Pena Palace

Pena Palace and Park are the major attractions in Portugal. Yes, the palace is not the oldest and not the most historically significant, but it's the most beautiful and therefore very popular among tourists.

The palace was built from 1840 to 1854 as a summer royal residence. It stand on a high cliff, on the site of the former monastery, which was destroyed during an earthquake in 1775.

The palace is unique in many ways, may be it's the most extraordinary palace in the world. German architect built it in the romantic style and used completely different architectural styles and elements from various countries.

The interior is completely preserved from the time of the last owner - Queen Amelia, who left the country in 1910 due of the revolution.

Given the popularity of the place, we came 5 minutes before the opening. That was a good decision and we managed to visit palace and park without other tourists.


























View of the Moorish fortress from the palace walls.


Then we went to the park where we walked at least 2-hours. Along with the ticket you will be given a map.


At first we went to the statue of King Ferdinand (1848).


If you are in a good shape then it is possible to climb up to the statue. Top offers the best view of the palace.


Next stop is the mount Cruz Alta, which is the highest point of Sintra (529 m).




Then we went in the direction of the Chalet of Countess Edla (Elise Hensler, the wife of King Ferdinand II). It is a wooden house, which was restored in 2011 after a fire. It was built in the romantic style and it's distinctive feature is the widespread use of tree bark for decoration.

Opening hours and ticket price of the Chalet.












Surrounding park was also restored.




Next we visited stables and pet the horses.




And in this little house we found two frightened rabbits.




Then we went towards the exit and on the bus 434 returned to the train station.

Opening times and ticket price of the Pena palace.

Getting there: By train to Sintra (http://cp.pt) from the Lisbon stations Oriente, Rossio, Entrecampos and others. Next on the bus 434 (schedule) or take a taxi for 7-8 euros.