The Pena Palace in Sintra is its most famous monument, and the fame is well deserved. An explosion of color, a mixture of architectural styles. Imposing for its elevated position and simply impressive.
Not in vain, the Pena Palace is the most visited place in Portugal and the symbol of Sintra, that town near Lisbon that has become a more than valid pretext to travel to the Portuguese capital.
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| Pena Palace Sintra Portuga |
This palace, which despite its "youth" (it was built during the 19th century) is one of the most beautiful in Europe, stands on a unique natural environment, that of the Sierra de Sintra, and is surrounded by a botanical garden in the one that thousands of species coexist from all corners of the planet.
An eclectic architecture
And it is that eclecticism is one of the hallmarks of the Pena Palace, whose architecture, a mixture of styles and aesthetic trends, is unique in the world: in the palace we can see classic Portuguese elements, such as the tiles that cover the walls, and also others typical of Romanticism, with numerous mythological and religious references.
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| Pena Palace Sintra Portuga |
Throughout our visit we will be able to clearly appreciate how in the reconstruction of the palace, which dates back to the 19th century, various architectural styles were included: Mudejar and Manueline motifs are integrated with Gothic towers and Baroque furniture inside, giving rise to this extravagant and spectacular castle whose interior rooms can also be visited.
The most beautiful part of the palace is, in our opinion, on the outside, because just walking around the perimeter of the palace and stopping at every detail of its towers and facades is enough to appreciate its beauty.
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| Pena Palace Sintra Portuga |
But if you have time to spare, it is also interesting to explore it inside, although the interior rooms do not reach the majesty of the exterior (they are similar to those of many other European palaces).
In addition, there is usually a long queue to get inside. So if you don't have time to see it inside, don't worry. The best of this palace is in plain sight.
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| Pena Palace Sintra Portuga |
Regarding the interior, as we told you, it is much simpler than the exterior; Around a small central courtyard in Arab style are distributed several private rooms used, in the past, by the inhabitants of the palace: a dining room set up for dinner, whose crockery was changed daily depending on the color of the dress worn by the queen; the bedrooms of the royal family or the lounges where they spent their leisure time and received other personalities of the Court.
One of our favorite places is the old kitchen, full of utensils, molds, pans and pots that would delight any cook.