Of all the palaces in Portugal, only one spans the whole history of the country: the National Palace of Sintra. The earliest date of construction is not clear but it is probably in the 10th or 11th century when the country was still under Moorish control. The palace is actually a complex of buildings adapted and added to over time.

The palace is known to have the most extensive collection of Mudéjar artifacts and Azulejo tiles in the world. Long after the reconquest of Sintra by Afonso Henriques in 1139, King Dinis proclaimed in 1281 that the maintenance of the palace should be the responsibility of the enfranchised Moors residing there.

In 1415 King John I constructed the main body of the palace complex around the central courtyard, called John's Wing. The facade of the main building has entrance arches and mullioned bifora windows in Manueline and Mudejar styles. The building has twin giant conical chimneys towering above enormous medieval kitchens.

Besides the circus-sized kitchens, King John I installed several rooms. The Swan Room has swans painted on the ceiling, celebrating the marriage of Philip the Good of Burgundy to his third wife, Isabela of Portugal.

The Magpie room has dozens of magpies painted on the ceiling and the frieze. The birds carry the message "For Good" in their beaks. The number of Magpies equaled the number of ladies of the court. The ladies had been gossiping about John stealing a kiss from a lady-in-waiting. He got his revenge by having the gossipers painted as chattering magpies.

Other rooms, from the reign of King Manuel I, include the Coat of Arms Room in the Manuel's Wing. The room has a coffered wooden ceiling with the coats of arms of 72 noble families of Portugal. The Golden Chamber was a receiving room for royalty. The Grotto of the Baths is covered in tile pictures of the Creation.

The palace was declared a National Monument in 1910 and a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995.

The NewsMuseum, located in Sintra's Historic Centre, is Europe’s largest media and communication experience. Occupying the former facilities of the Toy Museum, this innovative space blends history, technology, and interaction to showcase the evolution of journalism and its impact on society. Inaugurated on 25 April 2016 by the President of Portugal, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the museum draws inspiration from Washington D.C.'s Newseum.

The museum offers an engaging journey through over 25 thematic areas, spanning three floors. These exhibits explore Portugal’s and the world’s history through the lens of media coverage, featuring more than 300 consultation articles and 16 hours of interactive content. Visitors can delve into pivotal historical events, war reporting, and societal conflicts, while also reflecting on the evolution of "bad news." The experience is fully bilingual, with all content available in Portuguese and English.

A highlight of the visit is the statue of journalist and writer Eça de Queiroz, positioned outside the museum, staring thoughtfully at his smartphone—a nod to the ever-evolving nature of media. Inside, modern equipment allows visitors to interact with radio and television platforms, giving them the chance to participate in storytelling.

Since its inception, the NewsMuseum has expanded its offerings, including the “Macho Media” exhibit, launched in 2017, which focuses on media milestones in the fight against machismo and female emancipation. Additionally, the museum promotes media literacy through its library, developed in collaboration with Chiado Editora.

With its strong technological foundation and dedication to media literacy, the NewsMuseum invites visitors to not only observe but also actively engage with the stories that shape our world, making it a must-visit destination for media enthusiasts and history buffs alike.

The Pena National Palace sits on top of a high hill of the Sintra Mountains. On a clear day it can be seen from Lisbon. It is a multi-colored restored royal palace, an important expression of 19th century Romanticism. It was not always so.

In the Middle Ages, tales of an apparition of the Virgin Mary prompted construction of the chapel of Our Lady of Pena. The chapel became a popular destination for pilgrims. In 1493, King John II of Portugal and his spouse, Queen Leonor, came to pay homage. Seeing the magnificence of the site, he ordered a monastery built.

The monastery was given to the Order of Saint Gerome. It harbored a small company of monks. The Great Earthquake of 1755 leveled everything, but the chapel was mostly spared.

In the early 1800s King Ferdinand, impressed by the miracle on the mountain, decided to rebuild the old monastery. He also ordered a castle for the royal family. Baron Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege, a German architect, was hired to make Pena Palace.

The Palace is complex. There is the restored monastery with clock tower, a chapel yard, walls of arches, two gateways, a drawbridge and a cylindrical bastion with a "cathedral" interior. The Palace is a melange of medieval, Renaissance, neo-Gothic, neo-Islamic, neo-Renaissance and neo-Manueline styles with a distinct Romantic ambience inside and out.

The king had taken the shrine and turned it into a folly. But what a folly it is! The visitor is taken to exotic fairylands. The clock tower, completed in 1843, is a part of the Queen's Terrace. It has a sundial and a cannon, meant to be fired at noon. Does it disturb meditations in the chapel? The monks did not complain.

The park around the castle contains trees from around the world. Magnolias, Japanese Cryptomeria, Ginko, Sequoia, Cypresses and Cedars fill the Queen's Fern Garden. Hans Christian Anderson, Richard Strauss and Lord Byron have thought the place a castle of the Holy Grail. The Palace is a National Monument and a jewel in the crown of Sintra.

