Sintra vs Fátima — Which Day Trip from Lisbon Should You Take?
Two of Lisbon's top day trips, but worlds apart: Sintra is fairytale palaces and gardens in the hills, Fátima is Portugal's great Catholic pilgrimage shrine paired with the coast and a walled village. Here's the side-by-side.
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Sintra vs Fátima: what to know before booking
Two of Lisbon's top day trips, but worlds apart: Sintra is fairytale palaces and gardens in the hills, Fátima is Portugal's great Catholic pilgrimage shrine paired with the coast and a walled village. Here's the side-by-side.
- Availability
- 14 ticket options compared
- Starting price
- Tickets currently start around $12 EUR before checkout fees.
- Rating signal
- Compared options average 4.5 stars across 9,791 traveler reviews.
- Location
- Sintra ~30 km northwest of Lisbon; Fátima ~130 km north, toured with Nazaré and Óbidos
- Best time
- Early starts for both — Sintra to beat the traffic, Fátima to maximise the longer day
- Ticket note
- Sintra palace entries are timed and sell out; Fátima's shrine is free and open, tour meeting times are strict
Sintra vs Fátima in Lisbon
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Side-by-side: Sintra vs Fátima
If it's your first trip from Lisbon, choose Sintra — the candy-coloured Pena Palace and the gardens of Quinta da Regaleira are the iconic, unmissable excursion, and at 40 minutes out it's the easiest. Choose Fátima if you're drawn to the great Catholic pilgrimage site, or simply want a quieter day that pairs the shrine with Nazaré's giant-wave beach and the storybook walls of Óbidos. With more than one day, do both: they don't overlap at all, so together they make a perfectly varied pair of excursions.
Everything you should know before you book
Sintra and Fátima are two of the most-booked day trips from Lisbon, but they could hardly be more different. Sintra is a UNESCO hill town 40 minutes northwest, crowned by the candy-coloured Pena Palace and the romantic gardens of Quinta da Regaleira. Fátima, 1.5 hours north, is one of the Catholic world's great pilgrimage shrines, almost always combined with Nazaré's giant-wave beach and the walled village of Óbidos.
Sintra is the classic first choice; Fátima is the quieter, pilgrimage-and-coast alternative. Sintra needs timed-entry tickets booked ahead and gets crowded fast, while Fátima's shrine is free, calmer, and pairs with two more stops on a longer drive. The table below compares distance, sights, time, terrain, and who each trip suits so you can choose with confidence — or fit both in.
Frequently asked questions
Sintra or Fátima for a day trip from Lisbon?
Sintra is the classic first choice for palaces, gardens, and proximity (40 minutes). Choose Fátima if you want the great pilgrimage shrine, usually paired with Nazaré's beach and walled Óbidos for a coast-and-villages day.
Can I do both Sintra and Fátima in one day?
No — they're in opposite directions and each is a full day. With two or more days in Lisbon you can do them on separate days, and because they don't overlap they make a well-balanced pair.
Do I need to book tickets for Sintra and Fátima?
For Sintra, yes — Pena Palace runs timed entry and frequently sells out, so a guided trip that bundles the tickets is easiest. Fátima's shrine is free and open, so no entry ticket is needed beyond the tour itself.