Portugal has a lot to offer with several destinations vying for touristic honors, be it Lisbon, Porto or you name it. One destination that probably deserves a brighter spotlight is Sintra, a magical city 33 kilometers from Lisbon.
Designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO, Sintra is a magical place in a dream-like setting. With lush green rolling hills on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, it is a short drive or convenient 40-minute train ride away from Lisbon.
Situated at an elevation of 574 ft. with a salubrious climate and gorgeous views, Sintra has been a favored destination of royalty and aristocracy for centuries.
The Moors built a medieval castle there around the eighth century, the Portuguese conquered the city the 12th century and more recently, the Portuguese royal family made it their summer residence.
Sintra is chockful of stunning castles, palaces, museums, gardens, water fountains, chapels and mansions, some of them very Disneyland-like. A surreal kaleidoscope of history, geography, and legend. With many of the structures reflecting Moorish, Gothic and Manueline styles.
The Twizy
As my wife and I planned our trip to Sintra, the main question that we grappled with was how to cover the various places of interest, spread out across very steep and mountainous terrain, in one day and without hurting our knees or backs.
We were relieved when we came across the GO2Cintra.com website touting the sub-compact electric vehicle, Renault Twizy, as their smart rental option to explore Sintra.
The Twizy weighs just about a thousand lbs., with a fifth of the weight in its lithium-ion battery. It has a single-charge range of 100 km. and it can attain a maximum speed of 50 km an hour.
When we saw pictures of the sub-compact vehicle, we had some concerns about its safety and road-worthiness. However, some research and a chat with the friendly staff at the rental company allayed many of our fears.
