Town · Lisbon area, Portugal · 38.80°N 9.38°W
Sintra, Portugal
Sintra is a town of 26,193 people in the Lisbon area, with January highs of 13°C, no days a year above 35°C, a hospital 2.3 km from the centre and Cascais Airport (CAT) 9 km away.
Weather now
Not live yetForecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0)
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Normal for November, 1991-2020
16°high · low 13°C · 12 rain days
Who Sintra suits
Generated from the data below by published rulesGood fit for
- Car-light living9 grocery stores within a 15-minute walk and public transport close by
- People who dislike heat21°C July highs and no days a year above 35°C
Weaker fit for
Nothing stands out as a weaker fit.
What makes Sintra stand out
- Sintra has the coolest July afternoons in Portugal among towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people (21.4°C).
A fact appears when a town ranks first for a measure in Portugal, in its region, or among towns of similar size there.
Climate comfort
74/ 100
Top 9% in Portugal
Based on: Average daily high (January), Days above 35°C (recent), Days with rain (year), Tropical nights (recent), Frost days (recent)
Car-free living
91/ 100
Top 3% in Portugal
Based on: Places within a 15-minute walk (grocery), Places within a 15-minute walk (pharmacy), Places within a 15-minute walk (cafe), Distance to nearest (train station), Distance to nearest (bus station)
Access to services
82/ 100
Top 11% in Portugal
Based on: Distance to nearest (hospital), Nearest airport with scheduled flights, Places within a 15-minute walk (grocery), Places within a 15-minute walk (doctor), Places within a 15-minute walk (school)
How precise is each number?Town-levelmeasured or computed for this townModelledestimated from a grid or a modelRegionalonly available for the wider area
Sintra compared with Porto
Pick another town in Portugal to see the differences in plain terms.
- Same January warmthAverage January highSintra 13°CPorto 13°C
- 5°C cooler in JulyAverage July highSintra 21°CPorto 26°C
- 31 fewer rainy days a yearDays with rain per yearSintra 88Porto 119
- 1 fewer very hot day a yearDays above 35°C per yearSintra 0Porto 1.0
- 15 min more daylight in DecemberDaylight on 21 DecemberSintra 9 h 27 minPorto 9 h 12 min
Housing & costs
Official · INE Portugal, EurostatRents, prices and crime are published for each municipality as a whole, not for single towns.
Climate today
Town-level · ERA5-Land reanalysis 1991-2020Month by month
Town-level · ERA5-Land reanalysis 1991-2020August is the warmest month (22°C average high) and January the coolest (13°C). November is the wettest (99 mm) and July the driest (4 mm).
- JanuaryAir 13° · Sea 15°11 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- FebruaryAir 14° · Sea 14°9 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- MarchAir 15° · Sea 14°9 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- AprilAir 16° · Sea 15°9 rain daysCrowds: High
- MayAir 18° · Sea 16°7 rain daysCrowds: High
- JuneAir 20° · Sea 17°2 rain daysCrowds: High
- JulyAir 21° · Sea 18°1 rain dayCrowds: Peak
- AugustAir 22° · Sea 18°1 rain dayCrowds: Peak
- SeptemberAir 21° · Sea 18°5 rain daysCrowds: High
- OctoberAir 19° · Sea 18°10 rain daysCrowds: High
- NovemberAir 16° · Sea 17°12 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- DecemberAir 14° · Sea 16°12 rain daysCrowds: Medium
Crowd levels are for the Lisbon area as a whole: nights booked through online platforms in 2025, against the region's busiest month (Eurostat).
Each month links to its own page with temperatures, rain and daylight.
Is it getting hotter?
Town-level · ERA5-Land reanalysisDays above 35°C per year
Both measured periods come from the same reanalysis as the climate section. The bar scale runs to 10 days.
Healthcare & getting around
Town-level · straight-line distancesWithin 1.2 km of the centre
- Grocery stores9
- Pharmacies4
- Doctors & clinics7
- Train stationYes, 0.2 km
30 min by car
- Hospitals51
- Sea beaches72
- People1,781,978
60 min by car
- Towns over 10,00066
- Hospitals72
- Sea beaches190
- People2,886,473
- Nearest train stationPortela de Sintra0.2 km
- Nearest bus stationPortela de Sintra (Estação Norte)0.2 km
- Nearest hospitalHospital de Sintra2.3 km · 5 min by car
- Nearest airport with scheduled flightsCascais Airport (CAT)8.7 km · 16 min by car
Distances are straight lines from the town centre. Drive times are by road in free-flowing traffic (OSRM on OpenStreetMap roads); people counts add up the towns reached.
Daily life
Town-level · Overture Maps places, 2026-10-21.0Within 1.2 km of the centre
- 9Grocery stores & supermarketsPortugal median: 3
- 4PharmaciesPortugal median: 1
- 28CafésPortugal median: 4
- 102RestaurantsPortugal median: 9
- 8BakeriesPortugal median: 2
- 8Gyms & fitness studiosPortugal median: 1
- 8SchoolsPortugal median: 2
- 7Doctors & clinicsPortugal median: 1
Nature & surroundings
Town-level · WorldCover, Copernicus DEM, Natura 2000, OpenStreetMapPeople & community
Modelled · EU Census 2021 gridUnder 1515 to 6465 and over
International residents
| Share of residents | Sintra | Median town in Portugal |
|---|---|---|
| Born in another EU country | 2.3% | 1.6% |
| Born outside the EU | 11.7% | 5.5% |
| Moved here from abroad in the past year | 1.5% | 1.1% |
14.0% of residents were born abroad, against 7.1% in the median town in Portugal (2021 census). From the 1 km census grid cells within 1.5 km of the centre (5,774 residents counted).
