The fairy tale palace of Pena and the westernmost tip of Europe

I had some time before heading to Cabo da Roca, so I utilized it by walking around the old town of Sintra, hogging on some delicious salad with fresh mozzarella, port wine and traditional dessert from Sintra called travesseiro, a pastry rightfully called pillow. :)

The old town square of Sintra

This is the Sintra National Palace

Since the region is all hilly, you can get to elevations easily by taking any of the streets and following the way, and get panoramic views like this.

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Cabo da Roca
The first and foremost fact about Cabo Da Roca, aka Cape Roca is that its the western most point of Europe, thus making it the western most point of the entire Eurasian continent. 
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Cabo da Roca is a wild and rugged headland. The cliffs of Cabo de Roca were believed to be the edge of the world up until the up until the late 14th century and the spectacular, desolate scenery adds to the allure of the location. 
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There is no entrance fee or parking charges at Cape Roca. I spent around an hour viewing the cliffs, the monument and lighthouse. 

There are coastal paths for longer visits; the area is a part of Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, so it would be a very scenic walk for the nature and trail lovers, but the bracing wind was just too much for me to take the hike.

Sunset is considered to be the best time of day to visit but unfortunately that did not align with my plan and limited bus services.

The isolated atmosphere of Cabo da Roca is enhanced by the very limited development in the area; there is a lighthouse, coffee shop and gift shop but nothing much else.

The raging Atlantic Ocean waves pound the base of the massive jagged cliffs while challenging hiking trails follow the coastal paths.

Cabo da Roca is 18km west from Sintra, and 40km west of Lisbon. The easiest and convenient method of transport is by rental car, the route from Cascais (and Lisbon) follows the scenic N247 and leaves at the village of Azóia. The route is well signed and is a further 2.5km from the village.

But, like me, if you are limited to buses and taxis, traveling to Cabo da Roca by public transport is relatively easy as the bus stop is on the main Cascais to Sintra bus route (bus number 403). The journey from Sintra takes 40 minutes or 25 minutes from Cascais. There is a service each hour in both directions between 9:00-17:00 but the times are not regular during the day, so check local bus timetables before departure. Taxis can be hired from Cascais too.

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