Exploring Sintra’s Moorish Castle with Kids: A Family Adventure Amidst Ancient Wonders

The Moorish Castle, or Castelo dos Mouros, is an impressive 10th-century stone structure that sits on top of the Serra de Sintra hills. The castle is located in Sintra, a short 30-minute drive from Lisbon, Portugal. Snaking along the Sintra skyline, just west of the iconic Pena Palace, the Moorish Castle is the oldest castle in the area and one of the most classic, from the time the Moors occupied the Iberian peninsula.

Our family of two adults and two kids under-five decided to visit the Moorish Castle after a full day of castle fun at Pena Palace, since the two castles were within walking distance of each other.

If you decide to add this landmark to your Sintra trip, here are some tips to make the most of your castle visit with your family:

Trip Purpose

Spend a day in Sintra to visit the Moorish Castle during our family's first trip to Lisbon

DESTINATION: Sintra, Portugal

AGE OF OUR KIDS: 2 years; 5 years

LENGTH OF STAY: 2-3+ hours

TIME OF YEAR: December

Before you go

The trip to Sintra from Lisbon is about 30 minutes by car or one hour by train. Click here for train times and to purchase tickets.
The 434 bus transports visitors from the Sintra train station to the city’s historic center and to the castles beyond for 7,6€ round trip. Altogether, budget about 90 minutes to get from Lisbon to Castelo dos Mouros by public transport.
Parking is limited along the one-way road through the park and in the few tiny parking lots nearby.
Buy tickets online or at the kiosk at the entrance to the castle.
View the map to get your bearings.
Plan for multiple days if you can. Many people visit Sintra in one day and try to see as many castles as possible. If you have the opportunity, I would recommend spending more than one day in Sintra so you can fully enjoy the most popular castles and downtown Sintra with your little kids.

What we packed

Standard diaper bag essentials
Comfortable shoes, clothes, sunscreen, and hats
Baby carrier
Camera
Princess dresses

BASE COST

Tickets: Free for children 6 and under; 6,5€ for children ages 6-18 and seniors; and 7,6€ for adults

Add-ons

1,09€ to rent an audio guide
Food from the café
Taxi or bus ride

6 Tips for Visiting Castelo dos Mouros with Your Family

Be prepared to walk...a lot

The ticket kiosk and entrance to the castle walls were, by design, a about a 15-minute walk from the actual castle gate.

Notice the historic markers and beautiful views as you meander the stone path trodden by centuries of visitors. It was all uphill and felt like a journey before we arrived at our destination—the castle.

The stone path was bumpy and uneven, so I would recommend you skip the stroller and bring a baby carrier, snacks, and creative games to keep the party moving.

For example, “let’s skip, let’s jump, let’s run to the next tree!”

2. Stretch out at Arms Square

~30 minutes

You can’t miss the broadest open space in the castle once you enter the castle gates.

Arms Square is centrally located, surrounded by stone walls and trees, and feels like a community gathering space.

Our kids loved taking a moment to enjoy some freedom, where they weren’t being rushed along a path to reach yet another castle, and where they could run around without worrying about bumping into something historic and fragile.

We had a snack break on the picnic tables and watched the tourists walk by.

3. Check out the Cistern

~15 minutes

Located near the bathrooms and café, the Cistern is indoors and much larger than it looks.

Take a breather from the heat and sun inside the Cistern walls, and imagine this being the only access to food and water for the entire castle during a siege or disaster.

4. Climb the Torre Real

If you and your family are up for it, climb the 500 steps to the top of the Torre Real.

Keep in mind, however, that the walk around the castle walls is not safe for kids to do alone. I had moments of panic while walking the palace walls with one child in my arms and grasping the other’s hand tightly because one side of the walking path is lined with stone wall, while the other has no barrier to prevent a child from falling two or more stories down to the center of the palace. Hold those little hands tight!

You may be wondering why I was responsible for the safety of both kids? Well, that’s because our preschooler gave up about halfway to the tower, and my partner decided to continue on to get a good picture.

And, let’s face it, they only wanted to hold my hand, anyway. Sigh.

Even though it was a little nerve wracking, I still enjoyed walking along the palace walls, soaking in the views from the tower, and experiencing this part of the castle with my kids. I’d just recommend you do it with a tight grip on your kiddo’s hands!

5. Keep an eye out for feral cats

My kids love animals, especially cats. We found and followed many kitties throughout the palace grounds, and even turned it into a game of who could find the most cats.

My toddler learned the hard way that she should not touch the cute cats wandering the Quinta da Regaleira castle.

Pro tip: look for cats, but don’t pet them! Because they can bite, draw blood, and cause panic in your toddler. Grown-ups beware.

6. Take a side-trip to Pena Palace

~4 hours

While visiting the Castelo dos Mouros, you are just steps from Pena Palace, and could try to fit a trip to both castles into your schedule for the day.

We visited the Castelo dos Mouros after spending the morning at Pena Palace. I believe seeing two palaces in one day is doable for families with little kids if you budget time for breaks and meals, and be prepared for a lot of walking and/or carrying your kids.

Doing two castles in one day ended up being a lot for my little family. If you have time, I would recommend breaking this up, and spending more than one day in Sintra to enjoy more than one castle at a toddler’s pace.

After housing the Moors, then the Christians, then the Jews, the Castelo dos Mouros was abandoned until King Ferdinand II came along in the 1800s to restore the ruins as a “show piece” for his elaborate Pena Palace.

We visited the Moorish Castle after a long day at Pena Palace because we were so close and it felt like we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to see both (see recommendation #6).

I wrote this blog precisely because I did not plan it well. Nope. Pena Palace took longer than I thought, with lunch and a short nap, and it included a lot more walking than we expected. This resulted in our kids being very tired after an extra exciting and exhausting morning and afternoon at Pena Palace, and our short trip to the Moorish Castle felt like we were visiting one castle too many that day.

Suddenly a 10-to-15-minute walk uphill to the castle was a slow and sluggish trek for our five-year-old, who later refused to climb the steps to the Torre halfway up. I planned for us to visit both castles on my birthday, which meant that my partner and I spent the end of the day carrying both exhausted kids back to the car and dragging them to a fancy dinner after the long and eventful day for one more event—my birthday dinner.

Good thing I got a birthday sangria that night!

Have you ever tried to do too much with your kids in one day? Share in the comments below.

This post is part of a series of posts about visiting Portugal with kids. Continue the adventure with us here:

How to visit Quinta da Regaleira with kids

Our favorite activities in Sintra with Kids

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Angel

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Puerto Rican & Indigenous mama of two. Bay Area native. Salsa dancer. Backpacker. Doula. Angel (she/her/hers) is a co-founding member of the Beautiful Brown Adventures team. She has traveled to over 30 countries and loves to explore the world with her two daughters & partner - one ice cream shop at a time.