Avoid one of Sintra's major problems - its crowds - while observing magnificent night landscapes and feeling a completely different atmosphere, closer to its true essence and ideal to create a mystical bond with Sintra's memories of the distant past.
If you want the focus of the night walk to be the History of the Sintra Mountains with its curiosities from the past, the starting point will be at the old town, at 20h00, right next to the old Royal Palace (the one with conical chimneys), where you will spend some time with the writer and historian Miguel Boim, who is going to show you some curious details and tell you accounts from the past that meet your wantings and curiosity. This route has road parts but you will be able to observe very beautiful night landscapes, or, if the fog wraps the landscape's points of interest, you will have the mystic atmosphere usually associated with Sintra. If you still feel fresh in the middle of the walk, and if it's a night with no fog, Miguel Boim can take you to a higher point with a wonderful view, and/or can go to more dirt paths in the forest.
If you prefer the focus to be more on experiencing walking at night in the Sintra Mountains, the starting point shall be at Peninha (very close to the ocean, on the west side of the mountains), a little bit before sunset. In this option, Miguel Boim will also tell you curious accounts from the past while still with daylight. If the weather allows, you will see the sun set in front of you, with the ocean as the horizon line. Then, you will enter the dense forest, and almost all the route will be on dirt paths. The meeting point for this route is located around 14 kilometres from the old town, and you can only get there by car.
Both routes were created so that they can be done by the majority of people, with the effort comparable to spending a whole afternoon strolling around a tourist location. Both have around 5 kilometres, and the activity's duration is between 2h00 and 3h30. You just need water and comfortable clothes and footwear.
