Sintra National Palace

Sintra National Palace is not very popular among tourists, but this is in vain, as it definitely has something to surprise you with. It was built during the reign of the Moors on the Iberian Peninsula. Further, in the XII century, the first king of Portugal, Afonso I, liberated Sintra and the National Palace became his property.

The Palace of Sintra was the least susceptible to destruction, since the monarchs of the country permanently lived in it. Each subsequent king made his own edits, improvements, and completed something. Therefore, the palace has a mixture of different architectural styles (Gothic, Manueline, Moorish).

The main stage of construction was during the reign of João I, in the 15th century and King Manuel I. Then such beautiful halls appeared: the Hall of Magpies (Sala das Pegas), the Hall of Swans (Sala dos Cisnes), the Arab Hall (Sala does Arabs) and Armorial Hall (Salão Armorial).
King João built the Hall of Magpies after Queen Philippa caught him kissing a lady-in-waiting. Then the ladies-in-waiting overheard them outside the door and spread this gossip throughout the district. Then he ordered to decorate the hall with 136 magpies. This is the exact number of ladies-in-waiting in the castle.

The Arabic Hall served as the bedroom of King Joao and the oldest azulejo tiles served as decoration.
In the Armorial Hall, on the wooden ceiling, there are 72 coats of arms of the most noble families of Portugal.

We definitely recommend Sintra National Palace for a visit, as it will surprise you with its beauty. Also, you will not need to wait and stand in lines, as there are no crowds of tourists, plus the location is very good near the center of Sintra. And it is easy to walk to it without overcoming steep climbs.

Working hours:

• Nov, 1 to March, 27   [9:30 – 18:00]
• March, 28 to Oct, 30 [9:30 – 19:00]

Tickets:

• Regular ticket – 10€
• under 18 or over 65+ years – 8,5€
• Children under 5 years – free

How to get there:

• By bus № 435, 434