Sintra National Palace: Guide to Visiting this Exotic Royal Palace

Planning to visit Sintra town in Portugal? Spoiler alert, the most advertised palace in Sintra is not the one to visit on a one-day itinerary. Instead, Sintra National Palace is the must-see palace, even if you only have time to visit 2 palaces on your trip. 

To understand why it is worth a visit, read my guide with the highlights of this exciting museum, many pictures and videos and information you need to know for visiting Sintra National Museum.

This exotic museum was my favorite palace to visit in Sintra, and I hope I will be able to show you what I liked.

What is Sintra National Palace?

Sintra National Palace or Sintra Royal Palace, is an architectural wonder of a few palaces together, including a medieval Royal palace,  located in Sintra, Portugal.

The best-preserved royal residence in Portugal of the past with the origins going back to the 9th-century Moorish fortress, Sintra National Palace has been continuously inhabited by the monarchy and its court from the 15th century to the late 19th century.

The modern palace was started in 1502, when King Manuel I commissioned a new palace and it was renovated by each of the Portuguese kings since then.

Sintra National Palace was declared the UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995.

Today, it is one of the most popular and exotic museums in Portugal and it is recommended as one of the attractions to visit while in Lisbon or nearby towns in Portugal.

Video and Images of Sintra National Palace

Watch my short video from my visit to see why I thought Sintra National Palace was such an exciting museum!

WHAT YOU WILL SEE IN THIS MUSEUM

When you visit Sintra National Museum, also called Palácio de Vila (The Town Palace), you will see many exotic rooms and courtyards, with colorful and unique tiles on the walls and floors and stylish furniture. It is in fact a large complex of separate palaces, built during different centuries. Some rooms are from the Middle Ages, some are more modern.

Each room of Sintra Royal Palace is exquisitely decorated in an architectural style of the time it was built, so you will see a mixture of Gothic, Manueline, Moorish, Mudéjar and Baroque styles. All rooms are connected by halls, pretty courtyards with cute old fountains, and stairs.

So, basically, this museum is a few palaces together and a fun maze. You pay for one, but get to see a few museums, what a deal! 🙂

This was a very exciting place for me and an architecture lover. If you are into architecture, I believe you will really appreciate this museum as well.

There is a lot to cover on the subject, because each room is a marvel of its own and there are many of them, so this required a separate post.

Here, I want to show some highlights of the museums so you know what you will be seeing there. 

This is one section of the museum’s courtyard. I found these Baroque tiles on the walls to be very unusual and interesting. 

Highlights of Sintra National Palace

• Fun colorful ceramic glazed tiles
• Cute tiled patios with fountains
• Beautiful unusual stucco door frames
• Cool chimneys in the outstanding Royal kitchen
• Indoor Arabic fountain
• Cozy furniture you would love to own
• Mesmerizing chandeliers

Below are the highlights of the museum that were the most exiting for me:

Here is a video with these highlights of the the best features of this Sintra Royal Museum I was talking about above, or you can read their coverage in the sections below.

Look at these cheerful ceramic tiles! Aren’t they fun!? :)The second pattern, green, white and brown also was  also very cozy and attractive.

Fun ceramic tiles

Have you seen anything like this patio with the old Moorish tiles and a fountain? I knew I hadn’t, and I’ve been to many places!

Cute patios with old exotic fountains

Look at this beautiful stucco and tiles door frame!  I couldn’t stop admiring it and other doors in the palace.

BEAUTIFUL Unusual stucco door frames

How about this beauty in Mudejar style, with a combination of a typical pointed Gothic doorway and Moorish tiles?

I don’t think I’ve see a door like this anywhere in the world, beside this. It’s rather low, though, you have to bend a bit to get through this door. Probably even more so, if you’re tall!:)

Now, this is the kitchen many of us would love to have! Can you imagine it was built in the 15th century?

The kitchen had room for 30 cooks at the time to do their job of feeding a large Royal court daily in this Sintra Royal Palace. 

Royal Kitchen

The most intriguing feature of the kitchen is the 33 feet tall chimneys, that were unmatched in middle ages (or ever!)

Nowadays these two tall cone-shaped white chimneys are icons of Sintra National Palace. To read more about the advanced kitchens of the National palace in Sintra and why the chimneys were so huge, read my other review post. 

This is how this chimney looks from inside. It’s huge and nothing like I’ve ever seen! 

Sintra National Palace Chimneys

It also has an Arab Room with indoor Moorish style fountain. How special! I don’t see many rooms with indoor fountains in the middle of the room, so this was fun for me. 

Indoor Arabic fountain

The museum features some wonderful furniture from the times of being the Royal Palace. Leak, ebony, rosewood, ivory, brass and copper were used creating these and many other fine examples of fine craftsmanship in the museum.

