The stunning Palácio Nacional da Pena is one of the finest tourist attractions in Portugal.

This beautiful palace is an outstanding example of the 19th-century Romanticism style of architecture, with its vividly painted terraces, ornamental battlements, and statues of mythological creatures.

The interior of the Pena Palace is equally fascinating, having been restored to how it appeared in 1910 when the Portuguese nobility fled to Brazil to escape the revolution.

Surrounding the palace are the forested grounds of the Parque da Pena which continues the ideals of "Romanticism". There are romantic forest pathways, hidden trails around giant boulders, lush fern gardens, and spectacular viewpoints.

The stunning Pena Palace is always the highlight of any trip to Sintra

The Palácio da Pena is one of the world's most magnificent palaces, and is why millions of tourists flock to Sintra each year. This sadly means you should expect it to be extremely busy during your visit; there will be awful traffic to the top of the hill, packed public transport and long queues for everything.

To limit the number of visitors inside the palace, tickets are sold with a set 30-minute entry time. In the peak season, the best time slots do sell out, so it is strongly recommended that you purchase your tickets before your trip to Sintra.

There are no time restrictions for entering the Parque da Pena, the wonderful gardens that surround the palace, or the colourful terraces. Just the gardens and terraces can be visited with a cheaper ticket, with full details provided later in the article.

This article will provide an independent tourist guide to the Palácio da Pena, helping you get the most from your visit.

 

 

The whimsical exterior of the Palacio da Pena, with its ornamental stone carvings, vividly painted terraces, and an entrance guarded by a statue of Triton.

The lush forests of the Parque de Pena surround the palace. These fascinating and varied grounds include refreshing fern gardens, massive rocky outcrops, and wonderful viewpoints. Click here for a guide to the Parque de Pena

The sumptuous interior of the Palacio da Pena, with its many impressive staterooms styled with fine examples of grand 19th-century furniture. Incorporated into the palace is the monastery around which the palace was built, along with the impressive Sala de Visitas, Salão Nobre, and the King's personal chambers.

Alto do Cha (tea hill) – The third-highest peak in the Serra da Sintra provides the finest views of the Pena Palace. This boulder-strewn hill is far from the palace and offers a peaceful and calm atmosphere seldom found elsewhere in the park.

Chalet da Condessa d'Edla – This delightful mock-alpine chalet, designed by Countess Edla in 1869, features an exterior decorated with local cork.

The Caminho de Ronda – The ‘wall walk' around the rocky outcrop on which the palace perches provides stunning views over the region and up to the palace.

Generally, most visitors do not plan enough time to visit the Palacio da Pena and its grounds. Visitors who tend to spend the least time are often the ones who complain about it being too busy and not enjoying their time here. Do not make this mistake and plan a half day within the complex.

At the bare minimum, you will need two hours. The staterooms and interior of the palace take 40 minutes to visit, while the terraces and chapel usually take another 30 minutes as you’ll probably take lots of photos here.

The south facing Terraço da Rainha (Queen’s Terrace) is always a popular location for photos

The steep uphill walk from the ticket office to the palace takes around 15 minutes, and you will be standing in queues for at least 15 minutes (either to enter the palace or to show tickets at the entrance). The remaining 20 minutes could be used to briefly see the grounds, have a drink on the terrace, and include the walk back to the entrance.

Exploring the Parque de Pena will greatly extend your visit and enjoyment of the Palacio da Pena. Close to the palace are the ornamental lakes (Vale dos Lagos), the Warrior Statue and the Feteira da Rainha (Queen's fern garden), all connected by shaded footpaths.

Further out are the Cruz Alta peak (603m), the Alto do Cha (Tea Hill - the best viewpoint of the region), and the Chalet da Condessa d'Edla, an enchanting Alpine-inspired chalet.

Insight: For a longer visit, we recommend visiting the palace's terraces twice: once at the start of your visit and again at the end. The terraces can get very busy, and a return gives you the chance to (possibly) experience them when they are less crowded.

Pátio dos Arcos (Courtyard of Arches) with its views over the hills and out to the Atlantic Ocean. The red building to the rear is the old chapel that was here prior to the construction of the palace.

The dining room on the lower level of the palace was converted from the refectory in the original convent

For visitor experience and safety, the number of visitors allowed inside the palace is limited.

The only way to enter the palace is via a 'time slot ticket', which provides a 30-minute window for you to enter the palace building.

These tickets cost €14 and can be purchased at the ticket office on the day of your trip or from GetYourGuide.com (click here) prior to your visit.

In the peak season, the most popular time slots do sell out, often being sold in bulk to tour guides or to coach tours operated by cruise companies. If you purchase your ticket from the ticket office on the day of your visit, you may have to wait up to three hours for your time slot to enter the palace.

You are free to spend as long as you want in the grounds of Pena Palace (the Parque de Pena), but you will have to wait for your time slot to enter the palace.

It is strongly advised to book your tickets at least a day before your trip, so you can enter the palace at the time you prefer.

Tickets can be purchased from GetYourGuide.com for €14, the same price as if you purchase them from the machines at the entrance to the palace.

Insight: Only 400 people are allowed to enter the Palácio da Pena per 30-minute time slot. This is a very small number considering that 1,976,367 tourists visited the Palácio da Pena in 2019, before safety restrictions were implemented.

The entrance to the Palacio da Pena is always busy, and there can be traffic jams and long queues for the ticket machines

A statue of Triton guards the entrance into the palace

Cruz Alta viewpoint – While this is the highest point of the Serra da Sintra hills, from the top of the rocky outcrop, the Pena Palace is not visible. Many visitors leave Cruz Alta feeling that the 20-minute walk from the palace was not worthwhile. For a much better view, go to Alto do Chá.

