Yulia Saf 
The former house of the Portuguese King Fernard II, the stunning Pena Palace is today one of the most visited attractions in Sintra, (along with the Quinta da Regaleira Palace).
This colorful Palace is surrounded by an immense green park, so if you want to visit it, you should know in advance which tickets are available and which parts of the complex will give you access to.
To help you with that, I made this guide explaining all the types of Pena Palace tickets, including the best tours from Lisbon and some useful information about opening hours, facilities, the layout of the complex, where to stay in Sintra, and much more!
You have many options out there so there is for sure the perfect one for your travel and budget needs… are you ready to explore them all with me?
Then let’s start!
Contents
Quick Picks for Your Stay
If you are here just to get your tickets, here are the best links to do so:
- Normal ticket – €20 on the Official website (non-refundable), or €20 on Tiqets (refundable)
- Tour from Lisbon – €66 with Viator
- Discounted ticket – €18 for youths (6 – 17 years) or seniors over 65 years old
- Free tickets – children under 6
- Families – €65 for 2 Adults 18-64 + 2 Youths 6-17 years
| Adult Entrance | Kids Entrance | Family Pass | Tour from Lisbon | Cancelation Policy | ||
| Official Website | €20 | €18 | €65 | – | Not refundable | Book tickets |
| GetYourGuide | €20 | – | – | €60 | Not refundable | Book tickets |
| Viator | €30 | – | – | €66 | >24 hours in advance | Book tickets |
| Headout | €20 | – | – | €75 | Not refundable | Book tickets |
| Tiqets | €20 | – | – | €65 | Until 23:59 the day before | Book Tickets |
Why buy in advance?
Booking your ticket online in advance is definitely necessary if you want to avoid the super long lines at the Pena Palace ticket office or at the ticket machines at the entrance and save some precious time & money.
The Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira are the most visited palaces in Sintra, so they’ll always be crowded with tourists and lines can take forever, especially if you get there at the peak hours (10/11 am)!
Another plus of booking your tickets in advance is that you can even save some money: if you do that on the official website you get a 15% discount on the price you would pay at the gate (€17).
Buying them online means you will have to book the exact day and time you want to visit the National Palace of Pena: check out the section about best visit timings to know which hours are better to book your ticket for!
P.S.: If you forget to book the tickets before going there, you can still use the wifi available at the Palace entrance and buy them online directly there (but of course, you’ll find less availability).
Get your tickets to Pena Palace
1. Buying Pena Palace & Park Tickets online
If you want to visit the Pena Palace, you have 2 main options.
You can buy a normal entrance ticket with an audio guide and visit the complex by yourself, or join a guided tour from Lisbon, so you don’t have to think about transportation, and you’ll get a guided explanation of everything you see, which are 2 big pluses!
In any case, you should buy your ticket online in advance, so you skip the long queues on-site.
You can book the normal entrance ticket through the official website or alternative ticket websites, and you also have the option to visit only Pena Park (and see the palace from the outside)… but let’s see everything in more detail:
1.1 General Entrance tickets
The Pena Palace official website gives you the option to buy a ticket for a scheduled date and time for a 15% discount on the price you would pay at the gate, up to 3 months before your visit.
This type of ticket will give you access to the Pena Palace interiors and surroundings, the Pena Park, and the Chalet of the Countess d’Edla (see the section about the complex layout to know what all these places are about!).
PRO TIP: Bring a map with you so you don’t get lost (you can also ask for it at the reception), the place is huge!
So if you are really interested in the Pena Palace and you’re eager to spend your day visiting it all, this ticket option definitely allows you to make the most of your time in the complex!
Entrance times:
The time indicated on your ticket is the time of entry into the Palace and NOT to the Park. Pena Palace is located inside Pena Park on top of a hill, so once you validate your ticket at the Park entrance, you’ll need to have a 30 minutes walk up to the Palace!
