Guided Visit in Sintra
♦ GUIDED VISIT IN SINTRA ♦
~ Life and Death at Convent of the Capuchos ~
- History, Legends, Heritage -
Organization and Historial Research:
Miguel Boim, O Caminheiro de Sintra ("Sintra's Wanderer")
author of the book Legendary Sintra - Legends and Stories of the Mountain of the Moon
::: www.miguelboim.com
::: rnaat 1808/2017
::: Available days for this guided visit: Mondays to Sundays - all subject to availability.
::: Starting time: between 13h00 and 13h30
::: Group size for this private guided visit: from just one to eight people.
::: A cultural activity, in legal accordance to Nature Tourism.
::: Legal notice: rnaat 1808/2017
::: No smoking; no disruptive noise.
Steps to the entrance of the Convent of the Capuchos, surrounded by moss.
picture by Miguel Boim
The old structures of the Convent engulfed byt the green of the forest.
picture by Frederico Almeida Santos
♦♦♦ Your host, Sintra's writer Miguel Boim, in some Portuguese TV shows:
➤ at RTP2
giving body to Mr. Sommer (Patrick Süskind's)
The reading of some excerpts from Mr Sommer, by Patrick Süskind (best known for The Perfume), in Literatura Aqui programme.
➤ at SIC
in the TV series "Boa Cama Boa Mesa"
A brief appearance on SIC's "Boa Cama Boa Mesa" programme, presented by Martim Cabral, and as always talking about the curious stories of the Sintra Mountains past.
➤ at TVI
in Jornal Nacional, at Sintra's Capuchos Convent
A brief appearance by Miguel Boim, O Caminheiro de Sintra, on TVI's Jornal Nacional, in a report that also involves the Convento dos Capuchos and its curious stories from the distant past.
A group in one of Miguel Boim's guided visits to the Convent of the Capuchos of the Sintra Mountains.
picture by Rute Pio Lopes
The main grotto of the Convent, which also was the church of the Convent.
picture by Miguel Boim
♦♦♦ Important information:
. The meeting point will be at the parking lot of the Convent of Capuchos of the Sintra Mountains.
. This is a private activity. The group is formed only by you and yours.
. On this guided visit you will learn details and facts, and you will listen to chronicle's curious accounts that aren't available to the general public in the ordinary guided visits. It's a guided visit with a deep dive into the past.
. Upon booking, the exact starting time will be suggested.
. This guided visit includes the tickets for the access to the Convent of the Capuchos of the Sintra Mountains.
. This private guided visit to the Convent of the Capuchos of the Sintra Mountains will last around 2 hours (or less, if you require it beforehand), for which you should bring water, and comfortable clothing and footwear (and even if it's a very hot day, a warmer piece of clothing).
. The route will be through the interior of the Convent of the Capuchos in the Sintra mountains, as well as part of its grounds. The distance you will cover in these 2 hours should not exceed 2 kilometres.
. The ground is uneven, and on the Convent's grounds, there are parts that are not advisable for those with a small degree of reduced mobility.
. If the activity has to be cancelled due to severe weather conditions (in Summer and Winter) or access limitations (imposed by the Civil Protection or other governmental authority), you will receive a refund, or we can reschedule for a later date if both parties are available.
. If you have any questions, you can ask them by email or telephone. It is advisable to book as far in advance as possible (the month before is best, but you can try - with no guarantee of success - up to 15 days before).
. During the booking process, you will receive further information about data protection, your safety and the preservation of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park.
At the entrance of the grounds of the Convent.
picture by Miguel Boim
The dormitory corridor, with its extremely narrow entrances to the friars' cells.
picture from an old postcard from the 20th century
♦♦♦ This tour has the seal Clean & Safe, issued by Turismo de Portugal.
► MEETING POINT:
The meeting point will be at the parking lot of Convent of the Capuchos of the Sintra Mountains, and you will receive more information (including maps and images of the meeting point) during the booking process.
► HOW TO MAKE A BOOKING:
Please send an email (caminheiro.de.sintra@gmail.com) with the following subject:
Life and Death at Convent of the Capuchos - [YOUR PREFERRED DATE] - [NUMBER OF PARTICIPANTS].
Payment will be done through Paypal (or if living in Portugal, other national mean of payment such as MBway), and you will have between three and seven days to make the payment and provide the information requested.
If you prefer, you can first ask as many questions as you like, so that you can feel comfortable (caminheiro.de.sintra@gmail.com), either you are alone, or with a group.
