Pena Palace and Park

How to Visit Pena Palace and Park in Sintra, Portugal

Pena Palace and Park is the colorful, hilltop castle and primary draw for most visitors to Sintra. The 19th century structure was built on the ruins of a former monastery. The newly built castle, combined with several other estates, became the summer home of King Ferdinand II and the royal family and ushered in Sintra’s golden age.

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The palace complex is an eclectic mix of architectural styles, giving each section its own individual personality. Unlike many other historic sites, a good portion of the interiors and furnishings are original. In fact, the palace’s interior has been untouched since the last royals left in 1910.

Above photos: View of the yellow tower (left); main facade (center); Courtyard of Arches and Chapel of Our Lady of Pena (right)

Surrounding the Palace is the historic gardens known as Pena Park, consisting of lush plantings, winding paths, water features, pavilions, and the Chalet of the Countess of Edla. All in all, there is a lot to see and it can be a little overwhelming to figure out how to prepare and best use your time.

This post details practical information for planning your visit to Pena Palace and Park. As a point of reference, we visited in early September before autumn changes set in. The upside of that timing was fewer crowds, although it was still crowded, and slightly cooler temperatures.

For additional information on where to stay in Sintra and other things to do, please read my post on Sintra here.

• Getting to Pena Palace
• Planning your visit
• Pena Palace
• Pena Park
• Chalet of the Countess of Edla
• Organized tour recommendations

Getting to Pena Palace

To get to Pena Palace, you will first need to make travel arrangements to Sintra. Sintra is a popular day trip from Lisbon and there are trains that leave hourly from Rossio Station, arriving in Sintra in just 45-minutes. Alternatively, if you have your own car, you can drive to Sintra. It is an easy drive until you reach the town center and hit traffic. For more information about parking in Sintra, click here.

There are several transportation options to get from Sintra town to the Pena Palace roadside entrance point.

Sintra Bus #434: The Sintra tourist bus line #434 runs continuously throughout the day from 9:00 am until 7:00 pm with buses running every 5-minutes. You can catch it right outside the train station and hop-off at the 5th stop for Pena Castle (about a 20 minute ride depending on traffic). A full day hop-on-hop-off ticket can be purchased in advance here.

Tuk-Tuk: These little motorized golf cart-like vehicles are a super fun way to get around. They are a little more expensive than the bus, but much faster because they can zip around traffic and through tiny side streets. Tuk-tuks typically hire out for tours, but we often saw them queuing outside hotspots and offering point-to-point rides.

Uber / Taxi: Ubers and taxis are plentiful around Sintra. We parked our car in town and then used an Uber to get up the hill to the palace (and took a tuk-tuk back later) and had no issues with service. Parking at the entrance to the palace is scarce so it is best to not drive your own vehicle.

Walk: For ambitious types, it is possible to walk to Pena Palace. In fact, there is a designated footpath that you can hike called the Caminho de Santa Maria Footpath. First, you’ll have to walk to the trailhead next to the Santa Maria Church (about a 17-minute walk/0.6-miles from the train station). Look for the red and yellow sign posts. Eventually the footpath forks with one arm going to the Castle of the Moors and the other going to Pena Palace. It is a total distance of just under 1-mile. It is a serious incline. So, consider taking the footpath back to town if the incline sounds a bit too arduous. Plan on about 1-hour for the uphill journey and about 30-minutes for the downhill journey.

Planning your visit

To visit the palace, you will need to advance purchase a timed-entry ticket, figure out your transportation, and plan your timing carefully. Here is what you need to know:

Opening Times: Pena Palace is open daily from 9:30 am until 6:30 pm, noting the last entry time slot is at 6:00 pm. Throughout the year, Pena Park opens 30-minutes before the Palace and closes 30-minutes after the Palace, 9:00 am until 7:00 pm, affording visitors time to walk from the main gate to the entrance.

Visit Duration: The average visit to Pena Palace and Pena Park is 3 – 4 hours. It takes less than an hour to get through the palace, but it can vary depending on the crowds. You’ll want to allow an additional 20 – 30 minutes to visit the chapel and terraces (lots of photo opportunities). I recommend allowing 1 – 2 hours to visit Pena Park, depending on how much walking you would like to undertake. It took us close to 2-hours to see some of the highlights, including the Chalet of the Countess of Edla and Valley of the Lakes.

Tickets and Tours: Pre-purchasing your tickets is a must. There are several tickets options depending on the sites you plan to visit. If you will be joining a tour group, be sure to confirm if your entry ticket is included or if you will need to obtain it on your own.

Food Prep: There is a small cafe at the palace offering a limited selection of take-away pastries, sandwiches, and refreshments. The line is really long, the food is subpar and expensive, and there are no other restaurants. I strongly suggest packing a picnic or some snacks to bring with you.

Timing Your Entrance: The entrance to the Monumental Gate is a 20-30 minute walk from the roadside entrance (i.e., where your bus or taxi drops you off). For example, if your ticket time is at 10:00 am, you will need to enter the grounds by 9:30 am. Be aware that once you join the queue for your time slot, you will likely still have to wait in line.

