The Best Museums of Sintra
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Sintra is an open-air museum city. It is home to many breathtaking cultural sites in their diversity and beauty. From historic palaces and monasteries to modern interactive museums, Sintra offers a rich program for visitors of different interests. Some of the city’s top attractions are the following museums in Portugal:
Air Museum
The Air Museum displays more than 100 aircraft and 9,500 exhibits. The 3,000-square-meter main hall introduces visitors to 42 aircraft chronologically, including rare examples such as the Junkers JU-52 and the de Havilland Dragon Rapide.
- Opening hours: Tuesday-Sunday from 10:00 to 17:00.
- Ticket price: 3 euros
- Address: Granja do Marquês, 2715-021 Pêro Pinheiro
Live Science Museum
The Live Science Museum is in a former streetcar depot building dedicated to popularizing science and technology. There are 24 interactive exhibits on biology, physics, and hydraulics. Visitors can try themselves in various scientific experiments and workshops. The museum also has a planetarium, an internet cafe, and a science workshop.
- Opening hours: Tuesday-Friday 10:00-18:00, weekends 11:00-19:00. Closed on Mondays.
- Ticket prices: adults — 10 euros, children 3-11 years — 7 euros, teenagers 12-17 years — 8 euros, 65+ — 7 euros.
- Address: Estrada Nacional 247, Ribeira de Sintra.
NewsMuseum
NewsMuseum is an interactive museum of news, media, and communications. It covers the history of the press through coverage of critical events in Portugal and the world over the last century.
The museum has large touch screens, television towers with broadcasts of world news channels, and much more.
- Opening hours: daily, except Monday and Tuesday, from 9:30 to 19:00.
- Ticket price: adults — 8 euros, children 7-17 years old — 4 euros.
- Address: Rua Visconde de Monserrate, 26.
MU.SA — Sintra Museum of the Arts
MU.SA is a contemporary art museum in a former casino building from the 1920s. The museum presents a permanent collection of paintings, sculptures, and photographs by Portuguese and foreign artists who are working in Portugal. There are also temporary thematic exhibitions.
- Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 10:00-18:00, Saturday and Sunday 12:00-18:00. Closed on Mondays and people 65+.
- Ticket price: adults — 1 euro, free for children under 17 and pensioners over 66.
- Address: Avenida Heliodoro Salgado, 2710-575 Sintra
Museu do Bonsai
The Bonsai Museum is located in the center of Sintra and is one of the largest in Europe. It is dedicated to the art of growing miniature trees. The museum has a collection of over 35,000 items, including 800 specimens of bonsai of different species and ages. The oldest murraya plant is over 112 years old.
- Opening hours: daily from 10:00 to 18:00
- Address: Estrada Chão de Meninos 12, 2710-193 Sintra.
Things to Do in Sintra
There are many other exciting places in Sintra besides museums. For example, the picturesque Cape Roca, the westernmost point of continental Europe, is well worth a visit. From here, you can enjoy stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean.
Connoisseurs of nature will love the ancient Serra di Sintra Park with its winding paths through a marvelous forest. Beach lovers can head to one of the coastal resorts, such as Praia Magoito or Praia Grande.
Sintra is full of cozy cafes and restaurants where you can taste traditional Portuguese sweets — traversers (almond puffs) and queijadas (cheesecakes). Check out the old pastry shops Casa Piriquita, Sapa, and Gregorio.
There are also informative walking tours and one-day tours of Sintra and the surrounding area, as well as sightseeing of the main sights under the guidance of professional guides. This is a convenient way to see the most exciting places in one day.