All these pieces look elegant and just right, instead of some “too much” items you can see in most museums. They would look great in a modern house: I know I would love to own some of them!

Cozy furniture you would love to own

BEAUTIFUL chandeliers in each room

Pretty furniture is not the only fine decorations in Palacio Nacional de Sintra. Each room has an unique pretty chandelier I loved checking out. This is a picture of one of them.

So, these were just some of the highlights of this museum. As I’ve mentioned already, there are few different palaces together and that creates many rooms in National Palace in Sintra Museum.

I hope I got you curious about what you’ll see in the museum to want to learn more.  Read my other comprehensive post on architecture and rooms of National Palace of Sintra to learn about all the rooms in details, and who were they done by.

Here, I just want to list them for your future visit on my architecture of Sintra National Palace post:

• The Royal Chapel
• Ala Joanina (or John’s Wing)
• Exotic kitchens with Giant chimneys
• The Swan room
• The Magpie Room
• The Golden Chamber
• The Coats-of-Arms Room (Sala dos Brasões)
• Arab Room (Sala dos Árabes)
• The Grotto of the Baths

Now, let’s see everything you need to know for visiting the museum. 

This is one of the most dramatic room in the palace, The Coats-Of-The-Arms room. Prepare to gasp when you enter!

Practical Information

VISITING SINTRA NATIONAL PALACE in 2024 hours

Hours: Open every day

9:30 AM–6:30 PM

Largo Rainha Dona Amélia, 2710-616 Sintra, Portugal

+351219237300

The cost to visit Sintra national palace (Palácio Nacional de Sintra) 2024

Admission price to Sintra National Palace:

Adult (18-64 years old) – €13

Youth (6-17 years old) – €10

Senior (65 years old and above) – €10 euros

Child (below 6 years old) – Free of charge

Family (2 Adults aged 18-64 + 2 Youths aged 6-17) – €35 euros

Buying online saves 15% of the price.

Where In Portugal Is Sintra?

Sintra, Portugal, the Lisbon District of Portugal, is located 30 km North West from Lisbon, or 1 hour train ride.

While it is located only 14 km from the Atlantic ocean, it takes 90 minutes by public transportation. It only takes 20 minutes to ride by car, but do not come on a car because of parking problems!

Alternatively, you can arrive from Cascais on a bus. Read my other post on how to use buses in Portugal.

Where Is Sintra National Palace Located?

Sintra Palace is located right in the town center, a short 10 minutes walk from Sintra train station.

Should you drive to Sintra or take a train?

Arriving by the train or bus is by far your best bet as finding parking anywhere in Sintra is impossible. It will create you unnecessary stress and it will take away from your enjoyment for sure!

Buy an unlimited Lisbon public transport 24 hours pass to get a free train or bus ticket. Alternatively, use Navegante zapping for a discounted ride, or Lisboa card for a free ride.

Read about the best ways of getting around Portugal in my other post.

It only takes 20 minutes to ride by car, but do not come on a car because of parking problems! Renting a car is especially not wise if you’re traveling solo. Read more on why choose public transport over renting a car here.

Here are more details on how to get around Sintra without a car.

When to visit Sintra National Palace

When planning your trip to the Sintra National Palace, it is best to visit in the months of April-October. During this period, temperatures are pleasant and the palace’s surrounding gardens are in full bloom.

It is also worth noting that the palace is open with extended hours during peak tourist season.

Other Palaces in Sintra worth seeing

There are a few other palaces in Sintra worth seeing, besides just exploring Sintra town and its fun old alleys. Read my other post to learn the best way to travel between palaces in Sintra, and which ones to visit on a one-day itinerary to Sintra.

These other palaces are: Castelo dos Mouros, Pena Palace, National Palace of Sintra, Quinta da Regaleira and Monserrate Palace (read my friend’s The Thorough Tripper account of his visit there).

Attractions Near by

There are also attractions around Sintra area further away:

Cabo da Roca. Cabo da Roca is the farthest point west in mainland Portugal, mainland Europe, and the Eurasian landmass. It has a lighthouse that sits 165 meters above the Atlantic Ocean.

Macas beach (Praia das Maçãs). You can get there either buy a bus (# 441) or take the historic railway line that connects Sintra town to the sea. The train is located nearby Vila Alda in Estefânia.

Queluz Palace, another 18th-century palace located in Queluz, Portugal, renowned for its Rococo architecture.

National Coach Museum of carriages, an unusual experience around old horse-drawn carriages. It’s located in Belem, Portugal, next to Lisbon.

I hope my post was helpful to plan your visit to the remarkable Sintra National Palace!