Pena Palace: when an artist king reinvented the fairy tale castle
The yellow and red towers emerge from the morning mist like an unreal apparition. At 500 meters (about 1,640 feet) of elevation, perched on a rocky spur of the Serra de Sintra, the Pena Palace defies all architectural conventions. It is not quite a medieval castle, nor exactly a baroque palace. It is the dream of a man deeply in love with a specific location.
Why visit Pena Palace?
This palace was the first romantic edifice in Europe, built thirty years before the famous Neuschwanstein of Ludwig II of Bavaria. In 1838, the king consort Ferdinand II of Portugal, of German origin, fell under the spell of the ruins of a Hieronymite monastery devastated by the 1755 earthquake. He decided to build his summer residence there and entrusted the project to the engineer Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege.
The result is an unapologetic patchwork of neo-gothic, neo-manueline, neo-islamic, and neo-renaissance styles. UNESCO designated the site a World Heritage site in 1995, and the Portuguese voted it one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal in 2007. On a clear day, you can spot its silhouette from Lisbon.
The architecture and its extravagances
The multicolored facades
The red and yellow colors that define the palace are actually a return to its origins. For decades, the facades had faded to gray before being restored to their original hues in the late 20th century. The visual effect is striking against the lush vegetation surrounding the building.
The terraces and viewpoints
The Queen's Terrace, facing south, offers a dizzying panorama of the Atlantic coast and the plains of Sintra. The rampart walk allows you to circle the entire rock upon which the palace rests. The mist that often envelops the hills adds an almost fantastical dimension to the experience.
Pro tip: In the afternoon, after 3:00 PM, the crowds drop off significantly as tour groups leave the site. The morning slots at 9:30 AM remain popular but offer ideal light for photos.
The interior rooms
The interior of the palace reveals the eclectic tastes of Ferdinand II. The Arab Room displays his collection of oriental porcelain under gothic chandeliers and central European stained glass. The chapel preserves a 16th-century altarpiece signed by Nicolau de Chanterene. The royal apartments have kept their period furniture, all the way to the kitchens where you can see copper utensils engraved with the initials "PP" for Palácio da Pena.
The guided tour of the interior takes about 45 minutes. The rooms are narrow and foot traffic moves in a single file during peak periods.
The park with 500 species
Ferdinand II did not just build a palace. He created an arboretum of 200 hectares (about 494 acres) around it where California sequoias, Lawson cypresses, Chinese ginkgo trees, and Australian tree ferns grow side by side. The humid climate of the Serra de Sintra allows this exotic vegetation to thrive.
Highlights of the park:
- The Chalet of the Countess of Edla, built for the second wife of Ferdinand II, whose facade is decorated with local cork
- The Cruz Alta, the highest point of the Serra at 528 meters (about 1,732 feet) of elevation
- The Valley of the Lakes, particularly photogenic in the spring
- The camellia garden, in bloom from November to March
Plan on wearing comfortable walking shoes. From the park entrance to the palace, expect a 30-minute uphill hike. A paid shuttle runs every 15 minutes for those who prefer to save their energy.
Opening hours
*Information subject to change
It is a truly unique palace, with all its colors and architecture that is surprising to say the least.
It is impressive because it was built on a hill, which means you can see it from far away.
I highly recommend you take a guided tour so you do not miss any of the history of this place, and especially to avoid the endless line in the summer.