Sintra: National Palace of Pena- 22 Mar 2024 Part 1

We drove to Sintra and parked on a side street. What a beautiful area. Sintra has its own microclimate. The flora was so different from Lisbon, just a 30-minute drive away. These trees were so odd to me.

We bought our tickets a few days ahead of time and had a timed entry, so we started with Pena Palace.

You can't drive right up to the palaces and castles. They have Ubers, tuk tuks, taxis and buses. It's up a winding one-way road. You can walk but since we have such a busy day, we opted to Uber. Great choice, our driver told us so much about the area.

This was the first clear view we had of Pena Palace. Still had a long way to get to the gate. Pena Palace is a 19th Century historic estate with Romanticist style architecture, a National Monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

We were dropped off at the gate. There is a beautiful garden area with unique plants and trees, at least to me.

I understand why the gardens are so famous.

The calla lilies were waist high!

There are two options to get to the palace, walk or ride a bus. We opted to pay the 2Euros to ride the bus, which was a good thing. The incline is steep and it's all up hill.

The bus drops you at the base of the palace, but there is still a steep walk to enter the palace.

I was surprised at how many people were here. We had timed entry for the opening, and it was an off time of the year. I can't imagine how busy it would be in season. The palace is so pretty and has so many details it was challenging to walk without running into someone while taking it all in.

The entry gate. Very impressive to walk through.

I loved the turrets. You could walk up to the top and take pictures.

Most this place was beautiful and so detailed. Then there were the gargoyles. Who ever thought these things into existence?

This place is a detailed mix of tiles, cement, shells and wood carvings. I can't imagine how much work went into building this.

After seeing how they match the exterior doors to the frame, I can see why it took over 30 years to build. Seems too fast when you are looking at it.

Another creepy gargoyle. This one pees on you.

Look at this gorgeous courtyard.

The inside was just as beautiful. It was fun to walk through all the rooms. There was a telephone room and the queen's bathroom, which was a fancy bed pan.

Don't you just feel sorry for those royals having to live like this?

This cabinet (I'm sure there is a better name) was so detailed. Even the walls were beautiful.

Even the ceilings were extremely detailed. My neck was starting to hurt.

This was one of my favorite spots. I would love to just cuddle up and read here. This was just a servant's staircase.

This stained glass was unbelievable.

View from one of the balconies. It was foggy but you can see to Lisbon on clear days.

Here is a more comprehensive view.

There is a nice little cafe area to have a coffee and a Pastel de Nata. Which we did and enjoyed the views (picture below). Plus, our feet needed a break.

On our way to leave the castle. Since we still have a lot more to see today, we took the bus back down.

We are onto the Moorish Castle, please see part 2.