Pena Palace

The uphill walk from the roadside entrance to the Monumental Gate is quite pretty. We had some fog early in the morning, but it quickly cleared off, giving way to a beautiful blue sky day. The Monumental Gate is a great example of Portuguese 16th century architecture. After passing through the gate, there is a drawbridge that provides access to a tunnel that leads to the upper patios.

Above photos: View of the palace from below (left); Back side of the Moorish arch (center); Approaching the Monumental Gate (right)

The highlights of Pena Palace include the Manueline Cloister, Dining Room, King’s Chambers, Sitting Room, Great Hall, Stag Room, Chapel, and the terraces. If you are a photographer, be sure to bring a wide angle lens. The close quarters, tricky lighting, and crowds of people stepping into your frame can be challenging.

Above photos: Manueline Cloister

A couple of the spaces I found most interesting were the Chambers of King Carlos and the Niche. The Office of King Carlos was originally a monastery Chapter House. King Ferdinand II used it as his coffee room, and then King Carlos made it his office (sounds like a precursor to Starbucks). The paintings by King Carlos depict nymphs and fawns in Pena Park. Oddly, some were left unfinished, perhaps due to the regicide of the king in 1908.

The Niche is a little nook that was formerly part of the Monastery of Our Lady of Pena. The walls and vault are encrusted with small stones, shells, and porcelain fragments. I loved being able to see the layers of history throughout the palace, and this one stood out to me.

Above photos: Office of King Carlos (left); Niche (right)

Above photos: Bedroom of Ferdinand II

Above photos: The Queen’s Office (left); Sacristy (right)

Above photos: Bust of King Ferdinand II (left); Sitting Room (center and right)

Above photos: The Great Hall

The Stag Room was used for large banquets. I found the round shape interesting, as most of the time these types of rooms are long rectangles. The deer heads are plaster, but the antlers are real.

Above photo: The Stag Room

And, let’s talk about those terraces! There is access to several terraces from within the palace. You don’t want to miss the opportunity to take in the views of the palace or the views over Sintra. You can actually see all the way to Lisbon!

Above photos: Views of Sintra and Pena Palace from the Queen’s Terrace

Touring the interiors of the palace is a follow-the-leader experience. The walk-through is in one direction, following signs and roped-off aisles. Once you see a room, you can’t turn around and go back or freely explore. Because of the number of people filing through, staff will encourage you to keep moving as to not hold up masses of other people behind you.

Not only was it annoying to wait in line at every turn, I was grossed out by the shoulder-to-shoulder experience. It’s a shame because the rooms are beautiful and really interesting. The short of it was – interesting place, awful experience. The good news is that it got a lot better as the day went on — starting with Triton’s Terrace!

Above photos: Triton’s Terrace

Pena Park

Pena Park includes about 500 acres of lush forest and dramatic scenery surrounding the Pena Palace. Access to the park grounds is included in the entrance ticket to the palace, but you can also purchase a Pena Park ticket that excludes the palace.

Above photos: Walking path in Pena Park (left); Lake of the Shell (center); View of Pena Palace (right)

Above photo: The Bridge Pergola

Above photos: Fountain of the Small Birds (left and center); Thuja plicata, “The Giant Cedar of Pena” (right)

The winding paths, occasional garden follies, and exotic plantings are every bit as romantic as the palace itself, perhaps even more so. Pena Park was easily my most favorite part of our visit to Pena Palace & Park. Even if you don’t have time to fully explore every part of the park, I highly recommend following the trail down to the Valley of the Lakes to see the adorable duck houses.

Above photos: Duck houses, Valley of the Lakes, Pena Park

Chalet of the Countess of Edla

The Chalet of the Countess of Edla is an Alpine-style retreat built by King Ferninand II for his second wife, Elise Hensler, American-Swiss Opera singer and Countess of Edla. The chalet dates to 1864 and is made entirely of plaster and cork. Although the exterior appears to be wood, it is actually painted plaster.

Above photos: Chalet of the Countess of Edla

Entry to the chalet is included in the tickets for Pena Park and Pena Palace. However, it is located at the opposite side of Pena Park. It took us about 25 minutes to get from the palace to the chalet. The walk is mostly downhill. Coming back, we walked to the Valley of the Lakes, which had some inclines, but not as severe as walking back up to the palace.

We spent around 20 – 30 minutes walking through the Chalet of the Countess of Edla. The rooms have been beautifully restored following a fire in 1999. Since it is a much smaller building, the walk-through is pretty fast. We spent the most time marveling at the use of cork and the painted decorations.

Above photos: Chalet of the Countess of Edla

For additional information on where to stay in Sintra and other things to do, please read my post on Sintra here.

The Castle of the Moors is a short walk up the road from the Valley of the Lakes in Pena Park. Everything is very well marked in case you don’t have map. Even if you feel worn out from your visit to Pena Palace and Park, I highly recommend a visit to the Castle of the Moors. Here are a few photos to inspire you to keep going:

Above photos: Castle of the Moors

Organized tours

Private Guided Tours in Sintra

Below are a few tour options below that meet in Sintra after you have arrived on your own. These tour options are especially convenient if you are arriving by train and don’t have your own transportation to get around to some of the sites off the tourist bus route. They are also ideal for anyone with limited time, who also wants a tailored experience.

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