Welcome back to another travel recap post of my trip to Portugal last month! You may remember that my Mom and I did a day trip from Lisbon to Sintra and spent the majority of the day on bikes. However, during our bike tour of Sintra we nicely negotiated with our tour guide Daniel to skip a long lunch in favor of actually getting to visit the inside of the Pena Palace in Portugal.
This palace is arguable the most famous in all of Sintra and when I foudn out the original bike route just had us visiting from a distance and I was quite determined to not only visit the grounds but also have the chance to see inside.
This castle in Sintra has many names but in this post I will refer to Romanticist castle as Pena Palace. Despite being built in 1836 it was not until 1995 that it and t the rest of Sintra were classified as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. The way the castle is described by some of the placards is almost comical, for instance, “the fruit of King Ferdinand II’s creative genius and the greatest expression of 19th-century romanticism in Portugal, denoting clear influences from the Manueline and Moorish styles of architecture.” Ummm, sure? To me it was just absolutely stunning and I loved the contrast of the bright yellow and red outside with the blue tile work of other parts of the building.
From where we parked our bikes it was a half mile up hill trek through the gardens to get to the base of the palace. Unlike so many things that are only for looks this was clearly functioning with the massive there story walls, the moat, the drawbridge, and the incredible elevation. We explored the outside of the Pena Palace before joining the very long line to see the luxe furnishings of the very small rooms inside. Even compared to some of the places I visited in the past like (here, here, here) these rooms were quite small.
What do you think of the Pena Palace in Portugal?
Delicious Eats at Berlin’s Cafe Mugrabi
Visiting York Minster
Lions of the Masai Mara
Our Loire Valley Bike Tour
Lucy says
It looks gorgeous, I can see how you had such a great time!
Felicity says
That gateway you are standing in front of is insane. How tall was it? They sure don’t make things like that anymore. Someone had a great architect and super sense of style. I can only imagine how awesome it would have been to have lived there and think of the parties one could throw. It would be the coveted invitation of the season.
Sylvia says
So jealous. I want to get on a plane right now and go. I have been saving up my vacation time and I always read your blog and want to go everywhere that you go. I need a raise so that I can venture out like you do. This is going to be on my list.
Aimee says
The colors are stunning. We have nothing like this in the US. I also think that the detail on the gate is super. I will have to put this on my bucket list!
Wendy says
I’m going to Portugal this summer and was considering going to this Palace. Now I definitely have to go. Thanks for the great travel tip Kelly as always.
Allie says
The stone work on the palace is stunning! And that chandelier! That’s the light fixture of my dreams! xAllie
http://www.theallthatglittersblog.com