Environment & natural hazards
- Earthquakes2 since 1900Magnitude 5 or larger within 100 km. Largest: M6.0.Town-level · USGS earthquake catalog
- Air quality7.0 µg/m³Average fine particles (PM2.5) at the centre in 2023. The WHO guideline for the yearly average is 5 µg/m³.Modelled · EEA
- Wildfire3 of 10 yearsYears with a fire of 30 ha or more within 10 km of the centre, 2016-2025; 930 ha burnt by those fires.Town-level · EFFIS
Places like Sintra
Matched on climate, amenities, nearest and access
- AlvideLisbon area73% match
- CacémLisbon area70% match
- CarcavelosLisbon area69% match
- ParedeLisbon area69% match
- São Domingos de RanaLisbon area68% match
Measures used: Average daily high (January), Average daily high (July), Days above 35°C (recent), Days with rain (year), Places within a 15-minute walk (grocery), Places within a 15-minute walk (cafe), Distance to nearest (train station) and Nearest airport with scheduled flights. A match of 100% would mean the same values on every one.
Common questions about Sintra
What is the weather like in Sintra through the year?
January averages a high of 13°C and a low of 10°C; July averages 21°C and 17°C. There are about 88 days with rain a year. These are averages for 1991-2020.
How many very hot days does Sintra get?
Sintra had no days above 35°C in 2016-2025, nor in 1991-2000.
Does it freeze in Sintra?
Sintra averaged no frost days a year in 2016-2025.
What is within walking distance of the centre of Sintra?
Within 1.2 km of the centre there are 9 grocery stores, 4 pharmacies, 7 doctors and clinics and 28 cafés. In a straight line, the nearest train station is 0.2 km away, the nearest bus station is 0.2 km away, the nearest hospital is 2.3 km away, the nearest beach is 8.2 km away and the nearest coastline is 8.5 km away.
What is the nearest airport to Sintra?
Cascais Airport (CAT), 8.7 km from the centre in a straight line.
How much daylight does Sintra get in winter?
9 h 27 min on 21 December, against 14 h 53 min on 21 June.
Who is Sintra a good fit for?
By the published rules: car-light living (9 grocery stores within a 15-minute walk and public transport close by); people who dislike heat (21°C July highs and no days a year above 35°C).
Sources & methodology
Every value comes from one of the open datasets below and is computed the same way for every town. Each section names how precise its values are: town-level, modelled or regional. Distances are straight lines from the town centre, and amenities are counted within 1.2 km of it. Read the full methodology.
"Who Sintra suits" lines come from fixed rules applied to every town in the same way. A rule only uses values that are modelled or better, and each line shows the numbers that triggered it. How the rules work.
| Dataset | Used for | Version | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (30 m elevation) | Elevation | glo30_s120 | Copernicus DEM licence (free for any use, with attribution) |
| PM2.5, European air quality data (EEA, interpolated 1 km map) | Air quality | pm25_2023 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Burnt areas (European Forest Fire Information System, EFFIS) | Wildfires | 2016-2025 | CC BY 4.0 |
| ERA5 monthly sea surface temperature (Copernicus Climate Data Store) | Sea temperature | monthly_1991-2020 | CC BY 4.0 |
| ERA5-Land reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Data Store) | Climate | points_1991-2025 | CC BY 4.0 |
| ESA WorldCover 2021 (10 m land cover) | Land cover | v200_2021 | CC BY 4.0 |
| EU Census 2021 population grid (Eurostat) | Census grid | V3 | Free reuse with acknowledgement (European Commission reuse policy) |
| Nights spent in short-stay accommodation booked through online platforms (Eurostat tour_ce_omn12) | Crowds | 2026-11-01 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Price level indices (Eurostat prc_ppp_ind) | Price level | 2026-11-01 | CC BY 4.0 |
| GeoNames | Place names and populations | 2026-10-31 | CC BY 4.0 |
| INE Portugal (local statistics on rents, house prices, crime and population) | Rents, house prices, crime and population | 2026-11-01 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Natura 2000 protected sites (EEA, end 2024) | Protected areas | end2024 | CC BY 4.0 |
| OpenStreetMap (Geofabrik extracts) | Stations, hospitals, beaches, coastline | 2026-10-31 | ODbL 1.0 |
| OurAirports | Airports | 2026-10-31 | Public domain |
| Overture Maps places | Amenities | 2026-10-21.0 | CDLA-Permissive-2.0 |
| TEMIS UV index climatology (KNMI / ESA) | UV index | v2.0_clim_2004-2020 | Free use with credit; TEMIS asks to be told how the data is used |
| USGS earthquake catalog (ComCat) | Earthquakes | 2026-10-31 | Public domain |