• No private cars up to the castle: park in Sintra's historic center or the outer car parks, then walk a marked trail or take the bus
• Walls built over boulders and cliffs, so the parapet walk climbs and dips; wear shoes with good grip
• Dogs are welcome inside the castle, under the access conditions on the Parques de Sintra site

A 10th-century fortress built during the Moorish period on one of the peaks of the Sintra Hills. Its granite walls run along the ridge between boulders and cliffs, and kids can walk the parapet between towers, with views over Sintra town, Pena Palace and the Atlantic.

Inside the walls are grain silos, a cistern, the ruins of an Islamic settlement and a medieval church.