You can't drive to Pena Palace. Parques de Sintra, which runs it, says private cars are barred from the roads up to Pena and the Moorish Castle, and driving in the historic centre is for residents.
So I'd leave the car at the free Lourel car park or by Portela station, €1.80 for the whole day, and take bus 434 up the hill. Better still, take the train from Lisbon and skip the car altogether.
Parking in Sintra: The hill is shut, so park at the bottom
1. Don't follow the satnav up to Pena
The Calçada da Pena has been for authorised vehicles only since December 2019: residents, taxis, ride-hail cars, buses and emergency services. The Estrada dos Capuchos became one-way, west to east, with a turning point at the Chalet of the Countess of Edla. Apps still offer these roads. Ignore them.
2. Expect the village closed at busy times
For Easter 2026 (19 March to 6 April), the council let only residents and hotel guests into the centre, with the GNR and municipal police at the entry points. Since 8 July 2026 coaches can't use the Volta do Duche, and Uber and Bolt may stop only at marked pick-up points. Follow the temporary signs: the council's own page still warns of changes at Ramalhão, São Pedro and Portela.
3. Park at Lourel for free
The Lourel car park, beside the São Marçal cemetery, has about 540 free spaces, and buses 434 and 435 leave from it. It opened with 300 spaces, 07:30–19:30; nobody has published new hours, so I treat it as day parking.
4. Or pay €1.80 for the day at Portela
The municipal company EMES runs the Portela de Sintra car park: 250 spaces, open 24 hours, €0.30 for the first 15 minutes, then €0.25, capped at €1.80 a day. The council's March notice said 258 spaces and €1.75 for 12 hours; EMES sets the price, so I'd go by EMES. Portela station is one stop before Sintra.
5. Read the red-zone sign on Sundays too
In the village (Zone 3, which includes the Volta do Duche and Praça da República) the kerb charges every day 08:00–20:00. Since 1 April 2026: €0.90 for an hour, €2.10 for two, €4.65 for four, €14 for the day. Telpark still shows the old €0.80 an hour; EMES's table wins. Pay at the machine or with Via Verde Estacionar.
The kerb day rate is nearly eight times Portela's. That's the whole argument for parking low.
Car parks worth knowing
| Car park | Price | EV |
|---|---|---|
| Portela de Sintra (EMES)Avenida General Mário Firmino Miguel, by Portela de Sintra station, one stop before Sintra; open 24 hours, 250 spaces | €0.30 for the first 15 minutes, then €0.25 per 15 minutes, €1.80 a day maximum. The council's March 2026 notice gave 258 spaces and €1.75 for 12 hours; EMES sets the price, so its table wins. Height not published. | Not published. |
| Lourel peripheral car park (free)Beside the São Marçal cemetery, on the site of the old council workshops; buses 434 and 435 start here | Free. About 540 spaces (Parques de Sintra, July 2026); it opened with 300 spaces, 07:30–19:30. Current hours not published. | Not published. |
| Portela station, north side (free)North of Portela de Sintra station, next to the EMES car park | Free, 450 spaces in the council's March 2026 list. Hours not published. | Not published. |
| Council planning building (free)The council's Urbanismo building, about 440 m from Sintra station | Free, 350 spaces in the council's March 2026 list. Whether visitors may use it on weekdays is not published. | Not published. |
The cheapest way to park, by how long you stay
| If you stay | Cheapest | Cost | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 hours in the centre | Lourel car park + bus 434 | Free | Parking is free; the bus is not. A 24-hour 434/435 ticket is €10.96 from Parques de Sintra or €13.50 on the bus company's site. Overnight rules are not published, and it opened with 07:30–19:30 hours. |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, Zone 3 (Vila de Sintra) | €2.10 | EMES table since 1 April 2026: €0.40 minimum (15 min), €0.90 one hour, €2.10 two, €3.40 three, €4.65 four, €14 a day. Telpark still lists the old €0.80 an hour; EMES sets the price. |
| A full day (10 h) | Lourel car park + bus 434 | Free | Parking is free; the bus is not. A 24-hour 434/435 ticket is €10.96 from Parques de Sintra or €13.50 on the bus company's site. Overnight rules are not published, and it opened with 07:30–19:30 hours. |
| …and the kerb, for comparison | Kerb, Zone 3 (Vila de Sintra) | €12.15 | EMES table since 1 April 2026: €0.40 minimum (15 min), €0.90 one hour, €2.10 two, €3.40 three, €4.65 four, €14 a day. Telpark still lists the old €0.80 an hour; EMES sets the price. |
| 24 hours | Portela de Sintra (EMES) | €1.80 | €1.05 is the first hour; lost ticket charged the daily maximum |
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Towed in Sintra: Sintra publishes no car pound
1. Call the municipal police first
Sintra's Polícia Municipal enforces parking. Its office is at Quinta do Recanto in Mem Martins, phone 21 910 72 10 or 21 910 72 20. EMES, which runs the paid zones, answers on 800 918 800.
