Sintra Castles and Palaces that you should visit
Sintra is a village full of majestic palaces, castles, and gardens, just like a fairy tale. Save an entire day for Sintra to appreciate every single detail of these incredible monuments! Ready to go from one palace to another?
Like any tourist in Portugal, are you curious about Sintra? We suggest including this village on your itinerary and save a full day to explore the best castles in Sintra. Sintra is a village full of romantic elements, able to leave anyone speechless!
Pena National Palace
Pena Palace is located in one of the highest points of Serra de Sintra. A masterpiece from the romantic period, capable of providing a landscape utterly beautiful. On July 7 of 2007, this palace was voted one of the seven wonders of Portugal, being, by the way, the first palace with Romantic architecture in Europe, built about 30 years before the imposing Schloss Neuschwanstein in Bavaria.
The palace is in the middle of the Parque da Pena, a great place to get lost. This lovely place offers unimaginable routes and tours with innumerable surprises and where you can find small buildings, bridges, caves, gardens, and fountains.
With an eccentric architecture, this palace of a thousand shapes and colors has a giant connection to the past of Portugal. Its elements show the Moorish, Indian and Manueline culture that is now surrounded by the most varied exotic plants coming from many parts of the world, thanks to the microclimate of Sintra. On those 85 hectares of Pena, you can visit the recovered Chalet of the Countess D'Ela, the second wife of D. Fernando II (the founder of the Pena Palace). The chalet is also an expression of romanticism, but this time individually, from a man to his wife.
You can also book a Sintra day trip from Lisbon with entrance to Pena Palace
Sintra National Palace
Also known as Paço Real or Village Palace, Sintra National Palace is right in the heart of the city center. The great chimneys constitute its hallmark, a unique and unavoidable monument for its historical, architectural, and artistic value.
From all the Palaces that the Portuguese monarchs built throughout the Middle Ages, only this one has survived to this day practically intact, maintaining the essence of its configuration and silhouette. The National Palace of Sintra was, in 2008, the most visited palace in Portugal, having the largest collection of Mudejar tiles in the country. Enjoy an interior with a lot of history, decoration of great value from various artistic styles!
You can also book a Sintra day trip from Lisbon with entrance to Sintra National Palace
Quinta da Regaleira
Amazingly, this fantastic building went unnoticed for many people who have the opportunity of visiting Sintra. Quinta da Regaleira is one of the most surprising and mysterious cultural landscape monuments of Sintra. Portuguese mythological traditions such as alchemy, Freemasonry and Knights Templars are present in many of the corners of this colorful space. Here the word mysticism is order, so do not be afraid to give wings to your imagination!
Discover some of the most surprising places of this monument:
"Poço Iniciático" or Initiation Well: An inverted tower with more than 27 meters of depth, with access through a spiral staircase. Many say this represents the relation between "sky" and "earth".
"Portal dos Guardiães" or Guardians Gate: is one of the many entrances to the Initiation Well, this portal is an ample room suitable for theater, with a space destined for the audience.
"Nível dos Deuses" or Terrace of the Gods: Formed with statues of Greco-Roman gods such as Fortune, Orpheus, Venus, Flora, Ceres, Pa, Dionysius, Vulcan, Hermes, and Cerberus.
You can also book a Sintra day trip from Lisbon with entrance to Quinta da Regaleira
Monserrate Palace
Without surprises, the Palace of Monserrate also presents elements of the architecture of the romantic period. However, it is his majestic gardens that attract more attention. The building is surrounded by the most diversified exotic species, organized by geographic areas and with scenarios suited to their origins.
The entrance of the palace is through an octagonal hall of ogival arches and marble columns. From here, visitors can visit the rooms, which include the library, the chapel, the music room, and the billiards room, decorated with single beautiful detail on the walls and ceilings.
Nowhere else in the world will you find a village with as many castles as Sintra!
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