Sintra: the Castle and the Quinta da Regaleira

Among the best attractions in Sintra, the most famous is certainly the Palacio da Pena (or Castelo da Pena, more friendly known as "Sintra Castle"), a complex of buildings that stands on top of an hill near the city. The castle was built starting from 1840 over the ruins of an ancient monastery, and was commissioned by Maria II of Portugal as a wedding present for her husband, King Ferdinand II of Portugal. The Sintra Castle is one of the most famous tourist attractions of Lisbon area and perhaps of all Portugal, mentioned everywhere on the tour operator brochures, and therefore very well publicized. Although it is really spectacular, the visit is not recommended in high season (July and August) due to the number of visitors, making very long queues at the ticket office and and filling-out the small parking lot very quickly. In any case, it is good to plan the visit early in the morning, showing up at the ticket office well before the opening time.

The beautiful facade of the Palacio da Pena in Sintra, partly made up of ceramic tiles. This monument is included in the list of the Seven Wonders of Portugal and belongs to the UNESCO world heritage sites.

The beautiful inner courtyard of the Pena Palace, with a view that sweeps over the plain below, up to the Atlantic Ocean.

Another inner courtyard, which leads to the various rooms of the castle, showing a Moorish architecture, typical of Islamic art exported to the Iberian peninsula.

The Palacio da Pena was used as a summer residence by the royal family of Portugal. The interiors are sumptuously decorated and furnished: in the photos above, the dining room and the living room; in the photos below, the bedroom.

Another room, with walls finely decorated by high reliefs (which are very reminiscent of some decorations in Alhambra palaces from Andalusia), was instead used as an astronomical observatory.

Through a large terrace, visitors can see all the castle and the courtyard below.

The Palacio da Regaleira is surrounded by 4 hectares of gardens, crossed by paths that make their way through the thick vegetation.

In the garden of the Quinta da Regaleira there are buildings, towers and laced walls that serve both as decoration and to offer peace and tranquility to the owners.

The well of initiation is an underground structure that is very reminiscent of the Well of San Patrizio in Orvieto: 27 meters deep, it has a spiral staircase that allows visitors to reach the bottom. The function of this well was not to store water, but to host various ceremonies.

The gardens of Quinta da Regaleira have a network of claustrophobic underground tunnels, a sort of secret passageways and labyrinths, linking the wells to various parts of the garden.

Quinta da Regaleira houses giant New Zealand ferns (first picture) and ultra-secular trees, such as the plane tree in the second photo.

In the top photos, the fountain of the Ibis with its beautiful colored mosaics. In the photo below, a marble bench.

The Quinta da Regaleira is located not far from the historic center of Sintra (you can walk to all the hotels in the center) and also offers a beautiful view of the surrounding hills.

Photo of Sintra. After a day spent among castles, palaces and museums, visitors can finally relax in the alleys of Sintra old town or between the wide squares, walking on the characteristic Portuguese floor.