Sintra

Portuguese royalty built Sintra as a cool, misty escape into the hills above Lisbon, and the payoff is a skyline of fantasy palaces: candy-coloured Pena on the ridge and the Initiation Well spiralling underground at Quinta da Regaleira.

The whole town sits inside a forested UNESCO landscape you cross on foot.

Fly into:

• Lisbon Humberto Delgado LIS

Trains run from Lisbon to Sintra in about 40 minutes, and the 434 loop bus climbs the steep hills to the palaces, which are too high to walk comfortably. Forest footpaths link the sites for those who want to earn the views.

Take the first morning train from Lisbon and head straight up to Pena before the tour buses, the ridge fog usually lifts by mid-morning. Book Regaleira online to skip the queue, and end the day with a travesseiro warm from Piriquita in the old town.

Best in Spring

Spring: mild and often misty around 14 to 20C, greener and cooler than Lisbon, with the odd shower.

• layers for the cool damp hills
• a light rain shell
• broken-in shoes for steep cobbles and forest trails
• a daypack for the day
• a refillable water bottle