► PRICING:
Monday to Sunday // 1 to 4 people // 120€
Monday to Sunday // 5 to 8 people // 240€
*the price includes the tickets for the Convent of the Capuchos
You can go through the reviews in TripAdvisor here:
The entrance to another chapel, with paintings from the 17th century, having Saint Francis on one side and Saint Anthony on the other.
picture by Miguel Boim
On the grounds of the Convent the green spreads everywhere.
picture by Miguel Boim
♦♦♦ Synopsis:
You will isolate yourself in the very World in which you live and travel through the centuries to the stories of History, to the tales of one of the most beautiful, rustic, and mystical places in Sintra.
Their habits, their daily and nightly lives, the visits and revisitings (some of them of travellers, some of them of entities), and the fears that this wilderness of the Serra fostered in every shadow of the fading days.
An afternoon that you may keep in your memory, just as the ancient books of past centuries kept memories that you do not expect to find.
The entrance to the Convent is formed by an increasingly green atmosphere.
picture by Miguel Boim
The old altar at the Convent's main grotto and church.
picture by Adriana Moniz
your cicerone:
the author and researcher
Miguel Boim
Miguel Boim at the national tv channel SIC, in the tv series "Meia-Noite", aired on the night of the New Years Eve
100% dedicated to researching Sintra’s local history, Miguel Boim focuses on the human stories woven through the chronicles of Portugal’s former kingdom. Legends, customs, traditions, civil and religious laws, and mystical experiences within monasteries and convents are just some of the elements he sees as essential to understanding the “tree of life” that is Sintra’s past.
In addition to contributing numerous articles over the years to share the history - and stories from the history - of the Sintra Mountains, Miguel has co-authored various literary works and published his own, including the iconic Sintra Lendária, now in its seventh edition.
Living in the past, as he likes to say, Miguel claims that all his best friends are long dead - yet very much alive within the pages of old books and manuscripts. These "friends" have all the time in the world - both in this one and beyond - to tell him their stories of what once happened in the Sintra Mountains and who once wandered its valleys and hills.
Driven by a mission to share Sintra’s history in captivating yet well-researched formats - both written and spoken - Miguel has, in recent years, been involved in projects that have significantly broadened public awareness of the region’s historical richness.
Miguel Boim being received by the students of a Sintra council school
Although research is at the heart of his work, Miguel believes that history truly comes alive when it’s shared. Through night walks, storytelling sessions, and school visits, he brings the past into the present in ways that enchant and inspire. Whether he’s guiding adults through the forested trails of Sintra at night or captivating young students with tales of old, Miguel’s mission remains the same: to reconnect people with history by igniting their sense of wonder.
In one such project, supported by the Sintra City Council, he visits schools to share the legends and folk traditions woven into the region’s cultural heritage—an initiative that proves history, when told with heart, can still spark the imagination of a new generation.
Miguel Boim in the filming of the french documentary
Le Mont de la Lune
Recognition matters - not just from the public, but from the institutions that help preserve cultural memory. When Sintra Lendária was first released in 2015, the launch was held at the Grémio Literário de Lisboa, a venerable literary society founded in 1856, and was presented by Sintra’s mayor, Basílio Horta. It marked not only the publication of a book, but the public validation of a journey that had long been unfolding behind the scenes.
the presentation of the book Sintra Lendária, in the Grémio Literário, by Basílio Horta, Mayor of Sintra Municipality
Due to his deep knowledge of historical accounts by foreign travelers in Portugal, Miguel was invited to contribute a chapter to Mafra Sacra, a book published under the high patronage of the President of the Portuguese Republic, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa. The book commemorates the 300th anniversary of the Palace and Convent of Mafra.
cover of Mafra Sacra, a book with the high patronage of the President of the Portuguese Republic
Miguel also served as historical consultant for the Sintra Myths and Legends Museum / Interactive Centre, contributing his expertise and earned public trust to the development of its content.
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the Sintra Myths and Legends Museum / Interactive Centre, in the old town
In 2015, before becoming a regular contributor to Jornal de Sintra, the oldest regional newspaper in Portugal, Miguel was interviewed about his early work and motivations. For almost ten years, he penned monthly columns that brought to light forgotten narratives and curious historical insights, steadily building bridges between Sintra’s past and present.
At the University of Évora, Miguel was invited to speak about the history of Sintra and the craft of writing both fiction and non-fiction. His audience: Literature bachelor's and master's degree students eager to understand how lived history and narrative technique can meet in a meaningful, respectful - and sometimes magical - way.
