Jamshed V Rajan

Pena Palace terraces and exterior: what to expect Pena Palace’s exterior is its real showstopper: the carved Triton portal at the entrance, the vivid red and yellow façades, the Queen’s Terrace and Warriors’ Terrace, a drawbridge and Neo-Manueline archways, and sweeping views over Sintra to the Atlantic on clear days. Both the park-only ticket and … Read more

Pena Park: the full guide to the palace grounds Pena Park is roughly 85 hectares of exotic woodland that King Ferdinand II laid out around his palace, with highlights including the Valley of the Lakes, the Fountain of the Small Birds, the Queen’s Fern Garden, the Warriors’ Terrace and the Chalet of the Countess of … Read more

Pena Palace vs Moorish Castle: which should you visit? Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle sit a short, mostly flat walk apart on the same hilltop, both served by bus 434 from Sintra station. Pena Palace is the colourful 19th-century Romantic palace, with an interior, park and a ~€20 adult ticket; the Moorish Castle is … Read more

Pena Palace interior: the state rooms explained Pena Palace’s interior preserves the state rooms much as the last royal family left them in 1910, including the Great Hall, the trompe-l’œil Arab Room, the old monastery cloister and chapel, the kitchens and the private apartments of Queen Amélia and King Carlos. Entry to the interior is … Read more

Pena Palace history: from monastery to royal palace Pena Palace stands on the site of a medieval chapel and a 16th-century Hieronymite monastery, badly damaged in the 1755 Lisbon earthquake. King Ferdinand II bought the ruins in 1838 and built the Romantic palace seen today, largely complete by 1854, with architect Baron von Eschwege. It … Read more

Cruz Alta viewpoint: the best view of Pena Palace Cruz Alta (the High Cross) is the highest point of the Sintra hills, at roughly 528–529 metres, inside Pena Park. It’s a 20–30 minute walk from the palace through the park, and it’s the one spot where you see Pena Palace’s whole colourful silhouette at a … Read more

Chalet of the Countess of Edla: Sintra’s hidden gem The Chalet of the Countess of Edla is an Alpine-style retreat that King Ferdinand II built in the 1860s–70s with his second wife, the opera singer Elise Hensler, Countess of Edla, tucked into a quieter corner of Pena Park. Badly damaged by fire in 1999, it … Read more

Caminho de Ronda: Pena Palace’s secret path The Caminho de Ronda (“patrol path”) is a rampart walkway running around the outside of Pena Palace’s walls, giving close angles on the towers and façades, and views over the surrounding hills, that most visitors miss entirely. It’s far quieter than the main terraces because it isn’t heavily … Read more