Moving to Sintra instead of Lisbon? Pros & cons to consider

If you are thinking of settling in Sintra for an extended period instead of in Lisbon, it’s likely that you fell in love with Sintra’s beauty, romance and allure. But there are several things you should consider before making the move.

The pros of living in Sintra include: the village’s romance and allure, affordable residential suburbs, beautiful nature walks, unspoilt beaches and clean air. The cons include: charmless residential suburbs, thick morning mists, tourist crowds and distance from the amenities of Lisbon proper. 

Sintra’s picturesque village exudes romance and mystical charm, with its mountain-top Moorish castle and fairy tale palaces. Sintra is one of Portugal’s Unesco World Heritage sites and it has been one of Portugal’s tourist meccas for centuries (just ask Lord Byron). You fell in love with it on your first visit to Lisbon because… who wouldn’t?

But is it right for you?

Why choose Sintra over Lisbon?

Rents inside the village of Sintra itself are expensive because it’s a relatively small village and it’s very popular with tourists. 

On the other hand, Sintra’s adjoining residential suburbs such as Algueirão-Mem Martins and Mercês offer some of the most affordable rents in Lisbon’s district. These suburbs are also served by a train line (linha de Sintra) that takes you to the centre of Lisbon in about 30 minutes.

Even so, Sintra’s weather and residential neighbourhoods are not for everyone. This post will consider the pro and cons of these and more.

Sintra’s affordable rents

The village of Sintra itself does not offer cheap rents, on the contrary. But if you get off the train two or three stops before Sintra station (which is the end of the line) you will find yourself in Sintra’s residential neighbourhoods.

The pros of Sintra’s residential neighbourhoods such as Portela de Sintra (literally a 2-minute train ride to Sintra) and Algueirão-Mem Martins ( 6-minute ride to Sintra) are the affordable rents. These are the outer suburbs of Lisbon – they are Lisbon’s dormitories – and rents are priced accordingly. 

Whereas a 30-minute train commute would not be considered long in most world cities, the Lisbon affluent middle-class generally turns up its nose at those distant Sintra suburbs. If they are going to commute for that long, they want to be in a ritzy sea-side suburb like Estoril or Cascais.

Sintra’s residential neighbourhoods were developed and planned (if they were planned at all) as dormitories for the less affluent and this is apparent in the prevalence of high-density housing such as high-rises. These are notoriously difficult to upkeep and condominium committees were not compulsory until relatively recently. All this can translate to charmless pockets of semi-neglected high-density buildings.

As recently as 2016 you could buy a decent-looking two-bedroom apartment in Algueirão-Mem Martins, or in its neighbour Mercês, for as little a 35,000 Euros. Rents for 120 Euros per month were not uncommon in the area. If you worked in Lisbon for a minimum wage (740 Euros today, and less back then), this is where you might live. 

In short, the Sintra region contains some of Portugal’s most socially disadvantaged neighbourhoods. This does not necessarily translate into more street crime – Portugal is just not a street crime kind of place – but unfortunately it often translates into run-down neighbourhoods.

Then again, I bought an apartment in just such a charmless neighbourhood in 2016, placed it on Airbnb, and my tourist guests have been raving about it ever since. When I first bought it, my family and friends in Lisbon thought I was a crazy person. 

Who would want to stay there? they said. Well, it turns out tourists do. It turns out tourists are not snobbish! Unlike… some, cough, Lisbon locals. 

Rent examples in Portela de Sintra (second half of 2020)

Portela de Sintra neighbourhood is a mere minutes from Sintra village and because of that rents here are more expensive than in other residential neighbourhoods.

At the time of writing there was a nicely renovated two-bedroom apartment advertised for 700 Euros per month in this yellow building across from a green park. See image below. There was also a three-bedroom advertised for the same amount but it was 3kms from the train and a third floor walkup. 

The cheapest apartment was actually a tiny one-bedroom in the village of Sintra itself – advertised for 600 Euros per month. It was obviously meant for a short-term rental, but tourists are difficult to come by in mid-pandemic times – even in Sintra. 

Rent example in Algueirão-Mem Martins (second half of 2020)

Algueirão is a more established suburb than some others on the Sintra train line and features some nice pockets of red-roofed villas amid some less charming high-rises. It’s an 6-minute train ride to Sintra village.

At the time of writing there was a spacious two-bedroom apartment advertised for 700 Euros per month. The building was nothing to write home about, but it faced a line of red-roofed villas, which offered no doubt a nice outlook. It was a fourth floor walkup, eek, but only a three-minute walk to the station. See image of building below.

