Visiting Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal (Photo Journal)

Pena Palace in Sintra Portugal

In the belly of Sintra lies a colorful palace demanding to be explored. It’s one of the highlights of any day trip to Sintra. These stunning photos of Pena Palace prove you need to see this place for yourself!

But before we get to the photos, I’d like to chat about our experience. We originally planned to tour the interior so that I could tell you that exploring the palace was all I ever dreamed of. Or that I could tell you that Will confessed to being a prince and made delicious blueberry pancakes on the rooftop terrace of his childhood palace.

I could tell you a lot of things, but I always want to tell you the truth. This palace was such a blast to explore in person, but boy, was it busy! So busy in fact, that the queue to tour the inside was two hours long! Imagine spending two hours of a precious vacation day simply standing in line. Not for us, but thanks!

So we decided to use our walking feet and explore the exterior of this colorful place. Look at those vibrant splashes of yellow, red and purple! Looking back at these lively colors make me so happy.

We explored the outside of the palace in about an hour and decided to head out because we were worn out from hiking from one palace to another (it’s a hard life, I tell you!).

It’s funny, I assumed that by traveling in the off season, we would avoid the crowds. Turns out there is no off season anymore. You heard it here first, folks.

We would love to return to Portugal and wouldn’t even mind re-visiting Sintra because it was so beautiful. There are so many fun things to do in Sintra beyond the palace. This palace is a must see at least once in your life, crowds and all. Most visitors combine it with a trip to Lisbon. We hope you enjoy the photos!

Tips for Visiting Pena Palace

A few things we wish someone had told us before we went.

Buy your tickets online ahead of time. Seriously. The ticket line was almost as long as the interior tour line, and buying online lets you skip it entirely. You can grab them on the Parques de Sintra website.

Get there early. The palace opens at 9:30 AM and the crowds build up fast after 11. If you want any chance of touring the inside without feeling like you’re in a sardine can, first thing in the morning is your best bet.

From the main entrance, it’s a steep uphill walk to the palace itself. There’s a shuttle bus that runs every few minutes if you’d rather save your legs, which I would honestly recommend because you’ll want that energy for exploring the palace grounds.

Don’t skip the surrounding park. The gardens and forest trails around the palace are gorgeous and way less crowded than the palace itself. We spent almost as much time wandering the grounds as we did at the actual building.

If you’re combining Sintra with a trip to Lisbon, it’s an easy 40-minute train ride from Rossio station. Most people do it as a day trip, which is exactly what we did. For a full itinerary, check out our Sintra day trip guide.

Love,

The Duke and Duchess of Portland

Buy tickets in advance through the official Parques de Sintra website to skip the line.

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