Pena Palace, Sintra
Palácio Nacional da Pena
A romantic, fairy-tale palace in red and yellow perched on a mountaintop, the 19th-century dream creation of King Ferdinand II and the centrepiece of the Cultural Landscape of Sintra World Heritage Site.
Pena Palace stands on a mountaintop about 480 m above sea level in the Sintra hills. Artist-King Ferdinand II built it in 1838 on the ruins of a 16th-century monastery. It blends Gothic Revival, neo-Manueline, Moorish and Renaissance elements, and its bright red, yellow and purple walls, tiles, battlements and domed towers make it look like a fairy-tale castle. It is a showcase of 19th-century Romantic architecture. The entire Sintra Cultural Landscape was inscribed as a World Heritage Site in 1995. Highlights include the entrance gate with its statue of Triton, the Moorish-style arcaded terrace, the royal living rooms, dining room and 19th-century furnishings preserved inside, and panoramic views of the Atlantic and the Sintra hills from the castle walls. The 200-hectare Pena Park surrounding the palace has trees from around the world, lakes and winding paths. You can walk to Cruz Alta, the highest point on the mountain, and to the Castle of the Moors (Castelo dos Mouros), a ridge fortification dating from the 8th and 9th centuries, which costs about €12 separately and offers the best vantage point over Pena Palace. Tickets: palace and park together cost about €20, and the park alone about €10. You must buy a timed ticket in advance at parquesdesintra.pt, and late arrivals will not be admitted. Interior corridors are narrow and one-way, and in peak season the queue to enter the interior can exceed one hour. Getting there: take a train from Lisbon's Rossio station to Sintra (about 40 minutes, around €5 return), then from the station take circular bus 434 up the hill (day pass about €13), walk up in about an hour, or take a tuk-tuk. Sintra town also has the National Palace (with its twin chimneys), Quinta da Regaleira (with its spiral well), and Monserrate Palace. It is hard to see everything in one day, so combining Pena Palace with Regaleira or with the Castle of the Moors is a good choice. The hilltop is about 5°C cooler than the town and often windy, so bring a jacket. Town streets are narrow, and there is almost nowhere to park if you are driving.
Opening hours
Palace 09:30–18:30 (last entry 18:00); park 09:00–19:00; one hour shorter in winter
Nearby sights
- Casa Piriquita
- Sintra Historic Centre
- Sintra National Palace
- Castle of the Moors
- Biester Palace
- Quinta da Regaleira
- Seteais Palace
- Sintra Tram