PALÁCIO DA PENA - PARQUE DA PENA
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It is the palace not to be missed in Sintra. Its eccentric and colourful look takes you straight to the land of Cinderella.
Perched atop a hill, this emblematic site was originally home to a 16th-century monastery dedicated to Our Lady of Pena. In the 19th century, King Ferdinand acquired the ruins. Prince of the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Ferdinand became King Consort of Portugal when he married Queen Maria II. After the wedding, he decided to transform the monastery into a summer palace for the royal family, inspired by the romantic styles then in vogue in Europe. The palace's extravagant architecture combines Gothic, Manueline, Moorish and Renaissance elements, accentuated by the canary yellow and scarlet colors of the façade. A real fairytale castle! It served as the royal residence until 1910, when the last king of Portugal, Dom Carlos, went into exile. You enter through a long tunnel adorned with pointed arches to an inner courtyard where the famous neo-Gothic Triton Arch stands, marking the entrance to the new palace - probably an allusion to a character in Luís de Camões' epic of the Lusiades discoveries. Inside the palace, you can visit the Manueline cloister decorated with different types of azulejos, the former conventual refectory transformed into a dining room, and King Carlos' apartments. Each king has settled here in his own way, transforming the palace in turn. A visit to the superb gardens is a must. More than 85 hectares of rare plants, winding paths, viewpoints and pavilions invite you to daydream.
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L'idéal pour éviter la foule est d'y être au moins 1/4 d'heure avant l'ouvert afin d'acheter les billets et commencer la file d'attente quand elle n'est pas encore trop importante.
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N'oubliez pas de réserver votre créneau horaire avant d'y aller.