Hi, we have tickets for a 10am entrance to the Pena Palace in early April. After this, we'd like to explore the Quinta da Regaleira. I'm following Rick Steves' book and he says to explore the palace in the morning and then has the Regaleira in the afternoon, listing other things in between. I've decided against the Moorish Castle and the National Palace, just sticking with the above two and also exploring the town. I was wondering if anyone could offer advice as to how long is typically needed to explore the Pena Palace and gardens? I'd like to have time for a non-rushed tour (though we usually don't linger too long!), a bus back into town (or a hike back), lunch, and then the walk to the Regaleira. I'd rather explore the town after we are done with the sights so we aren't under time constraints (expect the train). I was thinking 1:30 tickets to the Regaleira would work, but would hate to find out that we need much more time at the palace! Thanks for any help!
Posted by
New England
12109 posts
Pena Palace is one of my travel disappointments. Do not give it much time. We much preferred the National Palace.
Posted by
Living in a suburb of Los Angeles
170 posts
I liked the Pena Palace. In particular, it's rooms and chapel, even though the furnishings were not fancy. The Palace is not that old (1854), but the views are impressive. I had the same appointment time as you and still had to wait in line for my time slot to get inside. The town wasn't very large, so it can be explored in a short time. Getting from the Palace back to town and beyond can be a challenge (crowded lines), so allow enough time to make your connection to your next sight. I joined another couple and shared a taxi back to town, rather than waiting for the shuttle bus. It was worth it.
Posted by
Ontario, Canada
166 posts
When i was in Sintra (2019) I went to Pena Palace first and then Qunta. I can't remember if I had already purchased a ticket or not but there was a line up to get inside Pena and then follow along the path through it. I don't remember too much of the inside- some fancy furniture and so on- no photos allowed- I'm not one of those people crass enough to flout the rules. The outside of the Palace is very colourful with some interesting features. If it's a clear day you can see Lisbon and the orange bridge from one of the open walkways.
I walked down the hill through Pena Park- very enjoyable to see different vegetation and a few architectural follys.
As it's been a few years this is just a guess - 1:30 might be cutting it close. Even though Sintra is a small town Pena Palace and Quinta de R. seem to be at opposite ends. At the bottom of the park I took a bus into the town centre but got off at the wrong, too early, stop and still had a long walk to get to the Qunta.
Posted by
52 posts
My wife and I went in Oct 2025. We didn't buy the tickets for interior of Pena Palace, based on research and input from lots of people on this forum. We spent about an hour on the exterior of Pena Palace. When we were about to leave, we discovered a surprise that the Pena Palace Garden was very large (beyond the palace itself) and it also included several other attractions - Jardim das Camélias (Camellia Garden), Feteira da Rainha (Queen's Fern Valley), and the Vale dos Lagos (Valley of the Lakes). Due to our time constraint, we only visited Vale dos Lagos. We wish we had known about the other attractions and had budgeted time for them. If you like outdoor attractions more than looking at the inside rooms, you may want to consider budgeting 3~4 hours for Pena Palace: 1 hour for the immediate exterior of the Palace, then 2~3 hours for the other attractions on the grounds. (They are far apart, taking up to 20 minutes to walk from one to the other, but the walk itself is through beautiful woods and paths.)