The Castle of the Moors in Sintra, Portugal was tops on our list and we were very excited to be checking this out. We took a private tour that included the Moors Castle and Pena Palace. I’ll be writing about Pena Palace in my next post. The tour also included stopping for lunch and driving through Cascais. We booked a private tour thought Viator and you can click here to book a tour. We were happy with our guide who picked us up at our hotel. The reason we decided to use a guide was we did not want to drive from our hotel, through Lisbon and to Sintra. This worked well for us.
Location
History
The Castle of the Moors is a Castle built by Muslim occupiers between the 8th and 9th century AD on top of a hill in Sintra, Portugal. This hilltop gives the castle a great vantage point for protecting the area. The castle has double walls with an irregular layout and spans over two ridge tops. In 1147 when Lisbon was conquered by Christians, the occupants of the Moors Castle surrendered without a fight to the Templar Knights. Not long after the Christians took over a chapel was built. By the 1830’s much of the castle towers and chapel were in ruins due to an earlier earthquake and neglect. In 1939 renovations to reconstruct the walls and chapel began. The Castle of the Moors became a UNESCA World Heritage Site in conjunction with the Sintra Cultural Landscape which is one of many UNESCA sites in Portugal.
Castle of the Moors
We really liked the fact our guide had a permit to park much closer to the Castle of the Moors than we would have been able to. It was still a bit of an uphill walk to the entrance though. Once through the entrance, the walk through the gardens and to the castle was quite lovely.
A couple things to know about visiting the Castle of the Moors is it is very windy up high in the towers. Also make sure you wear good shoes as the steps and castle wall walk are of uneven stone.
Tomb
We passed silos and an area once believed to be Muslim houses. There is also a tomb, erected to lay human remains under which was unearthed during the early 19th century while some reconstruction was being carried out. It is not known if the remains are Christian or Muslim.
Church of Sao Pedro De Canaferrim
Built in 1147, the chapel is now an interpretation center of the castle’s history.
Castle Entrance
The entrance to the Moorish castle is not the most grand entrance compared to other castles we have seen in Portugal. It is a plain unadorned arched doorway built into the stone wall. Considering how thick the castle wall is, it must have been quite a feet to construct back in the 8th-9th century.
The Castle Keep
Once in the castle we veered right, climbed up the stone stairway, and walked along the castle wall to the castle Keep. The Keep of the castle is considered the safest place within the walls. The Keep’s tower is high on a hill, in a strategic position from which you can see the castle below and also the ocean.
Continuing On
After the Keep we continued on to the other four towers of this castle. It is a bit of a hike with lots of steps but it is definitely worth checking each tower out for the views. In addition, it is a lot of fun walking along the castle walls and roaming through the towers.
Back to the Entrance
We continued back to where we entered. The path back down was quite easy. Plus I found a spot to sit and rest.
Door of Betrayal
Shortly before returning to the entrance there is a small gate in the back of the castle wall which allows access to the outside of the castle from within. Our guide pointed this out. Generally this back door is in an unused area of the castle and the most uneven terrain. This works well during conflict and also works well for an unseen escape. Unfortunately if left opened or unguarded it will allow the enemy inside the castle walls, thus tagged the door of betrayal. Our guide pointed this out to us. In addition, informing us this is why the castle was given up to the Christians without a fight. Someone let the Christians in.
Conclusion
The Moors Castle is definitely a top spot to visit in Sintra, Portugal. The only other castle we visited in Sintra was the Pena Palace. Even though the Pena Palace was ornate and unique, we absolutely loved the Moorish Castle more. There were few people when we were here and the peacefulness of this castle plus the amazing walls and towers really gave us a going back in time vibe. With the trees and gardens all around it felt more remote than it actually was.
Planning
I do a lot of research before a trip and below are some of the items I use to help plan. I also use these items throughout my trip and they have all been a good resource.
My favorite travel guides are the DK Eyewitness guides. These books are smaller and fit nicely in your bag, come with a removable map, are durable, sort the information in a logical way, and easy to read. While they just give a brief synopsis of each area, I find areas I like and then google or search for more information.
I also like a map when I travel because you never know when you will loose GPS. We have many times had to rely on the old fashion method of pulling out a map. I have found the National Geographic Maps to be very useful. The ones I have used have been accurate, durable, and easy to follow. You can click on an Amazon link to a map here https://amzn.to/4dRJNqQ
Follow Me on Instagram !!!
Check out my other Portugal Posts!
Hiking the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail, Portugal May 2024
Kayaking to Benagil Caves, Portugal, May 2024
Castle of Silves, Portugal May 2024
Cromlech of Almendres, Portugal May 2024
Evora Portugal and the Chapel of Bones, May 2024
Arraiolos Castle, Portugal May 2024
Knights of Templar, Portugal May 2024
Exploring Obidos, Portugal, May 2024
A Moliceiro Ride in Aveiro, Portugal, May 2024
The Gen-X Travels recommendations for hotels, restaurants, activities or tour companies are based on our own experiences unless noted. We are not sponsored by any business or company and all trips are at our expense. All photos are by myself or my husband unless otherwise noted. We are affiliates of some companies such as Amazon,Viator, and others which we do receive a small commission from, at no cost to you if you buy or book through one of our links.
Discover more from Diary of a Gen-X Traveler
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Castles are sooooo cool! And, I’m not seeing any moss growing on the bottoms of ya’ll’s shoes! 👀👀😳
They are cool! We had so much fun !
I did a day trip to Sintra from Lisbon, and while I visit the Castle of the Moors, I didn’t have much time there, as I focused more on the Pena Palace. A shame, really, because the Castle of the Moors really has a lot to offer! Thanks for sharing your adventure with us 🙂
Pena Palace will be my next post! Both were pretty amazing. I couldn’t believe how long it took to tour Pena Palace. Each turn had something more to see!
What a great castle and spectacular views! Maggie
We loved it!
It’s such an incredible place, I loved Sintra on my visit to Lisbon 🙂
It is an incredible place. Wish I had more time to visit the other places there!
It looks like there was something amazing to find around every corner. It’s so wonderful that something like this remains to this day.
It truly was amazing! We were like kids roaming around!
Well worth the visit Lori. So beautiful and so much history. Great story on the Door of Betrayal. Happy Monday. Allan
Thank you, Allan. I was fascinated with the stories our guide told but the door of betrayal was my favorite! Have a great week!! Lori
Love this pic! Thanks!
Thank you!