The Moorish Castle was built in the 8th and 9th centuries as a fortification of Muslim Iberia. In 1147, when Lisbon was captured by the army of Afonso Henriques, the castle surrendered to the Christian forces. Afonso established the Chapel of San Pedro within the fortress.

In 1375 King Ferdinand I restored the castle and strengthened the fortifications. By the 16th century the military effectiveness of the castle had waned. The inhabitants had abandoned the fortress for the village of Sintra. In 1755 the Lisbon earthquake nearly destroyed the chapel and made the castle unstable.

By 1838 the towers and walls of the castle were in ruins. Then Ferdinand II came to the rescue. He refurbished and improved the castle as he was restoring the neighboring monastery and building the Pena Palace. He consolidated the walls, reforested open areas and restored the chapel.

The castle consists of a double line of crenelated stone walls weaving their way the granite hills of the promontory. The towers are much changed from their original size and appearance. Nonetheless, the layout of the turrets follow the design engravings of Book of Fortresses from 1509.

Nearby the Castle are many other historical sites, including The Garden of Pena, the Estate of Pena Verde, and the Quinte da Regaleira. The Castle now is a Romantic ruin and a tourist magnet, especially for those hearty souls who don't mind a lot of hiking over granite outcroppings.

The chapel has a rectangular nave. lies outside the secondary wall of the fortress, near the entrance. The south wall has an arched doorway with colonnades with fantasy animal motifs. On the north side is a triumphal arch on double columns. There is a cradle vault with vestigial frescoes and a frieze with geometric designs.

The castle is classified as a National Monument and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The Chalet and Garden of the Countess of Edla, also known as the Casa do Regalo, is a charming architectural and botanical gem nestled within the Sintra Cultural Landscape in Portugal. Situated on the western side of the park surrounding the iconic Pena Palace, this site forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed Sintra Cultural Landscape and the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park.

Constructed between 1864 and 1869, the Chalet was a personal retreat built for King Fernando II and his second wife, Elise Hensler, the Countess of Edla. Their love story, marked by artistic collaboration and controversy, adds a romantic aura to the site. Elise, a Swiss-born opera singer who became an American citizen, caught the king’s eye during a performance at Lisbon’s São Carlos National Theatre. Despite societal opposition, they married in 1869 after Fernando secured a noble title for Elise from his cousin, Duke Ernest II of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha.

Designed in the style of a Swiss chalet, a popular architectural trend of the era, the building was planned by Elise herself and constructed without formal blueprints, which later posed challenges for restorers. Its unique facade and interiors reflect the couple's artistic sensibilities. The surrounding garden features a stunning variety of flora, including rhododendrons, camellias, azaleas, and ferns sourced from Australia and New Zealand.

After King Fernando died in 1885, the Chalet became embroiled in legal and political disputes. While Elise inherited the king’s possessions, including the Pena Palace and Moorish Castle, the Portuguese state acquired these properties, allowing Elise to retain the use of the Chalet and its garden until 1904. Known for her cultural patronage, Elise supported local charities and artists until she died in 1929.

The Chalet was tragically destroyed by fire in 1999 but underwent meticulous restoration led by Parques de Sintra. Reopened in 2011, the project earned the prestigious Europa Nostra Award for Conservation in 2013, reaffirming its status as a site of significant cultural, historical, and artistic importance. Today, the Chalet and Garden of the Countess of Edla stand as a testament to romanticism, art, and love in the heart of Sintra’s magical landscape.

The word "Quinta" refers to a whole estate and all within it. In this Quinta there are many wonders and curiosities in the palace itself and in the mysterious lakes, woods, grottoes, wells and constructions surrounding it.

The palace is known locally as "The Palace of Monteiro the Millionaire." The "Millionaire" is the former owner, Antonio Monteiro and he was, allegorically, an "eccentric" millionaire.

Quinta da Regaleira had belonged to D. Emelinda Monteiro de Almeida, Viscountess of Regaleira, child of a wealthy family of Porto. Emelinda sold the estate to Monteiro in 1892. Antonio was a millionaire coffee merchant from Brazil. He had obsessions that he needed to explore.

He hired Italian architect Luigi Manini and they set to work. They created various enigmatic buildings and settings derived from alchemy, Free Masonry, the Knights Templar, and even the Rosicrucians.

Construction started in 1904. It was mostly complete by 1910. The Palace facade is lavishly decorated with Gothic pinnacles, gargoyles, capitals and an awesome octagonal tower. The palace building has five floors; a ground floor, three upper floors and a basement. The uppermost floor opens on to a terrace.

A chapel is in front of the palace facade. There are frescoes, stained glass windows, stuccos, an armillary sphere and more than a few pentagrams. Most of the estate is wooded with park land and wild wood. There is a system of tunnels that connect to grottos, the chapel, lakes, caves, the tower and the awesome "Initiation Wells."

The Initiation Wells were meant as inverted towers for secret rites including the Tarot, Masons, Rosicrucians and all the rest of it. Spiral stairs lead to the bottom and tunnels connect to other sites on the estate. Sounds like spooky fun.

Lastly there are the lakes, fountains and the aquarium, not stocked with anything. The palace was designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1995.

