Lord Byron called Sintra a glorious Eden, and two centuries of romantics, kings and eccentric millionaires have tried hard to prove him right. The granite range rises abruptly west of Lisbon, catching Atlantic moisture so that its slopes are draped in mist and dense, damp forest of oak, cork, fern and exotic trees planted by nineteenth-century gardeners. On the peaks and in the woods stand the Moorish Castle, its walls snaking along the ridge; the Pena Palace, a riot of yellow and red towers built for King Ferdinand II in the mid-1800s; the Quinta da Regaleira, with its spiralling initiation well; and the exotic Monserrate palace. UNESCO inscribed the whole cultural landscape in 1995.
Down the western slopes lies Colares, a village with a unique wine. Its vines grow in deep sand near the ocean, which protected them from the phylloxera louse that destroyed most European vineyards in the nineteenth century, so many still grow on their own roots, sprawling low along the ground behind windbreaks. Just beyond, Cabo da Roca marks the westernmost point of mainland Europe, a windswept headland of cliffs and lighthouse where the Atlantic pounds the rocks far below.
Riding in Sintra is a mixed blessing. The roads through the hills are narrow, twisting and often cobbled, slick when damp, with stone walls tight on both sides, and the town centre is a tangle of one-way streets choked with tuk-tuks, buses and tourists. In summer, traffic restrictions apply on the roads to the palaces. The rewards are the forest roads up to the Peninha sanctuary and over the ridge, and the coast road from Cascais via Guincho and Cabo da Roca, which is spectacular, windy and fast. Early mornings outside peak season are ideal.
Colares and Sintra both have fuel, and Lisbon is only half an hour away. In the old town, queue for travesseiros, puff-pastry pillows filled with almond cream, and queijadas, small cheese tarts, both famous local sweets. The palaces each take time, so choose one or two rather than trying to see everything in a day, and pack a layer: Sintra is often cool and foggy when Lisbon is basking in sunshine.