We want to alert you to the following:

• The Pena Palace and its gardens are located in the mountain, within the natural park. The palace itself is in the middle of the park, which is about 15–30-minute walk from the gates. These are accessible by public transportation (bus and taxi) or by foot; private cars are not allowed up the mountain.
• When purchasing the ticket, keep in mind that you have to be at the gates of the park at least 30 minutes before your chosen time slot, as the public transportation will leave you at the main gates and not at the entrance of the Palace;
• We strongly recommend that you enter through the Garden Gates instead of the main gates, to avoid crowds on your way to the palace (and the gardens are magnificent). This walk will be at least 30 minutes.

How to get to Pena Palace from Casa do Valle?

• If you are hiking from Casa do Valle to the Palace, it will take you up to an hour and a half to get to the gates of the park, and nearly two hours to the main gates;
• If you are going by taxi from Casa do Valle, it will take you about 30 minutes;
• If you prefer the bus, you can walk to the Historical Center, 500 meters from Casa do Valle, and take the bus 434 up to the Pena Palace. This option will take you at least one hour.

As our guest, we will happily assist you with planning your visit at check-in if needed. We can provide you with maps for your hike, or, alternatively, you can guide yourself through our free hiking app WalkSintra, which you can download on Google Play and the APP Store to follow the trail of the amazing hike to the Palace.

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A BRIEF HISTORY A monastery was built around the chapel and for centuries  it was a quiet place of worship.  The 1775 earthquake reduced the monastery to ruins – and it stayed that way until King Consort Ferdinand the 2nd bought it and the surrounding lands, including the Moorish Castle, and had it built in a romantic style by Baron von Eschwege.

The construction took 12 years, the palace was decorated by Queen Mary and the Palace became the Royal family’s summer residence.  After the queen died, King Ferdinand remarried, and after his death, the palace fell out of royal hands.  Later King Louis bought it back from his father’s widow so that the royal family could continue residing in it.  In 1889 Portugal’s last queen, Queen Amélia, sold the palace to the State as the royal family was short on money.  In 1910 the Pena National Palace was declared a National Monument.  The 200 hectares of forest land was turned into Pena Park at the same time with much care and attention.  Exotic trees were ordered from all around the world, including Redwoods from America and Camélias from Japan.

THE PENA PALACE features everything a fairytale castle needs: drawbridge, turrets, ramparts, battlements, domes, gargoyles, all in a array of pastel colours.

At night the Palace is lit.  As the highest point reaches 529 meters, the low clouds often cover the palace which looks like it is in flames as the lights fold from the clouds.  The colourful palace is often featured in book covers and films, and is one of the favourite monuments of our guests.

What makes it so nice to visit, is that it looks like someone still lives there: the beds are made, the tables are set, there are clothes hanging and small items on site.  You see the bathrooms and even go through the kitchen.   It is also interesting to see the restoration work: as the palace has not been closed during restoration works, the visitors can admire the men and women diligently working on the walls and furniture.

THE PARK is fabulous.  Monte da Lua, Parques de Sintra organization takes care of the palace and its grounds, and does so well.  The park is truly a fairytale: a magic forest with lakes, white swans, black swans, winding paths, small water falls, bridges, rare species of flowers and trees… Near the queen’s fern garden, there is a place where someone I know swears having seen fairies.  I have not, but it is true, that if I were a fairy, that is where I would like to live!

HOW TO GET THERE

There are two entrances to the Palace, the main gate and the gates of the park.  If walking a bit of uphill is not your thing, you should go in the main gates as there is a small bus (paid) to take you up.  But if you can do a bit of walking, going in through the park entrance is certainly worth the walk.  Straight to the palace from the park entrance takes about 15 minutes, but most people love to wonder in the park a bit longer.

The way up the mountain can be done in various ways:  you can  walk, ride a bike,  take bus 434, a taxi or an Uber.  From the city center by road it is about 3-3,5 kms.

Using the footpaths, from Casa do Valle, it takes approximately 45-60 minutes to the gates of the park (though many take longer as they stop and take pictures and just enjoy the sights on the way).  If this is your option, make sure you ask us for instructions to find the best footpaths. We have paper maps with written instructions as well as a Walking APP in digital form available.

The bus (#434) is for those with a strong stomach and great nerves – those who easily get nauseated or don’t like to wait should skip this option due to the winding roads and an easily full bus.  In the summer, even if there are 3 or 4 buses an hour, you may have to wait a long while for the bus – traffic slows the buses down and they are often too full to fit everyone in.

If you come to Sintra in your own car, be aware that private cars are not allowed up the mountain.  You should leave your car in one of the peripheral parking areas and take a free shuttle to the station or to town, and then choose your preferred way to go up: walking, or by some form of public transportation.

A few last notes:

• Summer or winter, it is always cool up the mountain, it is worth taking a long-sleeve something along.
• Plan ahead: if you want to go to the Moorish Castle as well, buy a combined ticket to save money. Even if you cannot see them both on the same day, the ticket is valid for a month.
• There is a coffee shop and a restaurant at the Palace.
• No inside photography is allowed, but it is easy to ‘get lost’ with photography in the park.

This is a blog entry in the series ‘in our view’ – short stories of the things you do see in our view, from the garden, by the pool, from the rooms. 

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