Convent of the Capuchos: the cork-lined cells hidden in the forest

The Convent of the Capuchos was founded in 1560 as a Franciscan house, designed to hold eight friars in conditions of radical poverty. The cells are roughly two metres across, the doorways low enough to force you to stoop, and the interior lining is cork — used as insulation against the permanent damp of the hills.

It is the least spectacular and the most memorable visit in Sintra. There are no state rooms, no collections: there is a set of tiny spaces wedged into rock and forest, covered in moss, where the silence is nearly total because there is nobody else there.

Getting there without a car

This is the real obstacle. The convent sits inside the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, well away from the town, and is not served by the 434 or the 435. The options:

• Car. About 20 minutes from the historic centre on a narrow, winding hill road. There is a small car park at the entrance.
• Taxi or tuk-tuk. Arrange the return leg before you set off — no taxis pass by, and mobile coverage is poor.
• On foot. Trails connect the Peninha area and Pena Park, but these are multi-hour walks on rough ground, for people who came equipped.

Always combine it with Peninha and, if you have a car, with Cabo da Roca: they sit on the same axis, and that is the only way the journey pays for itself.