Must visit palaces in Sintra, Portugal
Sintra is a small town at a 30-minute drive from Lisbon, which has a special vibe to it. I personally love going to the area, which has great hiking and mountain biking paths. It´s great for kids as well, with the mystical forests, big boulders and palaces from times past. Many people have heard of the Palacio de Pena (Pena Palace), which is one of the more known palaces of Sintra. But there are other, stunning palaces with amazing gardens to explore in Sintra. Let me guide you to the ones you must add to your list when visiting Lisbon.
Quinta da Regaleira
One of the palaces that is on top of my list is Quinta da Regaleira, which was designed and built by the owner António Augusto de Carvalho Monteiro (1848-1920) - a businessman and free mason- together with the Italian architect and scenographer Luigi Manini (1848-1936). The palace combines mystical elements with Manueline, Renaissance, Medieval and Classical styles. Construction began in 1904 and was completed in 1910, and opened to the public in 1998, after it had been purchased by the Sintra Town Council.
For me the gardens and not the palace itself are the main attraction. The gardens are also perfect to visit with children, as there is so much to explore. In the gardens you will find a chapel, waterfalls and underground walkways. One of the most famous elements of the Quinta da Regaleira is the initiation well. It is not really a well, but more like a tower sinking 27 meters into the earth. The tower, being more symbolic than utilitarian, was built by Carvalho Monteiro for spiritual reasons. It is believed that the well was designed to represent the nine circles of Dante’s Inferno (although it is only six stories deep). It truly feels mystical to walk down the stairs here, into the underground walkways and on to a waterfall.
Location: Rua Barbosa du Bocage 5, 2710-567 Sintra, Portugal
Palácio de Monserrate
The Monserrate Palace is a beautiful, smaller palace on top of a hill and has Moorish design elements, such as elaborate stone carvings. Legend has it that there was a chapel dedicated to Virgin Mary built in approximately 1903 after the reconquest of Sintra. On its ruins another chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Monserrate was built in 1540. In 1856 a rich English merchant, Sir Francis Cook, built the palace, which would become the family´s summer estate.
The gardens of Monserrate include a Mexican and a Japanese garden, a fern valley and ornamental lakes. These gardens are also perfect for families to wander around as there are so many different and exotic species to find. Don´t forget to check out the ruins overgrown with trees, which makes you feel like you are in Angkor Wat!
Location: 2710-405 Sintra, Portugal
Palácio Biester
Next to Palácio da Regaleira, you´ll find Palácio Biester. Biester Palace just opened up to the public recently (April 2022) and i visited it a few weeks ago. The palace was built by Ernesto Biester, a wealthy 19th-century merchant. Inside the palace there are beautiful frescoes, stuccoes and elaborate wood work, and a very special antique elevator. The whole interior has been beautifully renovated and is exactly the way it was when the palace was built. One of the most beautiful parts of the palace is the chapel, with frescoes in amazing colors. On the lower floor you can find an initiation chamber, where people were inititiated into the sacred Templar Order.
Around the palace you can walk around in the beautiful gardens (designed by French landscapist François Nogré), which has a miradouro with stunning views over Sintra and the Castelo dos Mouros and an Australian fern garden. There are some green houses where you can sit and enjoy a cup of tea with some sweets. Also worth mentioning is a cave decorated with ceramic tiles by Bordalo Pinheiro
Parque e Palácio Nacional da Pena
As Palácio da Pena is one of the most visited sights in Portugal, it can get pretty busy here, so plan your visit wisely. The outside of the palace and the gardens are the most interesting parts. The castle is a strange but beautiful combination of towers and turrets in different colors. In the surrounding park you´ll find trees and flowers from different parts of the world, as well as hidden temples, grottoes, and Valley of the Lakes. The park was created at the same time as the palace by King Ferdinand II between 1842 and 1854.
The palace´s history goes back to long before the palace was actually built. A chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Pena was built on the top of the hill above Sintra, after an apparition of the Virgin Mary. King Manuel I was very fond of this sanctuary, and ordered the construction of a monastery on this site which was donated to the Order of Saint Jerome. In the 18th century the monastery was severely damaged by lightning and left to ruins by the Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755, although the chapel was not heavily damaged.
Castelo dos Mouros
Sitting high on one of the SIntra hills, the Moorish Castle is a fortification founded in the 9th century during the period the Moors occupied the Iberian Peninsula. It was was taken by Christian forces after the fall of Lisbon in 1147. The view from the castle are spectacular and it is good fun walking around on the old walls. In 1995, UNESCO classified the Sintra Cultural Landscape as World Heritage with the Moorish Castle representing a fundamental component.
Location: 2710-405 Sintra, Portugal