Miguel Boim giving a lecture at the University of Évora for
Literature bachelor's and master's degree students
The Castro's coat of arms. It hides spectacular stories from ancient centuries that are quite identifiable with the Convent's spirit.
picture by Miguel Boim
The Convent's cloister, replete with details that the common eye doesn't spot.
picture by Miguel Boim
♦♦♦ What are these activities?
These activities arose from the historical research work carried out by Miguel Boim, telling the accounts of Portugal's history in Sintra, and related to the route's theme.
Usually, two of the purposes are for people to feel the nocturnal Sintra Mountains atmosphere (and thus become aware of its fauna and flora) and to get closer to the history that has been written down and lived through our ancestors, which can surprise us in its most past hidden contours. As this is an activity carried out during the day, the main intent is for the people to feel even more the curious space of the Convent of the Capuchos, through the accounts and details that Miguel Boim will tell you. The grounds of the Convent will also make you feel not only the beauty that the mountains have today but also the exotic beauty of the Portuguese past..
Participants on one of Miguel Boim's walks, at the end of a foggy day in the mountains.
picture by Paula Custódio
Miguel Boim during the filming of a documentary about the Sintra Mountains, which was to be presented (before the war) in Russia and Ukraine.
Do you want more information?
Just continue scrolling down.
Elucidation of the Guided Visit
Can I ask anything I want on Sintra History, even if not related with this guided visit?
You are more than welcome to share all the questions you have not only related to this guided visit but with everything related to Sintra's History and Heritage.
Wouldn't we know those accounts in any other form?
To a better understanding of this travel to the past, you will be furnished with pieces of information - curious pieces of information - which can be only known by those who study the local and the reign's history continually and which permit your eyes to have the right filters - which are very different from the ones our imagination supplies us with, and are usually far from the reality lived in the past.
Real People From the Past Vs the formal bombardment of dates and facts
More than talking about dates and times from the portuguese past that people are not familiarized with due to being from different cultures, life observed from a mundane perspective can give you a better insight into the impact monuments and changes had in Sintra. Life was different in many aspects, but not that much in others. Religious orders were a freezer that kept some mundane habits and stories from history that we can listen to today. They are felt as very enthusiastic, and moreover when they have their background here in Sintra. Some individuals from religious orders are going to be mentioned, as well as their own liturgy (that may sound strange for the common people today) and some habits and religious/mystical experiences.
People who have lived in Sintra in the past are going to be mentioned, due to their role in strange circumstances. Those circumstances reveal how the portuguese - and the people from Sintra - were in the past and how they were seen by the foreigners in distant centuries. The telling of those circumstances and accounts will give you a rare insight into how the village and mountains were, as well as some of the differences between then and the monuments you see today.
Books from the 16th and 18th century used by Miguel Boim in
his historical research on the Sintra Mountains - with the facts also used in the night walks in Sintra.
The Shadows and the Law
Another important layer of knowledge to better understand the past is the one related to the law and social power. Who would have the power here in Sintra, if not the state? But the state through who and how? People who talk only about the Pelourinho (pillory) in the portuguese society from the past, almost always end up not knowing its most common functions and roles. Also, what we see today - Sintra's Pelourinho - is a modern reconstruction. Who was the law here in the 16th century? And on the 17th? And on the 18th? And by whom were they helped? Would the law enforcers report only to the state, or also to the Holy Inquisition? In all the mentioned centuries, there were different formal names and functions, but how did they affect living in the Old Town, and where could you or couldn't you go?
On Trust and Safety
Code of Conduct // Safety // For Your Comfort
No smoking or disruptive noise.
Do not remove flora, fauna, or geological materials.
Minimum age: 12
No pets allowed.
By booking this activity, you assume that your health conditions are perfect for walking (considering the grounds of the convent have some steep parts) between 300 and 350 meters above sea level for around two hours.
Proper footwear and clothing (you'll be advised on the best of both, according to the time of year and near-date weather conditions).
The start and end times can be exact, but please note that the end time can be inaccurate - if not otherwise strictly required.
You can request information on how to avoid tourist crowds during the day in Sintra.
A falconer in a portuguese book from the 16th century.
Cancellations and Refunds
Cancellations with a full refund are possible if made until 72 hours before the beginning of the activity.
After cancellation, the refund can take up to 7 days to be made.
In case of rain (if not heavy rain) the activity will be maintained; in case of warning (Aviso) or alert (Alerta) by the authorities (Civil Protection, ICNF) the activity will be cancelled, being possible to reschedule it, or with the refund of the amount paid (100%).