Sintra Tram to "Praia das Maçãs" | Photo Lanscape Dunia

Sintra’s electric tram was inaugurated in 1904 in order to overcome the need to connect Sintra to Praia das Maçãs that by then was becoming a popular summer destination. However, with the development of the road and the advent of the car, it lost its importance. Therefore it was abandoned for years. Fortunately, its tourist potential was acknowledged and the decision to rehabilitate it was taken. A huge investment was done in recovery both the carriages and the tracks. With over a hundred years old, Sintra’s electric tram takes on a voyage into the heavenly landscape of the World Heritage Sintra Natural Park. Departing from Estefânia zone, Sintra’s magic tram rocks us gently in a slow pace so that we may enjoy Lord Byron’s Eden, without disturbing the scenery.

Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as (ice-capped) mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of land use, buildings and structures, and transitory elements such as lighting and weather conditions.

Combining both their physical origins and the cultural overlay of human presence, often created over millennia, landscapes reflect the living synthesis of people and place vital to local and national identity. Landscapes, their character and quality, help define the self-image of a region, its sense of place that differentiates it from other regions. It is the dynamic backdrop to people’s lives.

The Earth has a vast range of landscapes including the icy landscapes of polar regions, mountainous landscapes, vast arid desert landscapes, islands and coastal landscapes, densely forested or wooded landscapes including past boreal forests and tropical rainforests, and agricultural landscapes of temperate and tropical regions.

Landscape may be further reviewed under the following specific categories: landscape art, cultural landscape, landscape ecology, landscape planning, landscape assessment and landscape design. The activity that modifies the visible features of an area of land is named Landscaping.