A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Madrid vs. Sintra-Cascais National Park for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Madrid or Sintra-Cascais National Park?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Trying to figure out where to travel next? This travel comparison between Madrid and Sintra-Cascais National Park can help. It includes a travel cost comparison in addition to other factors. For many travelers, the cost of a destination is a primary consideration when choosing where to go.

Where Should I go: Madrid or Sintra-Cascais National Park?

Madrid

Madrid, the capital of Spain, overs visitors countless opportunities to experience Spain's culture, art, cuisine, and nightlife. It is the largest city in Spain, and as such has much to explore. The city is situated on the Iberian Peninsula on the Spanish central Castillian plateau. If you're flying into Spain, you'll likely fly into the Madrid airport as it's one of the largest airports in Europe. Madrid is well connected to the rest of Spain with planes, trains and buses, making it a popular place to visit for many travelers doing a European tour.

Sintra-Cascais National Park

The Sintra-Cascais Natural Park is located on the west coast of Portugal and is often called the place where "the land ends and the sea begins". The UNESCO listed park is famous for being home to Cabo da Roca, a seaside cliff that is actually the westernmost part of Europe. Sintra-Cascais is interesting due to their large diversity in landscape which includes sand dunes, lakes, forests, and ocean cliffs.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Contiki Tours to Spain, The Best G Adventures Tours to Spain, The Best Sightseeing Tours in Portugal, and The Best Vineyard & Wine Tours in Portugal.


Which place is cheaper, Sintra-Cascais National Park or Madrid?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Madrid is €136, while the average daily cost in Sintra-Cascais National Park is €142. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Madrid and Sintra-Cascais National Park in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Madrid 77
    Sintra-Cascais National Park 63
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Madrid 154
    Sintra-Cascais National Park 126
Compare Hotels in Madrid and Sintra-Cascais National Park

Looking for a hotel in Madrid or Sintra-Cascais National Park? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Madrid


Hotels in Sintra-Cascais National Park


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Madrid Hotel Prices and Sintra-Cascais National Park Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Madrid 19
    Sintra-Cascais National Park 61
Typical Local Transportation Prices in Madrid

Some typical examples of transportation costs in Madrid are as follows:


  • Taxi Ride
    26

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Madrid

Also for Madrid, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Madrid Barajas Airport: Transfer to/from Atocha Bus Station: $7.48
  • Madrid Barajas International Airport - Private Arrival Transfer: $22
  • Private transfer from Atocha Station to Madrid city center: $22
  • Hotel Madrid City Private Transfer To Madrid Barajas Airport: $26
  • Private One-way Airport Transfer Madrid Airport To Madrid: $27
  • Private transfer: Barajas Airport (MAD) to Madrid City Center: $29
  • Madrid Barajas Airport Private Transfer To Alcobendas: $32
  • Private Arrival Transfer from Barajas Airport: $40
  • Private Transfer: Madrid to Madrid Barajas Adolfo Suárez Airport (MAD): $42
  • Private Transfer From Madrid Barajas Airport to Madrid: $44
  • Private Transfer from Airport to the City of Madrid Round Trip: $48
  • Madrid City Center: Private Transfer to Madrid Airport: $49

Is it cheaper to fly into Madrid or Sintra-Cascais National Park?

Prices for flights to both Sintra-Cascais National Park and Madrid change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Madrid 34
    Sintra-Cascais National Park 41
Typical Food Prices in Madrid

Here are some examples of typical meal expenses from previous travelers to Madrid:


  • Coffee
    2.00
  • Ice Cream
    3.00
  • Kebabs (for 2)
    16
  • Croissant
    1.50
  • Lunch at Airport (for 2)
    16

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Madrid

For Madrid, here are some samples of tours and activities related to meals and dining experiences:

  • Tipsy Tapas Food Tour with Drinks and Food: $27
  • Drunken Tapas Food Tour with Dinner in Madrid: $33
  • Tapas Dinner Party Food Tour with Guide: $33
  • Tapas Crawl Food Tour with 6 Tapas and 4 Drinks: $35
  • Madrid Tipsy Tapas Guided Food Tour with Dinner: $42
  • Madrid Tipsy Tapas Tour with Dinner and Drinks: $43
  • Madrid Tapas Dinner Party with Guide: $43
  • Paella and Sangria Workshop with Dinner and Drinks: $47
  • Skip the Line: Flamenco Show with Dinner and Workshop in Madrid Ticket: $49
  • San Miguel Market and Street Food Tour: $52
  • Traditional Paella & Sangría Workshop & Spanish Dinner in Madrid: $53
  • The Authentic Morning Madrid's Food Tour: $59

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Madrid 34
    Sintra-Cascais National Park 27

Tours and Activities in Madrid

Also, here are some specific examples of entertainment, tickets, and activities for Madrid.

  • Madrid Essential: Free Walking City Tour: $1.07
  • First Discovery Walk and Reading Walking Tour: $3.21
  • Madrid Mountains Free Walking Tour: $3.27
  • History & Culture Guided Walking Tour: $4.28
  • Escape Game and Tour: $4.28
  • 2 Hour Madrid Walking Tour : $4.36
  • Wonders of Madrid Walking Tour : $4.36
  • Wonders of Madrid Walking Tour: $5.35
  • Marvels of Madrid Walking Tour: $5.35
  • Madrid Old Town & Hidden Gems Walking Tour: $5.35
  • Ticket Entrance to the Madrid Nougat Museum: $5.35
  • Wonders of Madrid City Walking Tour: $5.35

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Madrid 20
    Sintra-Cascais National Park 13
Typical Alcohol Prices in Madrid

Some typical examples of the costs for nightlife and alcohol in Madrid are as follows:


  • Beer
    5.00
  • Drinks and Tapas (for 2)
    13

Sample the Local Flavors in Madrid

Some specific costs for nightlife related activities in Madrid:

  • Pub Crawl with Tapas and VIP Club Entry: $9.62
  • Madrid Pub Crawl with VIP Club Entrance: $11
  • Visit to the Winery with Wine Tasting and Appetizers in Navarra: $12
  • Pub crawl & Party Tour Madrid: $14
  • Pub Crawl Madrid Running since 2005 Bar Exploration: $16
  • Guided Pub Crawl Madrid Experience and Club Entry: $16
  • Pub Crawl Madrid-The Original since 2005-Shots-Fun-Clubs-Dance: $16
  • Pub Crawl Madrid: $19
  • Wine Tasting near Plaza Mayor: $22
  • Wine Tasting Experience with 4 Spanish Wines: $26
  • Wine Tour with tasting in the Natural Park of La Mata: $38
  • Wine Tasting Experience: $49


When comparing the travel costs between Madrid and Sintra-Cascais National Park, we can see that Sintra-Cascais National Park is more expensive. However, the two cities are actually relatively comparable in price, as the difference is somewhat minimal. Generally, this means that you could travel with generally the same travel style and level of luxury in each place. Since both cities are in Europe, it's no surprise that their costs are relatively close, as many destinations here have somewhat similar travel prices overall.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Madrid Expensive? and Is Sintra-Cascais National Park Expensive?.