So, make sure you enter the park 30 mins before the time on your ticket in order to arrive at the palace entrance at the right time, either you walk there or you take a transfer (see the following section!).
This is very important information to know because they have no delay tolerance at the palace entrance, so if you arrive at the Palace after (or before) the time you booked, you will not be able to enter!
Once you have entered, you can stay in the complex as long as you want until it closes!
Transfers:
If you can’t or don’t want to do the walk, there are small transfers (wheelchair accessible) between the main entrance of the Park and the Palace for €3 for a single trip, running every 15 minutes.
You can book these transfers directly online after you select your ticket’s desired date and time.
There is also a free hop-on hop-off transfer service (not wheelchair accessible) available between the Palace and the Chalet of the Countess of Edla. You’ll just need to show your entrance ticket and hop on!
PRO TIP: To make sure you get to the palace at the scheduled time, arrive at the park entrance at least half an hour before your ticket time so you don’t have to rush.
Audio Guide:
When you’re booking your ticket online, you can also buy a “CloudGuide” App for just €1 more, which I definitely suggest you do (the whole complex is huge!).
The App is available on GooglePlay and AppleStore with tours in Portuguese, English, Spanish and French: you’ll just need to download it and insert the purchased code (once only), and it will be valid for 30 days. But don’t uninstall the App or delete the data before using it!
The app will guide you through the complex and give you some interesting facts about it, like the following one:
DID YOU KNOW? Before the Pena Palace was built, there was a royal monastery at the same ground, but it was destroyed in the Lisbon Earthquake of 1755. After this, in 1838, the Portuguese King Ferdinand II decided to build a romantic-style palace.
You will notice that there are actually two choices of audio guides, the second one is to visit 5 monuments in Sintra: check out the section about audio guides (under important information) to know which attractions it gives you access to and how much does it cost!
Ticket conditions:
- Five years and below visitors don’t need to pay to enter, but you still have to select a free ticket on the booking page for them
- Reduced tickets for children 6-18 and seniors 65+ are available only onsite (bring your ID)
- Ticket exchanges or refunds are not accepted, except in case of a date change or event cancellation. If you want to have a better cancellation policy, you can buy refundable tickets for an extra €2.40 on Tiquets, check out the following section to know more!
Book you official single ticket
1.2 Refundable Tickets
If you want to have a better cancellation policy than the one on the official website, or you don’t find availability there for your desired time/day slot, you can buy your ticket on Tiquets.
This ticket is the same as the normal entrance ticket and includes an entrance to the Pena Palace, the Park, and the Chalet of the Countess of Edla for €22.40 (just €2.40 more than the regular ticket). BUT, it also gives you the possibility to cancel or reschedule until 23:59 on the day before the visit, no questions asked. So if you’re not 100% sure when you will visit, I recommend booking this one!
DID YOU KNOW? The palace was completely repainted in the 20th century, so the bright colors you see today are a replica of how the palace looked before that!
You don’t need to print your ticket, just show your smartphone ticket at the Porta Férrea entrance. And if you don’t find availability on Tiquets, check out Headout, or GetYourGuide for more options!
Price: €22.40
1.3. Pena Park ONLY tickets
If you’re mainly interested in seeing the beautiful and colorful castle, and you don’t really care about visiting its interior rooms, you can actually buy an entrance ticket ONLY to Pena Park for half of the price (€10).
This ticket will give you access not only to the 500 acres of gardens and exotic plants of Pena Park but also to the Countess of Edla and Palace surroundings, so you can see a lot of the palace from outside (but you cannot access its terraces)!
I honestly think it is not really necessary to visit the castle from the inside unless you’re really interested in it, so this is a great option that will also save you money!
This ticket is also perfect if you don’t have much time to visit the whole complex and you want to have a good cancellation policy, available until 23:59 on the day before your visit.
Price: €10
1.4 Combo tickets
If you are planning to visit other attractions in Sintra, it is a good idea to check out if you can get a combo ticket for those places. Buying combo tickets not only saves you money, but it is also more probable that you will find available tickets compared to buying separate tickets for each place.
