Sintra | Exploring Pena Palace
This palace is the main attraction in my opinion. It is located at the highest point of Sintra and if you are lucky, upstairs offers a beautiful view of Sintra and you can even see the ocean. But most often there is very windy and very thick fog, I just got into it. Whether – it’s often unpredictable. Sometimes it’s hot and sunny, and moments later the fog will roll in and the temperature will drop, Sintra is often a few degrees colder than Lisbon. Pena Palace (Palácio Da Pena) is the most colorful and well-recognized castle. Usually, there are a lot of people, so it’s better to arrive somewhere at 9 am (30 minutes before open) so you can explore the Palace before it gets crazy crowded and be able to take pictures calmly.
A little bit of History:
The castle's history started in the Middle Ages when a chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Pena was built on the top of the hill above Sintra. According to tradition, construction occurred after an apparition of the Virgin Mary. Then there was a monastery, but Great Lisbon Earthquake of 1755
completely destroyed the building and the chapel escaped without significant damage.
In 1838 young prince Ferdinand bought the ruins and decided to build a castle. The King suggested vault arches, Medieval and Islamic elements be included, and he also designed an ornate window for the main façade. After the death of the King was in the possession of various people, but in 1889 it was purchased by the Portuguese State, and after the Republican Revolution of 1910 it was classified as a national monument and transformed into a museum.
Now Pena Palace is one of the 7 Wonders of Portugal.
As an architect, I have a big passion for architecture ♥, so I always pay attention to the details and interesting elements.
The Pena Palace has a profusion of styles much in accordance with the exotic taste of the Romanticism. The intentional mixture of eclectic styles includes the Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, Neo-Islamic and Neo-Renaissance. Much of this has been evident since major renovations in the 1840s. Each part of Pena Palace takes a visitor to different mysterious lands, to places that look like they’re from a fairy tale. Almost the entire palace stands on rock in the Sintra Mountains.
Tickets: you can find your ticket on the official web site.
Pena Palace hours: 9:30 am- 7 pm (5pm in low season). Allow up to 2 hours for your visit.
Here are a few recommended tours:
Thanks for the attention ♥
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