This proposed walk starts at Praça Dom Fernando II, in São Pedro de Penaferrim (Sintra), the site of the famous market. This route will take you up and down countless steps in the town of Sintra, passing by some of the best-known places in the town, but also many others where we've never set foot and didn't know it was possible to go that way....! Come with us and be surprised! Another event not to be missed!

Sintra Stairs

By definition, a series of steps, on an inclined plane, to go up or down constitutes a staircase. Because of this, I don't know why the diminutive form of "staircase" is used to describe the many little staircases in Sintra. The Escadinhas de Sintra (some) are small, they deserve the classification they have been given, others are not, they are more like staircases. Some are wide, others narrow, some have handrails, others do not. Some are steeper, others not so much. Some shine because of the breathtaking views, others don't because the sun can't get in. They are trapped between walls or embedded in dense vegetation. Some are curved, others straight. Facing north, east, west or south, there they are, waiting to be trodden on by brave hikers, national or foreign.

It's a vertiginous adventure, going up and down on foot, or foot by foot, except you can't use a shuttle, although it does go up as well as down. Sintra's staircases exist both in urban areas, built with Portuguese pavement, and in natural areas, built with rammed earth and wooden logs. Climbing these stairs “up” and descending them “down” is nothing more than a pedestrian rollercoaster, where the speed in metres/second gives way to beats/minute and where adrenaline is replaced by physical effort, with the advantage of having much more time to enjoy the landscape. In Sintra, in a small area, you can discover more than 50 staircases, full of history, mystery and glory, where nature, the urban and the human meet today and now, with the past.

On a walking route of just over 12 kilometres, you can find all these little stairs and, if you have the patience, count the 2,000 or so steps, choose the ones you want to climb and the ones you want to descend, ranging from a maximum of 300 metres to a minimum of 180 metres above sea level. Before discovering this journey, are you excited, enthusiastic or resigned? Or have you had enough? You can discover, for example: Escadinhas do Canil, D. Fernando, Aliados, Raul Lino, Vigia, Visconde de Ouguela, Clérigos, Do Castelo, Vila Sassetti, Fonte da Pipa, Lord Byron, Amarais, Assembleia, Briamante, Audiência, Hospital, Murtas, da Estação, da Estefânia, André Albuquerque, Alba Longa, do Campo and pass by Largo do Perfume. Believe me, it's a good place to stop, almost at the end of the day, After all that sweat, there's nothing like a little perfume to soften the odour.

This route was proposed and designed by Mr Manuel Mogo.

- St Peter's Church - Sassetti Palace and Villa - Friendship Rock - Aliados Stairs - Raúl Lino Stairs - Vigia Stairs - Clérigos Stairs - Ferraria Viewpoint - Hospital Stairs - Station Stairs - Audience Stairs - Assembly Stairs - Briamante Stairs - Félix Nunes Stairs - Audience Stairs - Kennel Stairs - D. Fernando Stairs Fernando - Escadinhas da Pendoa - Sintra National Palace -