c. Excursion to Cintra.
17½ M. Railway (in ¾–1 hr.). Nine expresses in summer, besides several slow trains (tranvias), but fewer in winter (fares 530, 360, 230 rs.), starting from the Central Station (p. 6).
The train passes through a tunnel 1½ M. long to (3¾ M.) Campolide in the valley of the Alcántara. To the left are the arches of the aqueduct (p. 12). At (13 M.) Cacem our line diverges to the left from the railway to Alfarellos (Coimbra and Oporto).
The country becomes more hilly; eucalypti, pines, and olives abound. To the left rise the hills of Cintra.
17½ M. Cintra.—Hotels. *Gr.-Hôt. Costa, Netto, Lawrence, Nunes, Central, déj. or D. 800 rs., some closed in winter.
Tramway from the station (to the left of the exit) to the Praça da Republica (20 rs.).—Cabs (good; with two horses) to the Castello da Pena 2500 rs.; to the Quinta do Monserrate and back, 2000 rs.; but lower fares are often accepted on application to the cab-owner himself.
If time presses, we may visit both the Castello da Pena and the Quinta de Monserrate in 4–5 hrs. (cab 4500 rs., bargaining advisable). Energetic pedestrians require scarcely more time. Donkeys, only to be recommended to gentlemen travelling alone, are a doubtful advantage, nor will those in haste find the services of drivers or guides of much avail; the usual price, after bargaining, is 400–500 rs. But it is more enjoyable to devote a forenoon to the Castello da Pena, and the afternoon to the Paço de Cintra and the Quinta.
Cintra (680 ft.; pop. 5000), a favourite summer resort, lies at the N. base of the granitic Serra de Cintra, on a spur between two ravines, amidst groves of evergreen oaks and pines, and surrounded by charming country-houses. Immediately above the little town rises a steep rock, crowned by the Moorish castle. Beyond this rises the Pena with the palace.
The centre of traffic is the Praça da Republica, with its late-Gothic Pelourinho (p. 14) and the main entrance to the palace.
The *Paço de Cintra, formerly the Royal Palace, was begun by John I. (1383–1433) on the foundations of a Moorish palace and completed early in the 16th cent. by Emmanuel the Great. The older parts, built by Moorish hands, show a mingling of Moorish and late-Gothic elements, while the newer parts, particularly the E. wing, are in the ‘Emmanuel style’ (p. 14). The most characteristic features of the exterior are two conspicuous conical kitchen-chimneys, the horseshoe and toothed arches of the Moorish windows, and the Moorish battlemented parapet. The mural tiles and the honeycombed wooden ceilings in the interior are other survivals of the Moorish period. Visitors are shown round by the castellan.
The Avenida Candido dos Reis, the road leading to the S. from the Largo of that name, brings us in ¾ hr. to the Castello dos Mouros (1408 ft.). The castle consists of two parts, to which a double wall, much modernized, ascends. A visit to it takes more time than travellers in a hurry can afford.
About ¼ hr. farther on we reach the Porta Principal of the Park of Pena, where we alight (cameras must be given up). The officials are not allowed to act as guides; the services of others should be declined. The park contains over 400 species of trees and shrubs.
The *Castello da Pena (1732 ft.), perched on a steep rocky hill, was built in 1840–50 in the style of a mediæval castle, partly within an old monastery, by the Prince-Consort Ferd. of Coburg. The main tower is a copy of the tower of Belem (p. 14). The castle is approached by two gates and a cutting in the rock (‘corredor’). The ‘galeria’ of the castle affords delightful views.
In the Interior (adm. free) we pass through the Vestibule, with a pyramidal tower, into the old Convent Church, with its superb Renaissance altar brought from Belem, and into the two-storied cloisters. The apartments contain many pictures (including an example of Adr. Brouwer) and costly Hispano-Moorish majolicas. The ‘Sala de Veados’ is embellished with stags’ antlers. The *Dome above it is perhaps the finest point of view in the Serra de Cintra, but its ascent requires a steady head. The eye ranges over Estremadura, from Cape Espichel on the S.E. to the Berlengas Islands (p. 4) on the N. To the N.E. rises the huge façade of the palace of Mafra. To the E. we obtain glimpses of Lisbon and the plain to the S. of the Tagus. To the S. rises the summit of the Cruz Alta, and to the W. lies the boundless Atlantic.
We now enter the Jardim das Camelias or castle-garden, where the camellias, rhododendrons, and azaleas present a marvellous wealth of blossom in spring; then, passing a well and several fish-ponds, we soon reach a side-exit from the grounds, where the carriage should be ordered to meet us.
The *Cruz Alta (1736 ft.), the highest of the Cintra hills, which affords a view similar to that from the dome of the castle, may be ascended in 20 min. by a path diverging in the park to the S., near the Porta Principal, and passing the Statue of Vasco da Gama.
A favourite walk near Cintra is the *Caminho de Collares skirting the hills. This road, bordered with beautiful evergreens, leads past charming country-houses (the Penha Verde and others). On the right, about 2 M. from Cintra, is the famous—
**Quinta de Monserrate (adm. 200, on Sun. and holidays 300 rs.), the property of Sir Fred. Cook, Visconde de Monserrate. The grounds, a visit to which takes 1–2 hrs., extend far over hill and dale, and are unique in Europe in magnificence of vegetation. From the entrance we turn to the left, cross a brook, and follow its left bank, where we enjoy a delightful view of the palace beyond the lofty tree-ferns. We then pass an artificial ruin, walk round the palace (no adm.), and re-ascend to the entrance.
See also Baedeker’s Spain and Portugal.