The Government declared the State of Contingency in Portugal between 00:00 hours on July 11th and 23:59 hours on July 15th.

This Declaration results from the elevation of the Special Alert State of the Autoridade Nacional de Emergência e Proteção Civil (ANEPC), due to the worsening of the forecasts of the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and atmosphere (IPMA), with much of the continental territory at the high, very high and maximum levels of fire risk. 

These measures currently have a high readiness level, which means they will be triggered if and when they are needed.

What can’t we do in Portugal?

• Access, move, and remain within forest spaces, forest paths, rural paths, or any other roads that cross them;
• Start fires or burn forest exploitation leftovers;
• Carry out work in forest spaces using any type of machinery, apart from fighting to put out rural fires;
• Carry out work in other rural spaces using motorizes of blades or metal discs, cross-bushes, breakers, and machines with blades or front shovels;
• Use/detonate fireworks or other pyrotechnic devices, regardless of their form of combustion (this includes those already authorized – all previously issued authorizations are suspended).

What can’t we do in Sintra? (in addition to previous information)

• Visit National Palace and Park of Pena, Moorish Castle, Convent of the Capuchos, Park and Palace of Monserrate, Quinta da Regaleira, and Biester Palace. These monuments are closed from July 11th to 15th by legal imposition, due to extreme risk of rural fire.

Our suggestions:

• You can visit The National Palace of Sintra, and The National Palace of Queluz.
• Walk around Historic Center and discover town routes such as the PR1 and The Route of the Famous Pastry Shop.
• Another suggestion for walking is on the trail GR11 – Atlantic Path. It’ll take you along the coastline, where the temperature is pleasantly breezy, and there are even some cafes and restaurants along the way. While on this trail, you can access all the beaches between Cabo da Roca and Magoito. There is public transport available on almost all beaches, except for Ursa Beach (the nearest transport is located in Cabo da Roca), Adraga (closer is in Almoçageme) and Aguda (has public transport in Azenhas do Mar and Magoito).

Stay hydrated!

Walk Sintra APP is available on Google Play and APP Store.

Source: https://www.portugal.gov.pt/pt/gc23/comunicacao/noticia?i=governo-declara-situacao-de-contingencia-devido-aos-incendios

Colares Wines are ‘one of the best kept secrets of Portugal’

Chef Gordon Ramsay

The world-famous chef Gordon Ramsay recently filmed an episode for the National Geographic series Uncharted in Portugal. 

There are several reasons why the Colares wines are unique:

1) They are some of the oldest wines in Portugal, dating back to year 1255

2) 80% of the wines grow deep in sand dunes – a detail that protected them from the 1865 phylloxera plague

3) They get their special taste from the harsh coastal climate (westernmost vineyards of continental Europe)

4) And now they were made world famous by chef Ramsey! (watch the trailer of Gordon Ramsay’s visit here – Find our more about the Colares wines here)

To visit the vineyards we suggest a few hikes:

PR8 is a circular 15 km trail that starts and finishes by the cellars of Adega de Colares, the oldest wine co-op in Portugal. The trail goes through a pine forest, along the coast, and through some coastal villages; passing by various vineyards where you can see the particularity of the vines growing without trellising, as if hugging the ground. In addition to a private car and a bus (441), you can reach the Adega by the old Sintra tram. Stopping at Azenhas do Mar for lunch is a nice option if you don’t want to carry a picnic.

Another option is to walk from the Historic Center and Casa do Valle toward the coast until Penedo, Casas Novas to Casal Santa Maria vineyards or until Almoçagem to visit Adega Viúva Gomes. There are places to eat in Penedo and Almoçagem – or you can continue to the beach of Adraga. Return to the Historic Center by public transportation (bus 403 or taxi/uber).

Finally we suggest a walk to Quinta San Michel that specializes in Colares whites, in Janas, about 8 kms each way from the Historic Center. This is a new hike, not yet in the APP. Contact us for a map or a guide.

Any one of these vineyards has visits to the cellars and tastings. Contact us if you need assistance for setting them up.

Sintra is fabulous any time of the year, but spring has a special feeling!
(April, May, June)

Everything is in bloom and there is a special scent in the air:

The mountain floor in many places is covered in blue periwinkle, the coastal area in pink armerias and hottentot figs and the countryside in multi-coloured daisies, clovers, and poppies. The air is filled with the sweetness of pittosporums, jasmin, honeysuckle and fruit-tree-blossoms.
After the winter rains have dried up, the paths are normally in good condition, the occasional puddles are easy enough to avoid. In the open fields and forest edges, the grass grows quite high quite quickly – often together with the beautiful but prickly thistles, so long pants or high socks are suggested. Most of the hay fields are cut by mid-May though. The many streams are still bountiful with water, and the waterfalls, though not as full as in the winter season, have enough water to have a beautiful water flow.

The average spring-time afternoon temperatures in Sintra are between 21 and 27ºC, and the night time temperature about 10º less (12-16ºC). In April and May you can expect many showers, but not a lot of water, especially in May. It is rare to have rain for a full day. More than half the days are sunny in any month, and the average hours of sunshine are 9-11 hours per day. So be prepared for all kinds of weather – layering and light rain coat are recommended. On the coast, it is normally windier in the afternoons. Do remember to use your sunscreen, as our sun is strong!

The local busses are still in their winter schedules until the end of June, or school season, so there are plenty of busses to get you to the starting /finishing points of the hikes.

The Walk Sintra App was created by lovers of nature and walking to serve as a guide for those who wish to explore Sintra and don’t know where to begin.
Virpi Makela – Founder of Walk Sintra

For the past 12 years, Casa do Valle Bed and Breakfast has hosted many guests that enjoy getting to know Sintra on foot. There are paths that most everyone wants to take, like the Palace Hike to visit the mountain-top palaces, escaping the traffic and enjoying the lush nature – or the single-lane path on the cliffs along the coast starting from the westernmost point of Continental Europe, Cabo da Roca. Then there are those guests who prefer to walk in the hilly countryside, or along the local vineyards – or those who prefer the short walks in town, from a pastry shop to another, or around the old quintas and churches.

At Casa do Valle we are hikers and walkers and know the area well. As there were no maps readily available for the foot paths, we created our own. We help our guests choose the ones that fit their time and interests, and through first-hand feedback know that our guests are happy. We also know that there are many more people out there who would like to explore the wonderful sceneries and landscapes that our region has to offer, which is the reason for the APP Walk Sintra and this supporting website.

We have included some of the favourite walks in it from different areas of our region: Historic Center, Mountain, Coast and Countryside; added pictures of things you see on each one; and a description of the path: the things you see, the type of terrain to expect and any interesting details and information specific to each walk. You can filter the walks by location, extension, accumulative climb, and availability of access via public transportation. As we know that most people who come to Sintra to walk don’t know the area, we have also included some interesting places to stop for a bite or a drink, and even places to stay if you prefer staying the night in the area.

This supporting website has all of this information and a bit more: each walk has an interactive altimeter chart and a PDF option to download and /or print the map. There is information about Sintra, featured walks, news about new walks and updates in the APP, and any information or events happening in the region that would entice one to choose or a void a particular walk.

We sincerely hope that you will enjoy and make use of both the APP and this site. Please get in contact with us through info@walksintra.com in case of questions, doubts or comments.

Happy walking!