Plus some small towns and restaurant along the route.
Most people shorten the route to return the same way to Cabo da Roca. Or catch transportation back to Sintra from one of the small towns like Praia das Macas.
I personally opted to hike just past Praia da Ursa, the most famous beach, and then return to Cabo da Roca.
The Routes to Take and Distances:
Here are a few of the suggested routes to take. You can always make up your own, like hike as far as you feel like from Cabo da Roca and back.
1. Cabo da Roca to Praia da Ursa
Distance: 3 km round trip
Difficulty: Moderate with some difficult sections
Type of Trail: Out and back
Time: 2.5 – 4 hours (with time at the beach)
All the trails start from Cabo da Roca, which is the easternmost point of continental Europe. There is a scenic lighthouse and some restaurants, cafes, and facilities on-site. I spent about 30 minutes here, enjoying the different overlooks of jagged cliffs and crashing waves.
The trail follows a narrow track along the coast. You pass by Praia da Aroeira about 15 minutes in and can opt to scramble down to it. The scramble is a bit treacherous and there’s a rope at one point to help. I just took it really slow. But then I had the beach completely to myself!
After scrambling back up, you finish the route to Praia da Ursa. The hike down is also very steep and involves some scrambling. It takes about 15 minutes to get down.
Then spend some time enjoying the beach! It is famous for its Hershey kiss shaped rock formations, arches, and cliffs. There are little corners and coves you can tuck into for some solitude. I spent an hour here, meditating, taking photos, and enjoy the serenity.
2. Cabo da Roca to Praia das Macas
Distance: 8.4 km one-way (or 16.7 km to return)
Difficulty: Moderate with some difficult sections
Type of Trail: Out and back
Time: 3.5 – 6 hours
The next furthest point past Praia da Ursa is Praia das Macas. It adds a lot more variety to the trail, with more dirt tracks along cliffs and interesting towns made of white stone buildings.
You also pass three new beaches: Praia da Adraga, Praia Grande, and Praia das Mascas.
Praia da Adraga has beautiful rock formations, but is accessible by car so there are more people there. Praia Grande is much longer and flat but you have an incredible view over top of it before hiking down with a large slanted cliff face making for unique pictures.
And finally, Praia das Macas is a smaller beach set in town. It has great swimming and amazing views of the town hugging the coastal cliffs.
You can catch a taxi from here back to Sintra. The ride only takes about 20 minutes. Or you can extend the hike to 16.7 km and make your way back to Cabo da Roca.
You can bus to Cabo da Roca directly from the main train station in town. It’s the 1253 bus and you pay for your ticket on board. It takes 45 minutes to get to Cabo da Roca.
3. Cabo da Roca to Azenhas do Mar
Distance: 11.5 km one-way or 23 km round trip
Difficulty: Moderate with some difficult sections
Type of Trail: Out and back
Time: 4.5 – 9 hours
This variation is identical to the route to Praia das Macas, but just continues on an extra 3 km to Azenhas do Mar. This section mostly follows walking paths along the Rua Nossa Senhora da Praia road. It hugs the coast so you get views of fishermen and a look into local life.
The town of Azenhas do Mar has an extraordinary beach with the white stucco town tiered up onto a cliff. It quite literally looks like the town is emerging from within the rising cliff face. There are restaurants in town to grab a bite to eat.
You can catch a taxi back to Sintra from here, it takes 15 minutes. Or choose to hike the route back to Cabo da Roca.
How to Find the Cabo da Roca Trailhead
From Cabo da Roca, walk a short way (about 5 mins) back up the road 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.
How to Get to Cabo Da Roca
Cabo da Roca is only 17.6 km from Sintra and about 25 minutes drive. If you have a rental car, it is straightforward and you just follow Google Maps.
The buses run every 20 – 30 minutes from 6:30 am – 8 pm.
How Difficult is the Sintra Coastal Trail?
The majority of the trail is considered moderate, without too much elevation change if you were to avoid hiking down to the beaches.
However, scrambling down to the beaches makes it more on the difficult side. The climbs down and then back up don’t take long (15 minutes), but they are really slippery and steep. You 100% need to wear proper shoes, like hiking boots with ankle support.
On the hike down to Praia da Aroeira, I had to get down low and crab walk to avoid falling. There were ropes to assist and I definitely got on all fours to scramble back up too!
As long as you have a good level of fitness that allows you to go for long hikes and proper shoes, it’s an enjoyable challenge.
When to Hike the Sintra Coastal Trail
Hiking on the Sintra Coastal trail is pretty accessible at all times of the year in Portugal. However, if you can get there for spring or fall, you’ll have the best temperatures and no other people around.
I hiked to Praia da Ursa in November and barely saw another soul on the trail and some of the beaches. The temperatures weren’t warm enough for swimming, but were perfect for hiking.
That being said, summer is still fantastic. It will be warm enough to swim, just make sure to bring lots of water.
Food Options Along the Trail
I mean, I’m always here for a beach picnic. But there are also restaurants along the route too.
If you want to do a picnic, grab some food from Sintra before you leave. I bought a caprese sandwich from one of the bakeries and ate it overlooking the ocean.
Your restaurant options are:
- Cafe-style restaurant at Cabo da Roca.
- Restaurante Adraga – This is the first one you come across along the route to Praia das Macas. It is on Adraga beach.
- Numerous restaurants at Praia Grande like Bar do Fundo (a fancy option with great views) or the more casual Casa da Gal.
- Numerous restaurants in Praia das Macas like Neptuno on the beach or Barmácia with a view.
- There are only a couple restaurants in Azenhas do Mar. The best is Agua e Sal.
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. Once you get into the town section between Praia das Macas and Azenhas do Mar, you can follow the maps.
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.
Planning Your Trip to Sintra
Hiking the Sintra Coastal trail starting in Cabo da Roca is by far one of the most epic adventures to embark on in Portugal. The best part is that, you can easily add it to your Portugal itinerary without a car.
Sintra is only 30 minutes from Lisbon. You can take a direct train there from the Lisboa Rossio station. Sintra has tons of places to stay and things to see, so you can easily spend a couple days there.
👉 Want to learn more about Sintra? Read this guide on everything you need to know to visit Sintra from Lisbon.
Plan Your Trip - My Favourite Resources
📱 Stay Connected Without Expensive Roaming Fees
I never travel without an e-Sim now. You pay a fraction of roaming fees, and simply download the e-Sim to your phone instead of switching SIM cards. The service I always use is Airola.
🏠 Book Your Accommodation
I always use Booking.com to find and book the best hotels at the cheapest rate. For cheap and social options, I love using Hostelworld - they also have private rooms.
🏄♀️ Book Your Tours and Excursions
I book adventure tours anywhere in the world through Manawa. My second favourite is Viator - it has the largest selection of tours with local operators and offers flexible cancellation.
Need Help Planning Your Next Adventure?
Join my newsletter to get access to your FREE exclusive trip planner + more awesome adventure travel content by me!
No spam and you can unsubscribe anytime!
WOW this trail looks gorgeous!! Definitely putting this on my bucket list! Thanks for sharing your lovely adventures 🙂