Here are two great combo ticket offers:
- Pena Palace + Quinta da Regaleira Tickets: If you are visiting Pena Palace and you have the time, don’t miss Quinta de Regaleria. With this combo ticket, you will get same-day timed entrance tickets for Pena Palace, Pena Park, and Chalet of the Countess of Edla, plus skip-the-line entry to Quinta da Regaleira for €43.
- Pena Palace + Castle of the Moors: Planning to visit the Castle of Moors besides Pena Palace? Then you definitely should get this combo because it lets you buy your tickets for any day of your choice and you’ll receive all your tickets online, so no need to wait at a ticket office. The price for both tickets is €32.
2. Take a guided tour from Lisbon
If you want to visit the Pena Palace with a guide to really learn all about its secrets, architecture, and history, the only way to do that is through a guided tour from Lisbon, and honestly, this is the best option you can book!
Why? With guided tours, you don’t have to worry about anything, they will pick you up at your hotel in Lisbon, bring you to visit the Pena Palace as well as other interesting attractions in the nearby area, and take you back, so they will save you a lot of time and energy.
DID YOU KNOW? The palace (a national monument) is one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal and also part of the UNESCO world heritage site called “the Cultural Landscape of Sintra”.
Viator offers the most convenient group tour in terms of value, including a guided visit of the Pena Palace and many of Portugal’s top attractions in one day: the Quinta da Regaleira Palace (tickets at additional expense), Cabo da Roca (Europe’s westernmost point) and Cascais on your way back to Lisbon.
Another reason I really recommend this tour is it will also help transport you from the Pena Palace to the Quinta da Regaleira, which is normally kinda complicated as there are no taxis or direct bus in between the two!
You’ll be picked up in the morning via an air-conditioned vehicle and have the tour with a maximum of eight participants for only €66, how great is that? And you can cancel or reschedule your ticket for free up to 24 hours in advance!
P.S.: If you prefer to go on a private tour with just your friends or family here is another tour from Lisbon I found, which is essentially the same thing but can be booked as a private trip!
If you are staying in Cascais instead of Lisbon you can also join this Pena Palace Tour from Cascais, costing €888 for 4 people, including round trip transportation.
Price: €66
Visit Pena Palace on a Guided Tour from Lisbon
Other day tours from Lisbon
The Pena and Quinta Palaces, both UNESCO world heritage sites, are definitely a must-visit in Sintra and the tour I recommended above is the one I think would personally be the best.
But if you are looking for more options, here are a few other great tours from Lisbon, combining the Pena Palace with another MUST-visit in Sintra, so you can make the most out of your day!
Check out more full-day trips from Lisbon (the last option is from Cascais), combining a visit to other incredible attractions in the area:
- Sintra, Cascais and Pena Palace – Join this guided full-day tour of Sintra and Cascais towns, bringing you through the top attractions, mountains, and coastal villages of the region. The trip departs from Lisbon to the Sintra mountains and includes a visit to the Pena Palace Cabo da Roca and Cascais for €89.
- Sintra, Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira – Visit the most extravagant and mystic palaces of Sintra in a single day: the Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira on this small group tour from Lisbon. You’ll also stroll the charming streets of historical Sintra and taste the traditional pastries of the city for only €96.
- Full-Day Private Sightseeing Tour of Sintra – Go on a private tour of the magical city of Sintra, and visit two of the following attractions: the Pena National Palace, Quinta da Regaleira, the Castle of the Moors, the Monserrate Palace, or the Sintra National Palace, all this for €170 per person for two people (cheaper for more).
- Sintra, Natural Park and Cascais Beaches – Check out this full-day tour, including hotel pick-up in Lisbon, a stop will be Pena Palace, as well as a visit to Sintra Villa, to Roca Cape, Guincho (a beautiful white sand beach) and a tour to Cascais town, all this for €120 per person for two people (cheaper for more).
