The Sintra-Cascais Natural Park is a park on the

Portuguese Riviera The Portuguese Riviera (Portuguese: '' Riviera Portuguesa'') is a term used in the tourist industry for the affluent coastal region to the west of Lisbon, Portugal, centered on the coastal municipalities of Cascais (including Estoril), Oeiras ...

, one of the 13 Natural Parks of Portugal. While only established in 1994 as a Natural Park by the Portuguese Government, it has been protected since 1981. Its area is approximately 145 km². The park includes the

Serra de Sintra The Sintra Mountains ( pt, Serra de Sintra), is a mountain range in western Portugal. Its highest point is at 529 meters (1,736 ft) near Sintra. The range covers about 16 kilometers (10 mi) from the resort town of Sintra to ''(Cape R ...

Mountain Range but extends all the way to the coast and

Cabo da Roca Cabo da Roca () or Cape Roca is a cape which forms the westernmost point of the Sintra Mountain Range, of mainland Portugal, of continental Europe, and of the Eurasian landmass. It is situated in the municipality of Sintra, near Azóia, in th ...

, continental Europe's westernmost point. It contains the

Castle of the Moors The Castle of the Moors ( pt, Castelo dos Mouros) is a hilltop medieval castle located in the central Portuguese civil parish of Santa Maria e São Miguel, in the municipality of Sintra, about northwest of Lisbon. Built by the Moors in the 8t ...

. Located within 25 km of Lisbon, the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park is a popular tourism area, with many different individual historical and natural sites and attractions.

Sintra Sintra (, ) is a town and municipality in the Greater Lisbon region of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The population of the municipality in 2011 was 377,835, in an area of . Sintra is one of the most urbanized and densely populated ...

and

Cascais Cascais () is a town and municipality in the Lisbon District of Portugal, located on the Portuguese Riviera. The municipality has a total of 214,158 inhabitants in an area of 97.40 km2. Cascais is an important tourism in Portugal, tourist de ...

are towns and municipalities in the

Lisbon Lisbon (; pt, Lisboa ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 544,851 within its administrative limits in an area of 100.05 km2. Grande Lisboa, Lisbon's urban area extends beyond the city's administr ...

Estoril Estoril () is a town in the Municipality of Cascais, Portugal, on the Portuguese Riviera. It is a tourist destination, with luxury hotels, beaches, and the Casino Estoril. It has been home to numerous royal families and celebrities, and has host ...

Coast.

Attractions within the Park

Anta de Adrenunes The Anta de Adrenunes, located on top of a hill at 426 metres above sea level, in the municipality of Sintra, within Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, Lisbon District, Portugal, is believed to be a Stone Age dolmen, burial chamber or megalithic monumen ...

Azenhas do Mar Azenhas do Mar is a seaside town (residential neighborhood) in the municipality of Sintra, Portugal. It is part of Colares civil parish. Azenhas do Mar means ''Watermills of the Sea'' and the name derives from a once-powerful stream that moved th ...

* Chalet and Garden of the Countess of Edla * Convent of the Capuchos (Sintra) (Convent of the Friars Minor Capuchin) *

Cresmina Dune The Cresmina Dune extends over 66 hectares and is a part of the Guincho-Oitavos dune system, located on the edge of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park near Cascais in Portugal. This dune system is considered fairly unique because, as a result of th ...

* Palace of Sintra *

Pena Palace The Pena Palace ( pt, Palácio da Pena) is a Romanticist castle in São Pedro de Penaferrim, in the municipality of Sintra, on the Portuguese Riviera. The castle stands on the top of a hill in the Sintra Mountains above the town of Sintra, and ...

Praia do Guincho Praia do Guincho (English: Guincho Beach) is an Atlantic beach located on Portugal's Estoril coast, 5 km from the town of Cascais, and is located in the municipality of Cascais, more precisely in the parishes of Cascais and Alcabideche, in th ...

(Guincho Beach) *

Monserrate Palace The Monserrate Palace ( pt, Palácio de Monserrate) is a palatial villa located near Sintra, the traditional summer resort of the Portuguese court in the foothills overlooking the Atlantic Ocean north of the capital, Lisbon. History According ...

Quinta da Regaleira ''Quinta da Regaleira'' is a quinta located near the historic centre of Sintra, Portugal. It is classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO within the "Cultural Landscape of Sintra". Along with the other palaces in the area such as the Quinta ...

* Quinta da Ribafria * Ramalhão Palace * Sanctuary of Peninha *

Seteais Palace The Seteais Palace () is a neoclassical palace located in Sintra, on the Portuguese Riviera, operating as a luxury hotel known as the Tivoli Palácio de Seteais Hotel. The palace is a national landmark and is included in the UNESCO ''Cultural La ...

Photo Gallery

Image:PNSC sign.JPG, A sign after entering the park, near Cascais. Image:Praia do Guincho.JPG, Guincho, a well known beach near Cascais, with Cabo da Roca seen at distance. File:Cabo da Roca, Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, Portugal (12 May 2007).jpg, Cabo da Roca, near Sintra. Image:Pena.JPG, The

, standing on a hill above Sintra.

References

External links

Official Site at the (Portuguese) Institute for Nature Conservation
(Portuguese language) Nature conservation in Portugal Nature parks in Portugal Protected areas established in 1981 Geography of Lisbon District Tourist attractions in Lisbon District Cascais Natura 2000 in Portugal {{Europe-protected-area-stub