Getting to Monserrate: train, bus, road, and the hill inside the gate
Every way in, from the operator’s own page
| How | Route | From |
|---|---|---|
| Train | CP Sintra Line | Oriente, Rossio or Entrecampos |
| Bus | nº 1253, Carris Metropolitano | Sintra train station |
| Bus | nº 435, Scotturb | Lourel car park |
| Road | EN375, the Sintra–Colares road | Reached from Lisbon via the IC19 |
By train from Lisbon, then the bus
The CP Sintra Line runs from Oriente, Rossio and Entrecampos; pick the one nearest where you are staying — Rossio is the old centre, the other two are further out — and every train ends at Sintra. From Sintra station the operator gives bus nº 1253, run by Carris Metropolitano, out to the palace. A great deal of published advice says the 435 from the station; the operator’s own page gives the 1253 from the station and the 435, run by Scotturb, from the Lourel car park. Both reach the gate; this site follows the operator.
Check the current timetable on the carrier’s site the week you travel, and check the last departure back before you plan the rest of the day. Bus routes change, and a timetable copied into a web page is the kind of fact that goes stale; the operator’s page does not.
By road
The palace stands on the EN375, the road connecting Sintra town centre to Colares, and the approach from Lisbon is the IC19. It is a hill road through woods with a town at one end and the coast road at the other — a road to enjoy rather than to make time on. In summer, come early: the Sintra roads and car parks fill from mid-morning, which is the strongest argument for the train and the bus.
Once you are through the gate: the hill, and the transfer
The palace sits uphill from the main entrance. The park’s hop-on hop-off electric transport is temporarily unavailable — the operator’s word — and in its place the operator offers a transfer supplement on its ticket page: a round trip between the main entrance and the palace, bought separately from admission. For anyone in the party who would rather not walk up, that is the thing to book before you travel.
The climb is part of the visit rather than a preamble to it: the route up passes through the park you have paid to see, and one reviewer on the ticket listing put it plainly this summer, writing that the gardens “are hilly and some are elevated” and to “take your time to relax (toilets, shops, and food available on site)”. Wear shoes for a garden, not for a museum.
What works
- The train from Lisbon lands you at the start of the bus route, and it runs from three Lisbon stations
- Two bus routes reach the palace, from two different starting points
- The EN375 is a good road to drive and the palace is on it
- A paid transfer covers the climb from the entrance to the palace
- Arriving under your own steam means you leave when you want to
Worth knowing
- Check the current bus timetable and the last departure back before you plan the rest of the day
- The park’s own electric transport is temporarily unavailable
- Sintra’s roads and car parks fill from mid-morning in summer
- The ticket office shuts 12:00–13:00 — arrive with the ticket on your phone
The Farmyard, 850 metres east of the entrance
One measured distance is published by the operator: the Farmyard of Monserrate is 850 metres east of the main entrance. It is one of the thirteen points of interest in the park and the one far enough out to decide on before you set off. The park, point by point.
The cable car question, settled
If you arrived here after searching for a cable car to Monserrate, the price of its ticket, or how long the ride takes, you are almost certainly looking for a different Monserrate, and the confusion is entirely reasonable. Sintra’s Monserrate has no cable car, no funicular and no rack railway; it is a house and a garden reached by road. Cerro de Monserrate in Bogotá has a funicular and a cable car; Montserrat in Catalonia has a rack railway and cable cars. All three, and which is which.
Or let somebody else do the driving
A train, a bus and a hill is exactly what a seat in a van removes, and for a visitor with a few days in Lisbon and no car it is a good thing to buy. Six day trips from Lisbon call at Monserrate: the busiest guides you round Pena and Monserrate with an English-speaking guide and free time in Sintra; one includes the Monserrate ticket and gives the visit its own hour before Regaleira; a half day pairs the palace with Sintra’s old centre and a tasting of queijada and ginjinha. Every one carries free cancellation on most options. All of them, with their own inclusions printed.
Palace and park, fast-trackSintra: Monserrate Palace & Park Ticket
The one most people bookLisbon: Sintra Full Day Pena Palace, Regaleira & Monserrate
Half a day, with tastingsLisbon: Half Day Trip to Sintra and Monserrate Palace
Can’t make these dates?
Three more ways to see Monserrate — the busiest day out of Lisbon, the day that includes the ticket, and Pena’s ticket for the other half of the day — all with instant confirmation and free cancellation on most options. Then live dates on the one most people book.
The one most people bookLisbon: Sintra Full Day Pena Palace, Regaleira & Monserrate
Entry included, with the hour setFrom Lisbon: Sintra, Regaleira, Monserrate and Pena Palace
Do both: Pena’s ticketSintra: Pena Palace and Park Entrance Ticket
Related: what the ticket costs and covers, how long you need once you are inside, when to come, and the other two Monserrates.
Frequently asked questions
How do I get to Monserrate Palace?
By train, take the CP Sintra Line from Oriente, Rossio or Entrecampos to Sintra, then bus nº 1253, run by Carris Metropolitano, from the train station. Bus nº 435, run by Scotturb, reaches the palace from the Lourel car park. By road the palace is on the EN375 between Sintra and Colares, reached from Lisbon via the IC19. Those are Parques de Sintra’s own directions.
Which bus goes to Monserrate, the 435 or the 1253?
Both, from different places. The operator’s own page gives the 1253 from Sintra train station and the 435 from the Lourel car park. Check the current timetable on the carrier’s site the week you travel, and the last departure back.
Can you get to Monserrate without a car?
Yes, easily. The CP Sintra Line from Oriente, Rossio or Entrecampos, then bus nº 1253 from Sintra station out along the Sintra–Colares road. Plan the return by checking the last departure before you set out. If you would rather not assemble the journey yourself, six day trips from Lisbon call at Monserrate and do the driving.
Is there a shuttle inside the park to the palace?
The hop-on hop-off electric transport inside the park is temporarily unavailable, in the operator’s own words. The palace sits uphill from the main entrance, and a paid transfer supplement is offered on the operator’s ticket page — a round trip between the main entrance and the palace, bought separately from admission.
How long is the walk up to Monserrate?
The operator does not publish a walking time and this site does not invent one. What is documented is that the palace is uphill from the main entrance, that the route up runs through the park, and that a paid transfer is offered for anyone who would rather ride. The only published distance in the park is the 850 metres from the main entrance east to the Farmyard.
Is there a cable car to Monserrate?
Not in Sintra. Sintra’s Monserrate is a palace and a park on a hill road with no cable car, no funicular and no rack railway. Cerro de Monserrate in Bogotá has a funicular and a cable car, and Montserrat in Catalonia has a rack railway and cable cars.
Where exactly is Monserrate Palace?
On the EN375, the road connecting Sintra town centre to Colares, inside the Cultural Landscape of Sintra that UNESCO listed in 1995. From Lisbon the road approach is the IC19; by train, the CP Sintra Line to Sintra and bus nº 1253 from the station.