Excellence Luxury Villas · Sintra
Luxury Villa Rentals in Sintra
Quintas and sea-view villas between the palace-crowned hills of Sintra and the Atlantic coast at Colares
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Romantic palaces in the hills, Atlantic beaches below
Byron called Sintra a glorious Eden, and two centuries later the description still holds. Its wooded hills are crowned with palaces, castles and fanciful villas built by kings and merchant princes. Since 1995 the whole place has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site, listed as a cultural landscape. Lisbon is around half an hour away, yet the air is cooler and greener, and on many mornings the mist lies thick over the hills.
Our Sintra collection runs to 60+ properties. You will find old quintas with walled gardens, large estates for family gatherings and modern villas with pools looking out to sea. Many of them are around Colares and the coastal villages, where the hills come down to vineyards and beaches.
Below is a guide to the hills, the coast and when to come.
Sintra at a glance
- Villas
- 60+ quintas and villas, with up to 14 bedrooms
- Guide prices
- Typically £2,400 to £7,200 a week, from around £1,500
- Best areas
- Sintra's old town and hills, Colares, Almoçageme, Azenhas do Mar and Praia das Maçãs
- Highlights
- Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira, Monserrate and Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe
- Getting there
- Lisbon airport, around 30 to 45 minutes by road
Browse all 60+ villas in Sintraor see them on the map
Villa numbers and guide prices are updated daily from our live collection.
Villa Levante Azenhas Sintra: Opulent 8-Bedroom Apartment with Seaview & Pool – Sintra8 bedrooms
Quinta Monserrate Sintra: Luxury 10-Bedroom Villa with Heated Pool & Hot Tub – Sintra10 bedrooms
Rent Beachfront Luxury Villa Portugal8 bedrooms
Villa Beretta Lisbon Coast Portugal10 bedroomsWhere to stay in Sintra
Sintra's hills for the palaces and gardens, Colares and Almoçageme for vineyards and sea views, Praia das Maçãs and Azenhas do Mar for the beach, and Cascais and Lisbon a short drive away.
Kings, follies and the forest
Pena Palace sits on the highest ridge, a nineteenth-century fantasy in ochre and red built for King Ferdinand II. On the next peak are the battlements of the Moorish Castle. Down in the old town, the National Palace is easy to spot by its two great conical chimneys.
Quinta da Regaleira has grottoes, tunnels and the Initiation Well, a spiral stair that winds down deep into the rock. On the road to the west, Monserrate is a Moorish-inspired palace set in gardens of exotic trees. The Capuchos Convent is a small monastery lined with cork. Quintas in the hills put you closest to all of this, and you can get to the palaces early, before the coaches from Lisbon arrive.
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Sand vineyards and cliff villages
West of the town, the hills give way to Colares and its unusual vineyards. The vines grow in deep sand, which kept out the phylloxera blight that ruined most of Europe's vineyards. The result is Ramisco, a firm, long-lived red that is worth seeking out.
Beyond Colares, the white houses of Azenhas do Mar sit stacked on a cliff above a tidal sea pool. Praia das Maçãs has a family beach and is the last stop on the vintage summer tram from Sintra. At Praia Grande you can see dinosaur footprints in the cliff face. Almoçageme sits above the cove of Praia da Adraga, and from there the road runs on to Cabo da Roca.
Browse villas in Colares
A capital and a seaside town close by
Sintra is a good base for seeing more of the region. The road over the hills reaches Cascais in around half an hour, where you will find its marina, smart restaurants and the sandy bays of the Estoril coast. Lisbon is a similar distance by car. There is also a train from Sintra to Rossio station in the heart of the city, so you can spend a day in the Alfama or among the Belém monuments and still be back in the hills for dinner.
Explore Cascais
Travesseiros, Ramisco and a cooler summer
No visit is complete without a travesseiro. It is a pillow of puff pastry filled with almond and egg cream, and the place to buy one is the Piriquita bakery in the old town. Sintra's other speciality is the queijada, a little cheese tart. On the coast, the fish restaurants serve grilled fish and shellfish, and a bottle of Colares goes well with either.
