Is Pena Palace Worth Visiting?! Here’s My Consensus!

***Please note that this Is Pena Palace Worth Visiting?! Here’s My Consensus! Guide will be updated and recirculated periodically to reflect the most up-to-date dining scene. This travel guide was most recently updated as of August 2026.***

If you’re planning a trip to Portugal or more specifically Lisbon, Portugal, then you’re probably wondering: is Pena Palace worth visiting? This guide will answer just that from my own personal experience visiting Pena Palace.

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Is Pena Palace Worth Visiting?! Here’s My Consensus!

If you’re traveling to Portugal anytime soon, then look no further than my best things to do in Porto guide, Lisbon Travel Diary, Porto Travel Guide, and a car-free Lisbon to Sintra day trip guide.

Table of Contents

About Pena Palace

Getting There

Tickets to Pena Palace

Know Before You Go

Is Pena Palace Worth Visiting?!

About Pena Palace

Housed in the lush woodlands and summits of Sintra’s landscape, Pena Palace is a historic jewel also known as the Pinnacle of Romanticism in Portugal. Initially a monastery in the 1500’s when Manuel I ordered the construction of a religious building the Royal Monastery of Our Lady of Pena, later entrusted to the Order of Saint Jerome in Sintra to becoming a palace via additions by King Ferdinand II in the mid-1800’s, today, Pena Palace honors the legacy of the King-Artist.

King Ferdinand II was one of Portugal’s most cultured men of the 1800’s, having spoken German, Hungarian, French, English, Spanish, and Italian in addition to Portuguese as well as an extensive education in the arts, hence his nationally known name as the King-Artist. Initially, Pena Palace was a restoration project as a Summer residence for the King-Artist and his family, however, after the unexpected death of his wife Maria II in 1853, Ferdinand lived in the former monastery alone and eventually with his second wife – opera singer Elise Hensler, ennobled as the Countess of Edla.

In 1910, Pena Palace was classified as a Portugese National Monument and was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. To this very day, Pena Palace’s architectural silhouette reveals its two distinct construction eras as a monastery-turned-palace via two wings. In the former monastery also known as Old Palace, private apartments predominate the space. Meanwhile, state rooms are primarily found in the New Palace aka King Ferdinand II’s newer additions.

Getting There

While I won’t outline how to get to Sintra and Pena Palace in this guide as I outline it here, I will mention that most people visiting Pena Palace will be coming via a day trip from Lisbon or via driving/visit to Sintra. My bestie Shivani and I opted to do a Lisbon to Sintra day trip via one of the many group tours offered to Pena Palace and the beach town of Cascais. 

Tickets to Pena Palace

Depending on how you choose to visit Pena Palace as well as other key sights of interest within Sintra, tickets to Pena Palace can be purchased via the Parques de Sintra website. There are a variety of ways to visit Pena Palace and experience it, including a guided tour, combined Royal palaces of Sintra pass, and unique experiences throughout the seasons. Check it all out here.

If you opt to do a group tour to Pena Palace from Lisbon, then I highly recommend booking your day trip experience through Modern Tours who took care of our admission and visit in addition to transportation, which is the excellent tour operator that Shivani and I used. With Modern Tours’ tours to Pena Palace, visitors have the option to select how much of Pena Palace they want to visit, whether just the exterior or for a tour of the interior (which I highly recommend doing!). 

Know Before You Go

  • It is worth noting that to get to Pena Palace, it is an intense uphill walk up to Pena Palace (especially for non-hikers/uphill walkers like myself!). Most visitors to Pena Palace will have to walk this uphill/downhill walk to get to/from the palace. The walk is on, if I recall, a gravel/dirt trail in the woodlands of the Sintra mountains. Once at Pena Palace, there are marble staircases and walkways. Be sure to plan accordingly, especially if there is rain.
  • Upon entering the Pena Palace, guests will have to go through a bag security checkpoint. 
  • If you booked a timed entry experience, Pena Palace is a timed experience, but typically visitors can still enter on the day that they booked for – be sure to arrive at least 10-15 minutes before your timed the entry slot.
  • Take a moment to savor this incredible palace and gallery and all of its masterpieces within it! Truly, Pena Palace is a magnificent work of art like no other!!
  • Personally, I would budget 2-4 hours at Pena Palace including the uphill/downhill walk upon arrival when visiting. It is SO easy to get lost in the museums and gardens and you’ll want to maximize your time there. Truly, you won’t want to miss anything!!
  • Cameras are allowed, however, flash photography is prohibited.
  • Wear comfortable, suitable shoes for uphill climbing on marble staircases and in the gardens – which are present through parts of the palace. In fact, I have a guide on comfortable + stylish flats for travel if you need any inspiration! 