Close to Mercês station (32-minute train ride to centre of Lisbon and 8 minutes from Sintra village) a large one-bedroom in a building with a lift was available at the same time for 590 Euros per month. See the pink building on the left below. Again, nothing to make your heart beat faster, but not scary either.

In all the above locations you would have no difficulty finding free parking on the street. An advantage in itself, if you compare it to the typical parking situation in Lisbon, where parking can be quite a battle.

Sintra’s beauty, allure and romance

Sintra’s enchantments are what made you want to move there in the first place, so I won’t go on about how it has charmed visitors for centuries because I would be talking to the converted.

The downsides to Sintra’s allure

I will try hard here to find some negatives, but I won’t deny that living in a tourist mecca or in its vicinity has its downsides anywhere in the world, and Sintra village is no exception.

For example – pandemic season aside – you will have to share the train to and from Sintra with hordes of day-trippers. If you are commuting for half an hour everyday to Lisbon and unable to find a seat on the train, you might find this unpleasant going. Admittedly, the “hordes” don’t get going before mid-morning, and return to Lisbon in the late afternoon, so you should be fine.

Then there are the tourist prices in restaurants and cafes to consider in Sintra village. This will make dining out more expensive than in Lisbon – also because there’s considerably less competition.

Beautiful nature walks

Sintra’s forested mountain, leading up to its enchanted Moorish castle atop it, offers many hours of nature walks. If you are a hiking enthusiast you’ll be in heaven in Sintra.

The downsides

Sintra’s relative altitude and lush vegetation create a microclimate that is noticeable as soon as you step off the train. The air is cooler and more humid. On many mornings throughout the year there is a thick cover of mist that extends for miles. If you’re lucky the mist lifts by mid-morning, but some days it doesn’t lift at all.

Even if you don’t mind cooler temperatures, the morning mist might loose its fairy tale novelty after a while. It would take some getting used to, especially when you know it is perfectly sunny in Lisbon at the same hour.

Also, many who suffer from asthma and other lung conditions say that Sintra’s climate is unsuitable for them. Definitely something to consider if this is you.

Unspoilt beaches

The Sintra region has some of the most beautiful beaches in the country. Added to that, they are often relatively uncrowded, even during summer. This is mostly because they are not as easily accessible by public transport from Lisbon, like the beaches on the Cascais train line. 

List of Sintra’s beaches:

• Praia da Maçãs
• Praia Grande
• Praia da Adraga
• Praia do Magoito
• Praia da Ursa

Any one of these beaches is so breathtaking, with their wild surf and rocky coves and imposing cliffs rising from expanses of golden sands, that it’s hard to come up with negatives. But I will try.

The downsides

I will say that the surf in Sintra’s beaches is typically wild and wooly and not for the uninitiated. 

If you are not a confident open water swimmer, you probably should not venture into these waters deeper than your ankles, especially in areas not patrolled by lifeguards. This means that if part of the beach experience for you involves a dip in the ocean, these are probably not the best beaches for you. 

Sintra’s clean air

Sintra’s clean air does not come with any downsides, apart from maybe the above mentioned proclivity for thick mists, which makes it unsuitable for asthma sufferers.

The nearby residential neighbourhoods we covered above when discussing rental accommodation in the area, don’t enjoy the same altitude and the lush forested expanses as Sintra village. Even so, the air quality index of Mem Martins on the day of writing was still slightly better at 13 (with 500 being the worst) than Lisbon’s 15.

If you live in Sintra, in the village itself or neighbouring residential suburbs, clean mountain air comes at one cost only. It means you are at some distance from the country’s metropolis, that is, Lisbon. I can see how that would not be a disadvantage for many, especially if we are talking only a 30-minute train or car commute. 

But if your tastes are more metropolitan, and you love dining out and bookshops and plenty of options to enjoy a vibrant social and cultural life, then Lisbon is the place for you – rather than Sintra.

Conclusion

Sintra is definitely for you if:

• You feel its enchantments more than compensate for its relative distance from Lisbon’s centre (and all the metropolitan delights Lisbon provides)
• Your lungs can cope with high humidity and regular thick mists

If this is you, you’ll love the affordable housing, the treks in its lush mountain and wild beaches, the picturesqueness and romance of its village. Enjoy!

Want to read about house hunting in Portugal? Read our article on the best Portuguese real estate websites.

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