In the late 18th century, Daniel Gildemeester, the Dutch consul in Sintra, was a tenant of Portuguese Prime Minister, Sebastião Mello, Marquis of Pombal. Daniel wanted a mansion of his own. He chose land on a hill with great views and fruit trees. He hired neoclassical architect Jose da Costa e Silva and built the Seteais Palace.

There are several derivations given for the name "Seteais." An old manuscript in the Sintra library says the word Seteais is from land called "Centeais", land growing rye, "Centeio" in Portuguese. In 1797 Daniel's widow sold the palace to Diogo Coutinho, 5th Marquis of Marialva.

Diogo used architect Jose again to expand the palace in 1802. It became a U-shaped building. The former consul's house was now one of the wings. The cornices of the facade were adorned with busts and garlands and other neoclassical motifs. The two wings were connected by a neoclassical arch honoring John VI and Princess Carlota Joaquina.

The arch honoring the royal couple was designed by architect Francisco Real Garcia. The walls and some rooms had frescoes of rare vegetation and mythical figures by French painter Jean Pillement. The State of Portugal acquired the palace and estate lands in 1946. It was remade in 1954 as the luxury hotel Tivoli Palacio de Seteais.

Nestled in the picturesque hills of Sintra, the Monserrate Palace and Park is a masterpiece of Romantic architecture and landscape design. This historic estate was brought to life by the architects Thomas James Knowles (father and son) in 1858 under the patronage of Sir Francis Cook, Viscount of Monserrate. Built over the ruins of an earlier neo-Gothic mansion, the palace became the summer retreat for the Cook family and stands as a striking symbol of Portuguese Romanticism, akin to the nearby Pena Palace.

The palace reflects an eclectic blend of architectural influences, combining Romantic, Mudéjar Moorish Revival, and neo-Gothic elements. The intricate Islamic motifs pay homage to the region's history as part of Muslim Gharb Al-Andalus until the 13th century. Classified as a Monument of Public Interest in 1978, the Monserrate Palace forms part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Sintra Mountains, recognized as a Cultural Landscape in 1995.

Monserrate Park, surrounding the palace, showcases a unique microclimate and Romantic garden design. With over 3,000 exotic plants arranged by region—like Australian tree ferns, Mexican agaves, Japanese camellias, and native Portuguese cork oaks—it offers a serene escape. Waterfalls, lakes, and grottoes complete this haven for nature and history lovers.

The estate’s storied past adds to its allure. Gerard de Visme, an English merchant, first built a neo-Gothic house on the site in the late 18th century, and William Beckford, a noted British aesthete, later developed the gardens. In 1809, Lord Byron visited Monserrate, finding inspiration for his epic poem Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. The site became a must-see for English travelers, celebrated in travelogues and engravings.

The Monserrate estate's 2-hectare Farmyard blends heritage and sustainability with orchards, vegetable patches, and livestock like horses, donkeys, and sheep. A restored 19th-century house hosts educational workshops, while renewable energy and a restored stream support eco-conscious practices and local wildlife.

Monserrate continues to captivate visitors with its Romantic charm, making it a highlight of Sintra's cultural and natural heritage. Whether strolling through its vibrant gardens, marveling at the palace’s architectural beauty, or enjoying the farm’s rustic appeal, Monserrate offers a timeless escape into a world of elegance and tranquility.

The Cabo da Roca Lighthouse (Farol do Cabo da Roca) is a historic beacon perched 165 meters (541 feet) above the Atlantic Ocean, marking the westernmost point of continental Europe. Situated in the parish of Colares within the municipality of Sintra, this lighthouse stands on a dramatic promontory of granite and limestone, embodying centuries of maritime heritage.

Constructed in 1772, it was Portugal's first purpose-built lighthouse, distinguishing it from older beacons repurposed from existing structures. Its creation followed an order by the Junta Geral da Fazenda do Reino in 1758, which initiated a plan to build six strategically positioned lighthouses to aid coastal navigation. Cabo da Roca's lighthouse became the third oldest along the Portuguese coastline, solidifying its importance in maritime history.

Over the centuries, the lighthouse saw many upgrades. In 1843, Gaudêncio Fontana introduced a rotational platform with Argand lamps and reflectors. By 1865, inefficiencies led to innovations like a blow-horn signal and electric-powered machinery in 1897, featuring a fourth-order optical unit with a petroleum lamp backup. In 1917, acetylene gas powered a new lamp, followed by a compressed air blow-horn in 1932 and radio communication in 1937. Post-WWII updates added a third-order optical system and public utilities. The 1980s brought electrical grid access, and automation in 1990 ended acetylene production. By 2001, the radio system was retired, simplifying operations.

Standing 22 meters tall, the lighthouse commands an impressive beam visible from 165 meters above sea level. The complex includes nine buildings, originally designed to house staff and equipment necessary for its operation before electrification. Today, it is manned by a team of three lighthouse keepers responsible for maintaining the lamp, monitoring signals, and ensuring communication between Cabo da Roca and Ericeira.