For more further information on visiting Pena Palace with peace of mind including information on Accessibility, then look no further than its Mobility Page.

Is Pena Palace Worth Visiting?!

YES!!!!

Personally, I have always been someone who wants to go out of my way to visit the palace when in Europe. In fact, Shivani immediately jumped at the opportunity upon me suggesting to live out our Princess dreams together at Pena Palace!

The outside of Pena Palace is super gorgeous and unique especially with ALLLL of the vast tiles that are so unique (and what Portugal is well-known for!). Fun fact: you can see the Atlantic Ocean via the lush Sintra mountains on some parts of Pena Palace’s grounds and gardens which is SOOOO beautiful!! While at an extra cost to visit the interiors of Pena Palace, I found it to be highly worth the cost, as it’s always fun to see the gorgeous interiors and decor especially as a self-proclaimed grand millennial.

In fact, I wish our tour gave us more time to meander and get lost on Pena Palace’s grounds, as it’s all SOOOO magnificent!

Wrap-Up

Truly, Pena Palace is 10000% worth a visit, especially if you have the time when visiting Lisbon! If you’re wondering: is Pena Palace worth visiting?! The answer is a resounding yes! Truly, this palace and its adjacent grounds are so stunning, you’ll want to plan another visit after spending hours there!

XOXO – Katie <3 

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Lisbon, Portugal Travel Diary

Our final leg of our European adventure throughout Spain and Portugal was to … 2 days in Lisbon, Portugal! I met up with my best friend Shivani in Lisbon after my solo leg in Porto, Portugal (here) and week in Spain by way of Madrid (here) and Barcelona (here). Lisbon is the capital city of Portugal and is a popular travel destination within Portugal. Lisbon is close to the Atlantic Ocean and offer several lovely waterfront opportunities for its visitors to enjoy amongst its vibrant and fun colorful buildings and tiles. Being a preppy and pink grand millennial, I, indeed, fit right in whilst in Lisbon!

For more travel abroad inspiration, check out my exploring 50 Countries Expedition page.

Lisbon, Portugal Travel Diary

Getting There (From Europe & the United States):

There are a variety of different ways to get to Lisbon, depending on where you’re coming from. Our 2 days in Lisbon, Portugal started with me coming from Porto, Portugal and leaving Europe to go back to the United States via my home base in Washington, DC. Whilst, there’s several options to get to/from Lisbon depending on where you’re going to/coming from.

From Europe: Getting to the capital city of Portugal is best reached by plane if coming from another European country. Portugal and even between Spain and Portugal do not have a reliable unified train line. That all being said, Portugal is best reached by plane, if you’re coming from another European country. If coming from another city within Portugal, I would suggest either taking the train or plane. I opted to fly via Tap Air Portugal – Portugal’s *very own* airlines from Porto to Lisbon, as Portugal’s train line doesn’t have many options for checked bags on their trains (it’s usually carry-on only) and the price was about the same as the train to fly.

From the United States: Lisbon was my last city on my Spain and Portugal European adventure. Back to Washington, DC, I ended up lucking out with a direct flight on my airline of choice: United Airlines. Upon landing, I learned that Washington, DC-Lisbon is a daily offered flight on United Airlines. In addition to United Airlines, TAP Air Portugal which I flew within Portugal offers several direct flights and Transatlantic options, depending on where you’re coming from.

Tip on Taxi vs Uber: Upon arrival into Lisbon, avoid taking taxis at ALL costs. There will be taxis within a taxi pickup line outside of each airport and train station. However, unlike Spain which is the exact opposite, taxis are much more expensive in Portugal than Ubers. Each of my Ubers were under $20 with tip each way, including to/from the airport.

Where To Stay:

We called the Editory Riverside Hotel our home for 2 days in Lisbon, Portugal. And, I will say that the Editory Riverside Hotel is probably my favorite hotel that I’ve EVER stayed at! Located within one of Lisbon’s iconic train stations, the Editory Riverside Hotel was renovated from previously train station offices into hotel rooms and includes the original tile work alongside its hallways and in each of the rooms. The hotel also overlooks the waterfront and we could see cargo ships each day, which was pretty neat. Each day that we were around for lunch and happy hour, I would enjoy a lovely lunch and cocktail at their onsite Impulso Restaurante (more on that below!) and was truly blown away. At the same time, the people who work at the Editory Riverside Hotel are lovely and extremely kind and hospitable – something that I learned throughout my time in Portugal is how wonderful the people are! Truly, you will feel right at home at the Editory Riverside Hotel (whether it’s for 2 days in Lisbon, Portugal or more!).