Thanks to its microclimate, Sintra stays fresher than Lisbon in high summer, which is welcome when July is hot. Spring and early autumn bring the gardens at their best and quieter palaces. Our concierge can arrange palace guides, wine tastings, restaurant tables and transfers.
Ask our conciergeFeatured villas in Sintra
Casa Marques Sintra: 11-Bedroom Family-Friendly Townhouse with Sea Views – Sintra11 bedrooms · sleeps 24From £9,086 a week
Villa Violante Portugal5 bedrooms · sleeps 10From £7,710 a week
Quinta Sintra Almocageme: Luxury 5-Bedroom Villa with Seaview & Pool – Sintra5 bedrooms · sleeps 12From £7,504 a week
Quinta Ulgueira Sintra: Luxury 6-Bedroom Apartment with Infinity Pool & Seaview – Sintra6 bedrooms · sleeps 14From £7,126 a week
Villa Safira Colares Sintra: Luxury 5-Bedroom Villa with Hot Tub & Sea Views – Sintra5 bedrooms · sleeps 10From £7,063 a week
Quinta Tramonto Sintra: 4-Bedroom Luxury Apartment with Seaview & Pool – Sintra4 bedrooms · sleeps 9From £6,776 a week
Villa Era Portugal5 bedrooms · sleeps 10From £6,763 a week
Casa Pena Sintra: Spacious 6-Bedroom Luxury Apartment with Seaviews – Sintra6 bedrooms · sleeps 10From £6,741 a weekWhy book your Sintra villa with Excellence Luxury Villas
The right house, not the nearest one
Sintra's villas range from shaded quintas in the misty hills to sunny houses on the coast at Colares, and we know which suit palace-goers, beach families and those who want the sea view. With 60+ properties in Sintra, we can usually find the house that suits you rather than the one that happens to be free. Search by size, pool, location and price, or tell us what you have in mind and we will put together a shortlist.
Book direct
You book with us directly, with no booking fees. Questions about access, parking, pool heating or how far it really is to the nearest beach go to people who can find out the answer.
A concierge who knows the territory
Private guides for the palaces, tastings of Colares wine, restaurant reservations on the coast, Lisbon day trips, car hire and transfers from Lisbon airport. Our concierge team arranges all of it, leaving you free to decide which terrace to sit on.
A house for every kind of party
Couples, families with small children, three generations together or a crowd of friends celebrating a birthday: we match the house to the group, down to the number of bathrooms and whether the pool is fenced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the best place to stay in Sintra?
If the palaces and gardens are the main reason for your visit, stay in the hills near the old town. If you would rather have sea views and the beach, look at Colares, Almoçageme, Azenhas do Mar and Praia das Maçãs, which are still only a short drive from the palaces.
When is the best time to visit Sintra?
Spring and early autumn are best, with gardens in flower and fewer visitors at the palaces. Summer is the season for the beach, and Sintra's hills stay cooler than Lisbon. Be ready for morning mist at any time of year.
Can you swim at the beaches near Sintra?
Yes, but this is the Atlantic, so the water is cool and the waves can be strong. Praia das Maçãs and Praia Grande are the main beaches, and Azenhas do Mar has a tidal sea pool at the foot of the cliffs. In summer, swim at beaches with lifeguards.
Can you arrange a private chef at a villa in Sintra?
Yes. Our concierge can arrange a private chef for a single dinner or your whole stay, along with cookery lessons, guided visits, transfers and restaurant reservations.
How much does a luxury villa in Sintra cost?
Across our 60+ villas in Sintra, weekly rates typically range from £2,400 to £7,200, with the most affordable from around £1,500 a week and the largest estates well above. Prices depend on the size of the property, its location and the season, with July and August the most expensive. These are guide prices based on current listings; each property page shows its own rates for your dates.
How do I get to Sintra?
Lisbon airport is around 30 to 45 minutes away by road, depending on where your villa is. Trains also run from Lisbon's Rossio station to Sintra in about 40 minutes. Our concierge can arrange private transfers.
Are there villas in Sintra for large groups?
Yes. Our Sintra collection includes properties with up to 14 bedrooms. Tell us the size of your party and the occasion, and we will send a shortlist that suits it.
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Find your villa in Sintra
60+ quintas and villas in Sintra, booked direct with our concierge on hand