Quinta da Regaleira
Sintra's most mysterious estate, with a nine-level spiral 'initiation well' descending underground and gardens full of grottoes, tunnels and Masonic symbols.
Quinta da Regaleira is a Romantic estate built in the early 20th century for Carvalho Monteiro, a Brazilian coffee magnate, by an Italian architect. It is part of the Sintra World Heritage Site. Its most famous feature is the Initiation Well (Poço Iniciático), an inverted tower with a nine-level spiral staircase that descends 27 m underground. At the bottom, tunnels lead out to a waterfall and a lake, symbolizing the journey from Hell to Heaven in Dante's Divine Comedy. The gardens also contain towers, a chapel and many mysterious symbols. Admission is about €15, and the queue to enter the well can be long in peak season. Getting there: it is about a 15-minute walk from Sintra train station.
Opening hours
Approx. 09:30–19:00 (until 17:00 in winter)
Nearby sights
- Seteais Palace
- Biester Palace
- Pena Palace, Sintra
- Sintra National Palace
- Sintra Historic Centre
- Casa Piriquita
- Castle of the Moors
- Chalet of the Countess of Edla