Pena National Palace

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The eclectic Pena Palace in Sintra is a bright and bold castle on a mountain in the Serra de Sintra featuring Neo-Renaissance, Neo-Manueline, Neo-Gothic, and Moorish architectural elements. The unique building served as inspiration for the fairytale castle: Neuschwanstein Castle in Bavaria. A range of day trips visit Sintra and Pena Palace from Lisbon every day, so you have a range of options to choose from. Book skip-the-line tickets in advance in order to get the best price and enjoy a stress-free visit.

By Maurizio Massaro

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Tickets

Sintra: Pena Palace and Park Entrance Ticket

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Guided Tours

From Lisbon: Sintra, Cabo da Roca and Cascais Full-Day Tour

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From Lisbon: Best of Sintra and Cascais Guided Day Tour

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Lisbon: Sintra & Pena Palace Guided Tour with Hotel Pickup

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Sintra: Full-Day Deluxe Tour with Pena Palace ticket

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Sintra and Cascais Full-Day Small Group Tour With Tickets

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Full-Day Private Sintra Tour with Wine Tasting and Pena Palace

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4 tips for visiting the Pena National Palace

Palácio Nacional da Pena | Flickr: Davide Gabino CC BY-ND 2.0

Avoid Lunchtime!In the peak season, which falls between spring and late September, the palace is extremely busy with international visitors. Tour groups regularly arrive at Pena Palace between 10.30 am and 3 pm, so if you can, it’s recommended that you visit outside of those times. Either way, if you book your tickets in advance then you’re sure to save time by not having to wait in the ticket line.

The Palace on the Hilltop | Flickr: Paulo Valdivieso CC BY-SA 2.0

Take a Break in the ParkThe Pena Palace park covers 85 hectares (210 acres) and offers you the chance to discover pavilions, ponds, waterfalls, and a huge range of local and exotic plants. As you take a walk through the park, make sure to imagine the park as it was before it was founded, when the mountaintop was completely bare.

Use the Shuttle BusThe path from the entry of the complex to the palace is very steep. Fortunately, there’s a shuttle bus available for anyone who can’t make the walk on foot, or for those who would rather arrive in comfort.

Enjoy the ViewsThe Wall Walk was built to allow soldiers to defend the palace from all angles, but today you can take a stroll along the path to enjoy views over the Serra de Sintra and, on a day with good weather, all the way to the Atlantic Ocean.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where did the palace get its name?

In the 14th century, a small chapel was built on a peak in the Serra de Sintra mountain range after locals saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary. Its name was Nossa Senhora da Pena, or ‘Our Lady of Pena’, and the following century the chapel was expanded into a monastery. Pena is Portuguese for grief, sadness, or pity. Read more.

Who built Pena Palace?

The palace was built by a German geologist, mining engineer, and amateur architect who was a member of the Portuguese court, Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege. Charged with building a palace on the ruins of the monastery, he decided to combine Neo-Renaissance, Neo-Manueline, Neo-Gothic, and Moorish elements of architecture to create the brightly colored building. The interior is largely intact as it was built, and visitors will be delighted by two further architectural schools which were used in the decoration: Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo. On the exterior of the palace, you can spot Azulejos, a Moorish-style tile which is commonly used throughout Sintra and Lisbon. Read more.

Do you have to reserve a space on a guided tour of Pena Palace?

An official guided tour takes place every day at 2.30 pm, and you don’t need to reserve a spot to take part! It takes between one hour and 90 minutes to complete and is offered in Portuguese, Spanish, and English. Read more.

Is a trip to Pena Palace family-friendly?

Although there is no specific program for children in the palace, the fairytale castle usually delights children of all ages. Parents of young children should note that strollers must be left at the entrance, and there are steep drops near the battlements protected only by low walls. Therefore, the use of baby carriers is recommended for the visit. Read more.

How long should I plan for my visit?

If you’re planning to visit the palace interior and the park then you should allow at least two to two and a half hours for your trip, if not longer. The most important areas of the palace can be seen in about an hour if you want to visit very quickly on your way to another attraction, or you can plan in more time and linger over the parts you find most interesting. If you’re visiting on a day trip from Lisbon, remember to plan at least 45 minutes of travel time each way by car or coach, or an hour by bus. Read more.

Is Pena Palace accessible to disabled visitors?

The park has been accessible to wheelchair users since 2014, and the shuttle bus to the palace entrance also offers a space for a wheelchair user. However, the palace itself only offers limited access to wheelchair users. Visitors with mobility problems can access the terraces, the shop, and the cafeteria, but the palace tour contains a large number of stairs to climb and has not yet been adapted to be accessible for visitors who use wheelchairs. Read more.

General information

opening hours

The Palácio Nacional da Pena is open daily between 9:30 am and 6:30 pm, with final admission at 5:30 pm. The park around the palace can be visited until 7:00 pm and otherwise opens and closes at the same time as the palace. Last admission for the park is at 6:00 pm.

tickets

Tickets for the Park and National Palace of Pena cost €20 for adults. Tickets for youths aged 6 to 17 and seniors aged 65 and over cost €18. A family ticket for two adults and two youths is priced at €65. Separate tickets for just the park are available at €10 for adults, €9 for youths and seniors, and a family ticket is €35.

website

Official site: https://www.parquesdesintra.pt/en/parks-monuments/park-and-national-palace-of-pena/

address

Palácio Nacional da Pena
Estrada da Pena
2710-609 Sintra, Portugal

how to get there

Sintra is easy to reach by train from Lisbon, as regular services run from Rossio and Oriente train stations in the center of the city. These trains take between 40 and 50 minutes to reach Sintra Station, where you can change to the tourist bus number 434 which will take you directly to the palace. A return ticket for the bus costs €5. Visitors are advised not to drive their own cars to the palace since there are limited parking spaces. It’s better to book a space on a tour that provides coach transport rather than adding to the congestion.

Written byMaurizio MassaroMaurizio is a cosmopolitan, a musician and comes around. In his role as a content manager at TicketLens, he is always striving to find new offers as well as writing about sights all over the world.

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