What To Do:

Get lost in the colorful streets – Lisbon is known for its magnificent colorful streets! One of my favorite things to do, as previously mentioned in pretty much all of my European city guides, is to simply explore and get lost in the city streets. And, Lisbon has no shortage of beautiful streets to explore!

Take a day trip to Sintra & Cascais – One of the things that we were highly eyeing doing while in Lisbon is living out our royalty dreams at Peña Palace in nearby Sintra. We ended up going on a group bus tour to Sintra as well as the gorgeous coastal town of Cascais and made some friends while at it. On our day trip, we got to see Peña Palace and tour its interior alongside seeing the stunning Portuguese beaches. Stay tuned for a travel diary alongside more about our lovely tour operator on our day to Sintra and Cascais soon!

Catch a streetcar going by – One of the things that Lisbon is known for is their beautiful streetcars! While wandering the city’s magical streets, be sure to catch a streetcar (or two!) going by!!

Tour the Lisbon Cathedral – Built in 1147, Lisbon Cathedral is the oldest cathedral in Lisbon. It is a Roman Catholic cathedral that is open to visitors to come and tour. Please note that tickets must be purchased either onsite or online via GetYourGuide.

Do some retail therapy at Women’s Secret & CHIcoracao– Lisbon has several opportunities for those looking to do some retail therapy to do just that! We happened to make some purchases at a few different unique to Portugal shops. Women’s Secret is a Spanish and Portuguese lingerie, loungewear, and pajama shop known for its fun printed clothing items that my preppy and grand millennial self LOVED. CHIcoracao is a unique to Lisbon shop selling high quality Portuguese woolen goods handmade on a loom. Everything from scarves to blankets are sold at CHIcoracao and is something unique to get while in Lisbon.

Admire tile work at the magnificent National Azulejo Museum – On our *very* last day in Lisbon, Shivani and I checked out the National Azulejo Museum. The National Azulejo Museum showcases some of the many magnificent Portuguese tile work from centuries prior to today. Truly, the tiles that we saw were incredible and totally Instagram-worthy and fun to admire, too! Tickets can be reserved onsite or via GetYourGuide.

Where To Eat:

Personally, some of the best restaurants I’ve ever eaten at and experiences at them were in Lisbon. Before I get into where to eat in Lisbon, I am going to mention that Shivani and I had THE BEST TIME at the restaurants that we dined at during our first day in Lisbon SOOOO much so that we ended up dining at them multiple times! That all being said, the quality of the food and restaurants in Lisbon are superb and there are several delicious dining options to choose from. At the same time though, there are incredible restaurants that you’ll want to dine at multiple times and I highly recommend giving yourself the wiggle room to do so while in Lisbon!

Bica dos Cavalos – Our absolute favorite restaurant where we dined both Monday and Wednesday evenings, Bica dos Cavalos is a newer-to-Lisbon restaurant with a variety of delicious Portuguese eats to choose from. We enjoyed some lovely wine more specifically the “Catarina” white wine aka my name Katie in Portuguese alongside some delicious dessert and seafood/vegetarian dishes. At Bica dos Cavalos alongside the amazingly delicious eats offered, the people ranging from their owner, waiters, and chefs are truly some of the most hospitable, kind, and welcoming people I have ever met. If you are in Lisbon, I highly recommend you immediately make a reservation at Bica dos Cavalos!

Impulso Restaurante – The delicious onsite restaurant at our hotel, Impulso Restaurante is open not only to hotel guests but to the general public. I had the BEST seafood rice at the Impulso Restaurante both Monday and Wednesday for lunch and enjoyed taking part in the restaurant’s hosted happy hour on both of those days, too, with an Aperol Spritz in-hand!

Azul e Branco Restaurant – I stumbled upon Azul e Branco Restaurant as I was looking for a nice early afternoon pick-me-up. I ended up ordering an Aperol spritz alongside some oysters and was truly AMAZED at how yummy these oysters were. The location of Azul e Branco within a town square in Lisbon makes it to also be a fun place to people watch!

Wrap-Up:

Not only is Lisbon such a beautiful city and place to be, especially weather-wise in late February, but the people made our experience in Lisbon such a memorable one, too. There is so much to enjoy, eat, and take in within Lisbon and I am so lucky that I’ve been able to experience this incredible city. 48 hours in Lisbon, Portugal truly isn’t enough time!! Til next time, Lisbon!!

XOXO – Katie <3

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