The disappointing tree blocked view from Cruz Alta

If you miss your time slot, you will be denied entry to the palace. This is strictly enforced, as the palace can legally only accommodate so many visitors.

When booking a time slot, ensure you can make it. Factor in how long it will take you to travel to the palace (and Sintra if you are visiting the Palacio da Pena early in the day). The 434 bus takes at least 30 minutes to travel from the train station to the Palácio da Pena, and there can be long queues for the bus.

Once through the entrance queue, it is a 15 to 20 minute uphill walk to the palace (official documentation states 30 minutes). At the palace, aim to be early and near the front of your timeslot queue to minimize the wait for entry.

Insight: We recommend being dropped off at the entrance to the Palácio da Pena one hour before your time slot. This allows time to enter, walk up to the palace and be near the front of your timeslot queue.

The palace and grounds will be very busy during the peak season (Easter to September). We'd suggest visiting earlier or later in the day to avoid the peak hours of 10:30 to 15:00. The palace has extended opening hours of 09:30 to 19:00, and the last ticket sale is at 18:15.

The magnificent palace perches on the second-highest point of the Serra da Sintra hills

The Stag Room was designed as a banquet hall, and a unique circular table wraps around the central pillar.

For most fit and able visitors, there is no need to pay the extra €3.50 for the bus from the entrance to the palace. It is a steep 10 to 15-minute walk, but is doable unless you have mobility issues. The signs indicate a 30-minute walk, but this is just to encourage you to buy the bus ticket.

The 'Park Ticket,' costing €7.50, is the more affordable option to access only the grounds of the Palácio da Pena. This ticket is a good option if you have little interest in visiting the palace’s interior or if all of the timed tickets are sold out.

This ticket permits entrance to the terraces, but to access them, you must pass through the shop and ascend the stairs (or use the lift) to the top floor.

Insight: Until Autumn 2023, the ‘Park Ticket’ did not include access to the terraces. There is a possibility that Parques de Sintra (the organisation managing the Palácio da Pena) may revise their policy again if the terraces become overly crowded in the summer. It is advisable to check before purchasing this ticket, as the palace was barely visible from the former access area.

While you may grumble about the high entrance fees, the non-profit organisation Parques de Sintra reinvests all revenue into the region's monuments. Over the last fifteen years, there have been notable improvements in facilities, restoration, and maintenance in Sintra, all funded by tourism.

All of the copper utensils in the kitchen have PP (for Palacio da Pena) stamped on them to prevent theft!

If you have time, the Chalet of the Countess of Edla is worth a visit

There are huge boulders dotted about the forests of the Parque de Pena

If you have limited time to explore Sintra, it's understandable to try and fit in as much as possible.

A typical day trip route includes the Palácio da Pena, Castelo dos Mouros (optional), the historic centre of Sintra, and either Quinta da Regaleira or the Palácio Nacional de Sintra in the afternoon. This route is convenient as it follows the direction of the 434-tourist bus and starts and ends at Sintra train station. For this suggested day trip, lunch would be taken in Sintra town centre after visiting the Palacio da Pena or Castelo dos Mouros.
Insight: We recommend spending at least two days in Sintra.
Related articles: Day trip to Sintra

A day trip to Sintra often involves considerable walking and waiting for public transport. Joining an organised tour of the region can be a much more enjoyable experience. We have partnered with GetYourGuide.com for the past seven years, and some of their best tours of Sintra include:
• Sintra Highlights Full-Day Tour (€65)
• Sintra, Cabo da Roca and Cascais Full-Day Tour from Lisbon (€63)
• Pena Palace and Regaleira Guided Tour from Lisbon (€65)
• Sintra, Cascais and Cabo da Roca Coast Day Tour (€85)

The Palácio da Pena sits atop a jagged rocky outcrop – the second highest peak (480m) of the Serra da Sintra hills.

The site was originally a Hieronymite monastery, which had been abandoned for a long time by the time Fernando II purchased the area in 1838. Sections of the original monastery can still be seen – the main courtyard is a two-storey Manueline cloister, and the Nossa Senhora da Pena chapel has remained largely unaltered since the 16th century.

The chief architect of the Palácio da Pena, Wilhelm Eschwege, a German national, took inspiration from the Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria, as well as from his travels through Asia, Africa, and Portugal itself.

The rose-red painted tower shares many characteristics with the Torre de Belém in Lisbon, while the spikes on the gateway resemble those of the 16th-century Casa dos Bicos in Lisbon's Alfama district.

The red tower and the Torre de Belem have many similarities

The central courtyard of the palace was the cloister in the monastery

The brilliant colours of the palace had gradually faded since their original application in the mid-19th century, and by the 1990s, the palace's appearance had become rather drab and dreary.

In 1996, the Pena Palace underwent an extensive restoration project, which included repainting the exterior walls in their original colours. This vivid colour scheme initially horrified some of the more conservative residents of Sintra. Fortunately, the work to reinvigorate the building continued, allowing the palace to be viewed in its original splendour once again.

The Palacio da Pena sits high above Sintra (390m higher than the train station), and it is a very demanding uphill hike along the Caminho de Santa Maria footpath footpath to reach it.

The recommended means of travel from the train station is by the 434 tourist bus, which follows a one-directional loop from the train station to the Castelo dos Mouros, Palacio da Pena and Sintra town centre, before returning to the station.

A single ticket costs €4.10 or there is a 24-hour ticket for €15. This 24-hour ticket is actively pushed by the bus company, but two singles (up to the palace and down from it) at €8.20 is all that is needed by most visitors.

Never plan to drive to the Palacio da Pena or Sintra, as there is very little car parking. During the summer, the town becomes completely gridlocked as frustrated drivers search for car parking spaces.
Related articles: 434 bus - Lisbon to Sintra

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