Visiting Pena Palace | Day Trip to Sintra from Lisbon, Portugal

Join us as we visit Pena Palace on a day trip to Sintra from Lisbon, Portugal. Traveling to Sintra from Lisbon is as easy as can be with frequent trains departing from Rossio station in central Lisbon making a 30-40 minute journey to Sintra, Portugal. We paid 5 Euros for a our ticket and hoped on the next train departing shortly after we arrived at the station. Before we did any sightseeing, as per our usual style, we grabbed a quick bite at Café Saudade where we had scrumptious paninis and a couple of local desserts (queijada and travesseiro). We'd highly recommend this place as the prices were very reasonable and the quality of food was excellent.
After it was time to figure out how we'd visit the attraction we came all the way to Sintra to visit - Pena Palace! After checking several options we realized the local bus was the cheapest option (5.50 Euros for a return trip) and so we hopped on bus number 434.
After arriving at Pena Palace we paid 11.50 Euros each for an adult ticket and my parents got a senior discount at 9 Euros per person. Firstly we toured the exterior of Pena Palace where we we marvelled at the bright colors and various influences in terms of its eclectic architecture. We also had wonderful views over Sintra and especially of the Moorish Castle. Afterwards we walked around inside before calling it a day. Overall, we'd say it would take around an hour to three hours to check this place out thoroughly. It is bigger than it looks from a lower vantage point.
And that was our day! Visiting Sintra to properly check out the town and other attractions warrants an overnight stay and with just an afternoon to spare we really only focussed on Pena Palace. However, if you're looking for an interesting day trip from Lisbon we'd highly recommend considering Sintra. Ciao for now!
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Visiting Pena Palace on a day trip to Sintra, Portugal Travel Video Transcript:
But you guys know the drill. First things first, we needed to grab a quick bite. We spotted a cafe serving up pastries, paninis, and all sorts of baked goods, and that was all the convincing we needed.
With our appetites satiated, we continued our stroll through town, and then decided we should probably hop on a bus, and save our legs for visiting the attraction that brought us all the way out here: the Pena Palace.
Once we reached the gates of the Pena Palace we purchased our tickets, and began the climb to this colourful, whimsical, and somewhat kitschy construction set atop a hill in the Sintra Mountains.
Though Pena Palace’s history dates back to the Middle Ages, what you see today dates from the 19th century, with construction of the current castle completed in 1854.
You may think that this place looks like a mish-mash of different styles, and that’s because Pena Palace is a Romanticist castle, that was influenced by Gothic, Manueline, Moorish and Renaissance architecture.
The commission for this castle was given to a German amateur architect, and the King’s only request was that “this palace should reflect an opera” - whatever that means.
The tour of the interior of the palace followed a carpeted-route that guided us through a chapel, bedrooms, dining rooms, living rooms, and a kitchen - all decorated with historical furniture to reflect how it would have looked when the Portuguese royal family lived here before their escape to Brazil during the revolution.
Then we stopped for one more glimpse of the surrounding hills, and it was time to head back down.
And yes, that’s all we did in Sintra that day: ate lunch, rode a bus, and visited one palace. We’re not kidding about maybe coming here for 2-3 days, because there’s way more to cover than you can on a day trip!
This is part of our Travel in Portugal video series showcasing Portuguese food, Portuguese culture and Portuguese cuisine.
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