CASA DO VALLE

Hiking in Sintra and its surroundings is wonderful. Though the most sought after trails are the ones that lead us to the monuments, there are paths for everyone's interests and capabilities. The hiking trails to the monuments avoid the roads and motorized traffic.  Some access-paths are signposted, other paths are marked with the international hiking signs, some are not marked at all, as they pass in the Natural Park of Sintra-Cascais and even through private grounds. The main areas for hiking are the mountain and Sintra village, the coast and the countryside. There are paths everywhere!  You may want your hike to be circular, where you leave from and arrive to the same spot.  Or you may prefer walking along a linear path, using a local bus or a taxi or the old Sintra tram to return.  You can make your hike short or long, passing by villages or beaches - or simply stay in areas where you are not likely to see anyone else.  Not used to off road w...

We get a lot of questions about the weather from our guests before their arrival: Will it rain in May/February/November…? Will the weather be warm enough to eat outside in the evening? What are the coolest temperatures we can expect? Do we need air-conditioning? As much as we want to answer all of these questions sincerely, not only is it difficult because of climate change, but many of these questions are in fact very subjective in nature. Traditionally, our summers are warm and dry and winters cooler and humid. Traditionally.   With the climate change however, there are some slight changes in the temperatures and rain fall.   What has not changed is the ABUNDANCE OF LIGHT AND SUNSHINE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR . There is a special light even in the rain! It is very, very rare, even in the coldest months, for the temperature to get close to freezing, let alone below freezing temperatures.   So no snow or frost is to be expected at any given month. ...