Typical houses in the Ribeira district, PORTO

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It starts in the Cascais area, and then stretches along the coast all the way along the Cabo da Roca, the Guincho beach and then penetrates the mass of the Sintra mountains; perpendicular to the sea, it also includes the villages of Colares and Sintra.

Although not particularly (and technically) high, the mountain range is very close to the sea, to the west, so it looks much bigger than it actually is. This range has been inhabited for a long, long time, and it was known by the ancient people as the Mountain of the Moon, in which cults of the silvery disk were performed through the ages. Some say that there are still today a few secret cults being carried out in the nooks and crannies of the mountains.
One finds many biotypes in this mountain, from the more mountainous area with thick woods to the cliff area, with small beaches, as well as the inhabited areas, which include manors and palaces, and villages at the foot of the hills (like Sintra). The landscape is therefore very diverse, with many traces of human presence. The park continues further north, through cliffs and beaches, all the way to Ericeira.