Town Hall, Sintra, Bezoekersgids & wat te doen in de buurt

The Town Hall of Sintra is the municipal building that has governed the town since it was completed in 1909, standing between Sintra's historic centre and the newer Estefânia district. It is a good place to understand how Sintra grew, and why a building that looks much older is in fact a 20th century landmark.

The story behind it

Visitors are sometimes told that the Town Hall is an ancient monument from the 16th century. It is not. The building was finished in 1909, and its older look comes from the architectural style it borrows. For more than a century it has served as the seat of local government in Sintra.

Its position tells the real story. Once the railway reached Sintra, the town became a place people wanted to visit, and it needed room to grow. The old centre could not take much more building, so a new neighbourhood, Estefânia, was laid out beside it and named after a queen of Portugal. The Town Hall was placed between the two, a bridge between the old town on one side and the modern town on the other.

What to look for

• Stand in front of the building and turn your head: one direction leads towards the old town, the other towards the newer Estefânia streets, and the change in feel is easy to see.
• Study the facade and its decorative details, which echo older Portuguese styles even though the building dates from the early 1900s.
• Notice how the Town Hall sits at a junction, which explains why it was chosen as the link between two parts of town.
• Compare the architecture here with the buildings in the historic centre nearby, and see whether you can tell old from imitation.

Tips for your visit

• Allow ten to fifteen minutes for the building itself, longer if you want to compare the two sides of town on foot.
• It is an active municipal building, so check current opening hours and whether any public areas can be visited before you plan to go in.
• Morning light is kinder for photographs, and the streets are usually quieter before the day trippers arrive.
• The historic centre and its palace are a short walk away, so the Town Hall fits easily into a wider stroll through Sintra.

See it on a quest

Highlights of Sintra is a good way to see the Town Hall. You reach it on foot as one stop on a longer route through the area, the app tells you about the building as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle based on what is in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group, and you can start whenever you like without a guide.