Pena National Palace (Palacio Nacional da Pena), Sintra: How to Visit and What to Do Nearby

Pena National Palace crowns a rocky peak at 529 meters above the town of Sintra west of Lisbon, built between 1842 and 1854 for King Ferdinand II on the foundations of a ruined Hieronymite monastery. The palace combines neo-Gothic, neo-Manueline, neo-Islamic, and neo-Renaissance elements in a deliberate Romantic assemblage, painted in bold yellow and red that is visible from Lisbon on clear days. The 200-hectare park surrounding the palace holds exotic trees collected from across the Portuguese colonial world. Admission runs around 20 euros for combined palace and park access. is just one of many options in Sintra. Major attractions worth considering include Sintra National Palace (Palácio Nacional de Sintra), Castle of the Moors (Castelo dos Mouros), and Chalet and Garden of the Countess D'Edla (Chalet e Jardim da Condessa D'Edla).