Pena Palace, Sintra

Background

Pena Palace stands on the summit of the Sintra hills in Sintra, Lisbon District, Portugal. Its highlights include the red and yellow façades, towers and battlements, Moorish arcades and the Triton Terrace, the old monastery cloister and chapel built into the palace, and the Queen's Terrace looking out over the Sintra hills; the park around it holds lakes, fountains, grottoes and trees and ferns from distant lands. The site began as a medieval chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Pena; Manuel I later founded a Hieronymite monastery here (sources disagree on the year it was founded), which housed at most eighteen monks. Lightning in the 18th century and the 1755 Lisbon earthquake left the monastery in ruins, and it fell further into neglect after the religious orders were dissolved. In 1838 Ferdinand II bought the old monastery and the surrounding estates, and between 1842 and 1854 it was rebuilt as a Romantic summer palace under Baron Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege, a German mining engineer and amateur architect, blending Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, Neo-Moorish and Neo-Renaissance styles while keeping the old cloister and chapel within the palace. After the 1910 revolution it became a national monument and a museum; in 1995 it was inscribed on the World Heritage List as part of the Cultural Landscape of Sintra, and it is one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal. Note the distinction: the Castle of the Moors (Castelo dos Mouros) and the Sintra National Palace (Palácio Nacional de Sintra) in the town centre are two other monuments in Sintra and are not part of Pena Palace.

Local customs

• Visit the royal apartments and decorative details inside the palace
• climb to the Queen's Terrace for the view
• wander the park paths to the lakes and grottoes
• take the park shuttle between the park entrance and the palace.

Travel tips

• Tickets come in several combinations covering the palace, the park and more
• prices and opening hours are subject to the official information. It is crowded in high season, so buying tickets online in advance is advisable. Private cars cannot drive up to the palace
• park in Sintra town centre or in the outer car parks.
• From Lisbon, take the train to Sintra station and change to bus 434 up the hill, or walk up along the marked paths
• a shuttle runs between the park entrance and the palace. Spring and autumn are mild, with the park at its best. Summer is sunny but crowded. The Sintra hills are often foggy, and views are best on clear days. Winter brings more rain and fog, so bring wind- and waterproof clothing.