Is The Pena Palace Worth Visiting? [2024]
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Pena Palace, Sintra
Is the Pena Palace in Sintra, Portugal, worth visiting? In this short guide, we’ll outline the reasons why you should and shouldn’t visit the famous Pena Palace.
Colourful Pena Palace
The Pena Palace in Portugal is one of the country’s most recognisable sights, and it’s not hard to see why. With its out-of-this-world architecture and bright colours, this palace is extremely eye-catching.
View from top of Pena Palace in Portugal
However, the Pena Palace is located in Sintra – which is about an hour away from the capital city of Lisbon by car, and almost double the time on public transportation. Those on a short visit to Lisbon might be wondering if there’s enough time to see both the capital and Pena Palace. So with that being said, Is the Pena Palace worth visiting? Let’s find out.
Related: Our Half Day Itinerary of Lisbon
Brief Background on Pena Palace
The Pena Palace is located in the municipality of Sintra, and is widely recognised as one of the best Romanticist castles in the world. Not only is it well known for its outlandish colourful appearance, but also for its towering views over the Sintra Mountains and the town of Sintra. On a clear day, Lisbon is easily seen from the top of the castle.
Panoramic vistas at the top of Pena Palace.
Officially a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal, the castle has a long history that we’ll briefly touch on. Although completed in 1854, the castle’s history dates all the way back to the Middle Ages, where a chapel was built on the top of the hill above Sintra.
Pena Palace, Portugal
For centuries, Pena was just a small, quaint place for monks to meditate and take rest in. After being damaged by lightning and the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755, King Ferdinand II decided to acquire the monastery and transform it into a palace that would serve as a summer residence for the royal family in Portugal.
Chapel at Pena Palace, Sintra.
Over the years, the Palace’s colours faded and turned grey. In the 20th century, the palace was repainted and had its original colours restored, which is great news for all of us.
Where to stay near the Pena Palace
There’s a ton of great accommodation options in Sintra and around the Pena Palace area, so check these out!
Budget: Casa Azul Hostel
This blue-themed hostel is just a short walk to Sintra’s Historic Centre, as well as public transportation options. It’s extremely closely located to Pena Palace, and comes in at an inexpensive price. Guests also loved the friendly hostel owner.
You can take a closer look at Casa Azul Hostel by clicking here.
Mid Range: Palácio de Sintra Boutique House
Palácio de Sintra Boutique House is situated in Sintra, within 1.8 km of Quinta da Regaleira and Sintra National Palace. A cozy bed and breakfast, guests especially loved the comfortable, colourful rooms and convenient location.
You can take a closer look at Palácio de Sintra Boutique House by clicking here.
Luxury: Tivoli Palacio de Seteais
A palace in its own right, the Tivoli Palacio de Seteais an elegant 5-star hotel set in the mountainside of Sintra with privileged views of the Moorish Castle and Pena Palace. It features a swimming pool, tennis courts and an equestrian centre.
You can take a closer look at the Tivoli Palacio de Seteais by clicking here.
Why Should I Visit the Pena Palace?
The Pena Palace was the highlight of my brief trip to Portugal. It truly is a fascinating place, filled with history, breathtaking views and captivating colours. If you have the time, this is a great chance to tick off one of Portugal’s best attractions.
Pena Palace was the highlight of my trip to Portugal.
It’s not often that you’ll get to see architecture on display at the Pena Palace, so visiting the palace was a unique memory that sticks out in my mind. My visit was a magical experience, and I would go back in a heartbeat.
My visit to the Pena Palace was a magical experience.
To me, the Palace lived up to all expectations in terms of what the physical structure looked like, as well as the views over Sintra.
Why Shouldn’t I Visit the Pena Palace?
Although I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the Pena Palace, there are a few reasons why you might want to give it a miss. For one, if you only have a day or two in Lisbon and you’re the kind of traveller who wants to take things slow, you might want to spend all of your time in the capital. After all, visiting the Pena Palace is at least a half-day day trip that will take up a sizeable portion of your precious time in Portugal.
More views of Sintra from Pena Palace.
Secondly, the Pena Palace isn’t the only attraction worth visiting Sintra. You might decide that other sites, such as the National Palace, Castle of Moors (Castelo dos Mouros), Quinta da Regaleira, Monserrate or even the beaches in Sintra, appeal to you more. You should do your research into each of these and decide where Pena Palace would rank, as you might not have the time to visit all of them!
View of the Castle of Moors from Pena Palace.
I embarked on a half-day day trip from Lisbon and only had time to visit the Pena Palace and Quinta de Regaleira (both are beautiful – but I definitely preferred the Pena Palace), so I missed out on a lot of the other sights.
Close to the Pena Palace, Quinta de Regaleira is another beautiful sight in Sintra.
Thirdly, the Pena Palace can get quite crowded. It’s one of Portugal’s most visited attractions (at the time of writing, it has almost 60,000 Google Reviews), and you’ll really feel this when you visit. If you’re the kind of person that can’t deal with unintentional photo bombers, rubbing shoulders with strangers or long waits to get in, then you might want to reconsider.
Ralph at Pena Palace.
Lastly, climbing up to the Pena Palace can be a struggle for some. From the base of the Palace, you’ll have to trek up for a few minutes before you get to the palace. The mountain is deceivingly steep, so wear comfortable walking shoes if you’re planning on making it up there.
Climbing up the mountain to get to the Pena Palace can be deceivingly tiring.
Verdict – Is the Pena Palace Worth Visiting?
Yes. I think the Pena Palace is highly worth visiting as long as you have more than 1 day in Lisbon. I know that may sound rushed for some, but I enjoyed the Pena Palace so much that I would rather sacrifice time in other places to make time for the Palace. The Pena Palace was the highlight of my trip to Portugal, and it’s likely that it’ll also end up as one of yours too.
We think the Pena Palace is worth visiting.
Having said this, you should consider what I discussed above, as the Palace isn’t for everyone – especially those extremely short on time in Lisbon.
Archways at Pena Palace.
Do you think the Pena Palace in Sintra is worth visiting? Why or why not? Let me know in the comments below!
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