We took a single day trip outside of Lisbon during our recent trip that included visiting the UNESCO World Heritage site, Pena Palace. We definitely recommend adding a trip to Sintra on your itinerary when visiting Lisbon as it is well worth the time that it takes. We pre-purchased the tickets, which we would recommend, and visitors are only allowed to enter at the start of the hour that you are assigned for your ticket. Even though the number of visitors per hour are limited, it is extremely busy and you will find yourself in a line as you walk through the palace.
The palace was originally a monastery that was converted to a palace in the 19th century and the monks moved to the monastery that is located in the Belém neighborhood of Lisbon. One of the unique things about the palace are the multiple colors of the palace with the original chapel being red and then the new additions to the palace being bright yellow. The palace is a Romanticist castle and sits atop one of the high hills of the Sintra mountain with the town of Sintra sitting below. The castle can be seen from the distance, making for quite a stunning site as you approach from the parking area below.
Our guide took us in towards the end of the group entering during our allotted time in order to give more time to talk to us about the history of the castle and describe some of the interesting features. Considering the lines moving through the rooms, it actually worked out well to be near the rear of the line. Of the many things that we saw during the tour was a detailed stained-glass window in the chapel that has the king holding a miniature image of the cathedral and if you zoom in on the window of the chapel it actually has the stained-glass window in it. That type of detail is truly amazing and a testament to the workmanship of the artists that created the stained-glass window.
It takes a little over an hour to walk through the palace and enjoy the views from the balconies. Despite the long line and having to slowly follow the crowd through the palace rooms, it was definitely worth spending the time at Pena Palace. We would recommend visiting the palace in the morning and then heading into the town of Sintra for some lunch afterwards. A trip to Sintra is often combined with a visit to Cascais as well, which is a wonderful resort town on the coast of the ocean.
Love Sintra! I’ve never noticed that stained glass. Now I need to go back to the palace for a revisit. It’s free for all residents of Portugal starting this year. Just have to find a “quiet”time to see it 🙂
We would never have noticed it if our guide didn’t point it out :). That is really nice that it will be free to the residents of Portugal. Finding a “quiet” time might be challenging.
I can confirm your advice: arrive as early as possible, buy your ticket online beforehand and avoid weekends. The tour starts in the busy older, narrower rooms, and ends more easily in the larger and newer ones.
Definitely avoid the weekends. It is definitely worth visiting, even with the it getting a little crowded at times.
Love Pena Palace – we got so lucky with our visit back in 2015. We were first through the door and had the main courtyard area to ourselves for at least 20 minutes. It’s a shame I didn’t have a camera with me, as I wish I had captured it (it was back before the blog was even an idea in my mind). Looks like you had a lovely visit 🙂
We just got back from Portugal. Originally going to Sintra was a non-negotiable, but since we were only in the country eight days and were seeing both Lisbon and Porto, I eventually made the difficult decision to skip it this time. Hope to catch it someday!
It gives you a reason to go back 🙂