Two elderly ladies in Sintra

I have written a lot about walking, visiting and riding the bikes - but what if you are not very mobile?  We recently had two separate clients with a walking stick due to an injury, and also some clients with bad knees.  How did they do?  Well, there are lots of alternative ways to walking in Sintra.  I asked the ladies with the bad knees to share their experiences for the benefit of others in similar situations and this is their account of their holidays.  Hope you enjoy it!

It had been well over ten years since I had been to Sintra. Then I was much younger and my knees were so much better.  But getting older and weaker didn´t weaken the attraction of Sintra in my mind. So when my friend expressed her wishes to visit Portugal and especially Sintra, it was not very hard for her to talk me into making travel arrangements. 

At first I didn’t even remember how steep the streets are and how everything is built with stairs and steps. I spent some time going through my photos and started to wonder if this was a right decision after all: we both have very bad knees and have trouble some days walking on a normal flat surface. But the temptation was bigger than the hesitation, so we were off to see the famous April of Portugal.

We booked our stay in Casa do Valle in Sintra, because we had heard many praising stories about this bed and breakfast place in the Villa. The lady of the house “donna Virpi” came and collected us from the airport and took us to an earthly paradise.  The place is far better and beautiful than pictures can tell, one has to see and experience it itself.

But this is not to praise the surroundings, the people, the wining and dining, or the locations.  This is to tell you how to move around in Sintra when you have difficulties in walking.

The friendly “donna Virpi” took our problems and solved them. She told us that there are several options for us to move around and see the sights.

And so have we done.

Tsuk-Tsuk

This is a train-like vehicle that goes around in the Villa and close by.  It stops in front of the National Palace, opposite of Café Paris. A tour lasts for 25 minutes and costs 5 Euros.

Positive -  Easy access, nice, clean seats, big windows allow you to see surroundings freely. The personnel spoke good English and immediately informed us that the train does not go to any castles, but just around the city. So if we wanted to go to the castles, there is a bus that would take us there.   

It went around the central area, narrow streets, by beautiful gardens, views, things we would not had seen or reached otherwise were made possible by sitting comfortably in a “train”.

Negative - Their automatic audio guiding system was out of order. That would have been a nice addition.

We recommend this, well spent money.

Tuk-tuk

This is a three wheel moped that takes you to a pre-set location. It seats three small people, or like in our case, two bigger ones nicely.

Our host arranged Filippe to come and collect us from the gate of our Inn (their stops are in front of the Tourism office and another in front of the City Hall by the station).

It was agreed that he take us up all the way to the Palace of Pena.

Positive - He came on agreed time, made sure that we sat comfortably. He spoke very good and understandable English.

The ride was very nice, the roof was down, so there was nothing to prevent us from seeing around.  The speed is not too fast, you were able to look around and admire the views. Our driver also explained the sight as we passed and in several occasions we stopped for a longer briefing. He informed us on history, nature, life in Portugal in general in a very nice and friendly way.

We were lucky that the weather was very nice. Should you not be as lucky, there are blankets and a roof to cover you.

So for a nice, comfortable, enjoyable drive, take the Tuk-Tuk.

Bus

Back from the Palace of Pena, we took a normal bus. It costs 2,75 euros.  Bus was nice, clean, easy to access. But that was it. It speeds down in a scary way, when you are not used to these narrow , steep streets. There is no time to look around even if you dare to keep your eyes open.

It is a better way to come down than walking if you have problems with your knees, and it comes in every fifteen minutes, and yes, is fast.

Horse carriage

There is still one way to move around, and this is something everyone should try.

It’s the horse carriage, we highly recommend it. They have their stop in the Villa, next to the wall of the National Palace.

We took our ride with Jeronimo and his white horses to the Palace of Seteais and back.

The carriages and the matching horses are a great sight just to look at. The drivers look like they and their carriages have been around for centuries and belong to the place. The streets were made for this type of transportation.  There is nothing nicer than sitting very comfortably in a carriage and listening to the sound of horses’ shoes on the pebble street.

You sit high up, so it is very easy to see around and over the walls. In a clear day you can see really far.

Driver did not speak much English, but letting him know that I speak a bit of Portuguese, he explained the sights and happenings around us. 

The driver  waited for us to have a look around in Seteais and took us back through the beautiful streets of Sintra.  If you close your eyes while sitting in the carriage, you can easily make believe you are one of the royals travelling to you summer house. Truly a nice feeling.

To come:

Private chauffeur

“Donna Virpi” informed us, that there will be a new way to move around in a private car. Of course you can always rent your own car, if you have the guts and nerves for the driving. But there is a possibility to rent a car and a driver, that will take you to your places of interest.  That we will do next time.