Discover Pena Palace: Private Day Trip to Sintra from Lisbon
The Pena National Palace is a Romanticist castle in Sintra, Portugal. It stands on the top of a hill above the town of São Pedro de Penaferrim and is the most popular tourist attraction in the town, as well as one of the most visited monuments in the country. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1995 and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal.
On your private half-day tour of the Pena Palace, you will:
- Enjoy a fully guided tour of the Pena Palace, nicknamed the "fairy tale castle", built with the purpose to serve as a summer residence of King Ferdinand II and his family;
- Discover the different architectural styles that coexist in the palace, such as Neo-Gothic, Neo-Manueline, and New-Romanesque along with other Oriental styles such as Neo-Moorish and Indo-Gothic;
- Admire the views from the large palace terraces, and explore the Palace interior, decorated to reflect how the palace looked when it was home to Portuguese royalty 1800s and 1900s;
- Explore the palace's magnificent gardens, commissioned by King Ferdinand II between 1838 and 1878 which are today the property of the Portuguese State and a protected monument;
- Travel to and from the palace through Sintra Natural Park with an electric TukTuk, the fastest and most fun way to get around this beautiful area;
- End the tour by returning to Lisbon by train with your guide, or to the town of Sintra where you can have lunch and continue exploring at your own leisure. In this latter case, your guide will give you your return tickets to you can catch the train whenever you like later in the day.
Your private tour of Sintra will start at Rossio Train station in central Lisbon. Today Portugal's most famous attraction, the Pena Palace was built in the 19th century as a summer home for Portuguese royalty. It was built by King Ferdinand II who had a very flamboyant and larger-than-life taste.
It is an adaptation of 16th-century monastery ruins and an imitation of a medieval fortress. The Palace boasts spectacular views over the natural park and Lisbon (on a clear day) as well as beautifully landscaped gardens. Enjoy a 30-minute walk through the gardens to see our favourite section: the valley of the lakes.
Your tour will end with a tuk-tuk ride either back to Sintra train station, where you will catch the train back to Lisbon with your guide, or you can stay in Sintra town where you can have lunch and continue exploring at your own pace.
If you chose to stay in Sintra, your guide will give you your return train tickets which will be valid all day.
