Avoiding the Crowds at the Pena Palace in Sintra

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This past summer, when I did my research about Sintra before heading there to spend two months, I was captivated by the town’s fairy tale-like architecture. One of the buildings that stood out the most was the Pena Palace, one of the finest examples of 19th century Portuguese Romanticism. The palace is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of Portugal’s Seven Wonders, and one of the most visited monuments in the country.

The arches yard and the clock tower at the Pena Palace in SintraDuring the seven weeks I spent in Sintra, I kept putting visiting the palace off because I simply don’t like crowds; and as summer progressed the charming little town got swarmed with waves of tourists, most of them flocking to see this particular sight. So on my very last week, I had no choice but to head up the Sintra hill and do my best to avoid the crowd to enjoy this site.

This trail goes straight to the Pena Palace in Sintra, PortugalFirst thing I did, was to avoid taking the 434 bus line which is the preferred means of transportation for the gazillions of tourists who visit Sintra most days in August. Instead, I chose to climb up the hill on one of the small and remote trails I had discovered during my exploration of the park; and it was blissful! Not another human being in sight :) Now, if you must ride the bus, be ready to fork out about 5€ (!!!) and to have the same space as a sardine in a tin can :(

Black swan in the lake of the Pena PalaceThe trail brought me pretty much straight to the entrance of the Lakes, which is a bit less crowded than the main entrance. There are three different entrance fees for this site and I chose the one that includes everything: all areas of the Palace, the Chalet of Countess of Edla and the park; for which I payed 13,50€. In retrospect, I should have chosen any of the other two options which don’t include the interior of the Pena Palace; because a) it was pretty crowded inside, and b) it wasn’t very interesting to me, just a bunch of old furniture IMO.

Fountain of the small birds in Pena PalaceThe best part of visiting the Pena park is to wander outside, following the many small trails that take you into the forest and which connect its different areas. Since most people who visit are coming from Lisbon just for the day, they mostly stick to the area around the palace; but this is just a small fraction of the park as it covers almost 85 hectares of terrain. It is massive and you could easily spend a few hours wandering around.

Beautiful trees in Pena Park

Standing in the middle of this green paradise, it’s hard to imagine that once this used to be a barren hill; but thanks to King Ferdinand II, it was transformed into a vast forest with tree and plant species brought from exotic and distant locations. Thus, the landscape was totally changed with the introduction of big North American Sequoia trees, Western red cedars, Chinese Ginkgo, among others.

King Ferdinand II and Elise Hensler

However, King Ferdinand II was not alone on this project; as his closest collaborator was his second wife, Elise Hensler, Countess of Edla. She was an opera singer with a broad education who shared many of the King’s interests, botany among them; so soon after they met they fell madly in love, to the dismay of some royal family members and the public. In the end, they got married and lived together in Sintra.

Chalet of the Countess of Edla in Sintra

Together, they built the pretty Chalet of the Countess of Edla, inspired by Swiss chalets and rural houses from the United States. The house is modest, but very cosy; I particularly loved the detail of the branches sourrounding all the windows and doors in the exterior. This building was damaged by a fire a few years ago; and after a restoration process that started in 2007, it was only recently that it has been opened for visitors.

Cruz Alta in the Sintra Hills

Finally, for the best views in the park, the hike up to the highest point of the Sintra hill (529 meters) is well worth it. The site is marked by the Cruz Alta, a cross carved in stone in the shape of intertwined branches. This is the point from where I took the first photo in this photo, the view is truly breathtaking.

For more practical information about visiting the Pena Palace and Park, you should check the Parques de Sintra website. Also, if you’d like to see the rest of the photos from my visit, check out my gallery here.

680 452 Bianca Bauza

Bianca Bauza

Bianca Bauza is a world citizen who spent almost four years traveling around South America and Europe. Her passions include photography, street art, outdoor sports, and cooking exotic dishes. She's now based in the Netherlands where she lives with her partner and young daughter. She still enjoys traveling, on her own or with her family, and is always looking for an opportunity to see new places.

All stories by : Bianca Bauza
6 Comments
  • Gary Bembridge (www.tipsfortravellers.com)

    Came across your post via TBUnite. Really interesting post, and what a strange looking chalet! Look forward to following your posts! Gary

    • Thanks, Gary! Sintra’s architecture is very particular in general, it just adds to to the whole mystic of the place.

  • I discovered your blog from a post on World Travel List. You’ve got a great looking site and I’m looking forward to checking in for further updates.

  • Your photos are gorgeous. I’m suspicious (I was born in Sintra), but Sintra really worth’s a visit once in a lifetime.

    Cheers,
    JC

    • Thanks JC, I agree with you, Sintra is well worth a visit. I was very lucky to spend there a full summer and get to see its beauty beyond the crowds and the usual tourist traps.

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