2. Don't hunt for a pound address
I checked the council, the municipal police page and EMES. None publishes a pound address, opening hours or a towing procedure. Ask the police where the car went.
3. Bring about €150
The fees are national and in force from 1 March 2026: clamp €87, tow €111, storage €32 for every 24 hours or part of it, plus the fine. One night and you're at €143 before the ticket.
My advice is dull: the pay-and-display zone runs on Sundays, so pay.
If your car has disappeared
- Who took it
- Sintra's municipal police (Polícia Municipal de Sintra) enforce parking. The council, the police page and EMES publish no towing procedure
- Phone
- Municipal police, Mem Martins: 21 910 72 10
Municipal police, second line: 21 910 72 20
EMES customer line (paid parking zones), free call: 800 918 800 - Collect it at
- No car pound address is published. Ask the municipal police at Quinta do Recanto, 2725-428 Mem Martins, where the car went.
- Hours
- Pound hours not published.
- What it costs
- National table from 1 March 2026, for cars: clamp €87, tow €111, storage €32 per 24 hours or part of a day, plus the fine. Tow and one night: €143.
- Bring
- No document list is published. I would bring the registration document or rental contract, my driving licence and passport; for a hire car, ring the rental company first.
EV charging in Sintra: Charge before you come up the hill
1. Don't expect a Sintra charger map
The council publishes no list of chargers and no tariff. Everything sits on the national MOBI.E network, where each operator sets its own price. A 2021 Jornal de Sintra piece counted only 19 working points in the whole municipality; I found no newer official count.
2. Pay by card at the fast posts
At MOBI.E chargers over 50 kW installed since April 2024 you can pay with a bank card. None of the car parks on this page publishes a charger.
I'd arrive charged from Lisbon and not plan on topping up here.
Where to charge
- MOBI.E, the national network — Public chargers across the municipality; the council publishes no map or tariff of its own. Each operator sets its own price. At chargers over 50 kW installed since April 2024 you can pay by bank card. A 2021 Jornal de Sintra article counted 19 working points in the whole municipality; no newer official count found
Free parking in Sintra: Free spaces by the railway, and a train that beats them
1. Use the free spaces by the stations
The council's spring list had 450 free spaces north of Portela station and 350 at the council planning building near Sintra station, plus Lourel. Whether the planning building lot stays open to visitors on weekdays isn't published.
2. Take the train instead
A CP train from Rossio or Oriente costs €2.05 a trip on a Navegante card loaded with "zapping", and the card is €0.50. Two adults there and back is €8.20 plus the cards, less than a day on the village kerb.
3. Budget for the 434, not for parking
A 24-hour ticket for buses 434 and 435 is €10.96 from Parques de Sintra. The bus company's own site sells it at €13.50, or €12.50 online; check before you buy. The bus runs one way: station, Moorish Castle, Pena, village, station. The combined CP train and bus ticket (€14) is suspended.
Leave the car low and ride up. Every rule above was checked on official pages on 3 October 2026.
Free or nearly-free spots
Lourel, about 540 free spaces
The council's peripheral car park by the São Marçal cemetery. Buses 434 and 435 leave from it for Pena, the Moorish Castle and Monserrate. Hours at opening were 07:30–19:30.
Portela station, north side
450 free spaces in the council's March 2026 list, one train stop from Sintra station. The paid EMES car park next door caps at €1.80 a day.
Council planning building
350 free spaces near Sintra station in the council's spring list. Weekday access for visitors is not published.
Hotels with free parking
- Quinta da Maquia — Av. Heliodoro Salgado 89, 2710-575 Sintra Map. Its own site lists free parking among the amenities. The only Sintra hotel I found that says so on its own page; no charging mentioned
⚠ The small print on 'free' parking
- Parques de Sintra and the council's tourist office both say private vehicles are prohibited on the access roads to the Moorish Castle and Pena Palace, and driving in the historic centre is limited to residents.
- Since December 2019 the Calçada da Pena is for authorised vehicles only, and the Estrada dos Capuchos is one-way west to east, with a turning point at the Chalet of the Countess of Edla.
- From 19 March to 6 April 2026 the council let only residents and hotel guests into the centre. A Lisboa para Pessoas review found the centre still congested and the shuttle buses nearly empty. Whether the closure returns is not published.
- Motorhomes: Portuguese law (Lei 66/2021) bans motorhome parking and overnight stays in protected areas and Natura 2000 sites. The Sintra hills are in the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park. Coaches over 35 seats are barred from the mountain roads; Sintra publishes no separate motorhome rule.
- Since 8 July 2026 tourist coaches may not use the Volta do Duche, Uber and Bolt stop only at marked points, and at Quinta da Regaleira cars may only drop passengers on the Volta do Duche.
- Parques de Sintra currently suggests reaching Monserrate via Colares because of road works on the Sintra side.
Take these places with you
Every place on this page as a file you can keep — car parks with their prices, the free and park-and-ride spots, the chargers and the pound.