Join a Full day tour to Pena Palace!
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3. Buying tickets at the entrance (not recommended)
If you’re in Sintra and you decide at the last minute to visit the Pena Palace and Park, or you don’t want to be limited to visiting the attraction on a specific day and time, you can buy your tickets directly at the entrance.
Prices are €20 if you want to visit both the Park and Palace or €10 if you want to explore only the Park (but with this last option, you’ll still be able to see most of the Palace from outside).
I have to be honest, I don’t recommend buying tickets at the entrance because it doesn’t give you any advantage over booking them online.
You’ll most likely have to stand in very long queues, either at the automatic vending machines or at the ticket office, and it is more expensive: if you buy them online you’ll get a 15% discount on the price at the gate!
But if this is your choice, be aware that the office is closed from 12 pm to 1 pm, and that if you want to avoid the lines, you should come very early in the morning, before the opening time (9 a.m).
Price:
- Park and Palace: €20
- Only to the Park: €10
Important things to know about Pena Palace tickets
1. How far in advance do you need to buy your tickets
If you want to book an early morning/late afternoon time slot (the best time to visit the Pena Palace because there are fewer crowds and tours) you should book around 1 week in advance, so you can make sure you find a spot!
Otherwise, you don’t really need to book your ticket earlier: there are always many options available. What you do need to do is buy tickets online, so you can avoid long lines and get a 15% discount!
2. Opening hours & best visit timings
The Pena Palace and Park are open from 9 am to 7 pm every day of the year except 1st of Jan and 25th of December, with the last ticket and last entry to the Palace available at 5:30 pm (while in the Park you can stay until 7 pm).
When is the best time to visit Pena Palace?
The early morning (9 am) or late afternoon (after 4 pm) is when the Pena Palace has less visitors, so is the perfect time if you want to avoid crowds and tours, arriving usually between 10 am to 3 pm.
Also, if you can, avoid visiting the Palace during the peak season, which is from Easter to September (but they are also the months with the best weather!)
How long does it take to visit the Pena Palace and Park?
If you want to visit all the parts of the palace (Palace interiors and terraces, Park and Chalet of the Countess d’Edla) at your own pace, you can easily spend a whole day there!
Otherwise, I recommend spending about 1.5 – 2 hrs in the Pena Palace, to visit both the interiors and exteriors and at least 1.5 hours in the Park if you want to explore all the gardens, lakes, and Chalet of the Countess d’Edla.
3. Getting to Pena Palace
3.1 How to get to Pena Palace from Lisbon
A visit to Sintra is one of the MUST things to do in Lisbon, so there are many ways to get to the Pena Palace from Portugal’s capital, but the best one is for sure with a guided tour that includes round trip transportation and a guided visit both to the Palace and other nearby attractions.
Joining a tour will avoid all the hassle of taking public transport, which doesn’t really work efficiently and won’t take you directly to the palace. Instead, you will arrive at Sintra railway station, where you’ll have to take another type of transport to get to the palace.
But at the end the choice is yours, so I put here below all the possible ways to get to the Pena Palace so you can decide based on your travel needs:
Train:
You can take the Sintra Line train either from Oriente/Rossio/Entrecampos stations, but take in consideration that the whole journey will take you around 2 hours. The train ride itself actually only takes 40 minutes, but since you cannot book the tickets online, you have to get to the train station in advance to buy them.
PRO TIP: At the train station, you can buy tickets at the machine or at the cash register for €7, but there are always long lines there at both of them (about 15-20 minutes wait), so I suggest you come at least 20-25 mins before your desired departure!
But if you want to avoid the hustle of having to buy tickets for all the rides and the palace separately, you can get this Lisboa Card + Pena Palace combo which includes entrance to the Palace and park, access to up to 51 museums or monuments, free transport and more.
Once at Sintra railway station, the distance to the palace is about 2 km. If you are a good hiker you can follow one of the steep trails bringing you to the complex (check out the walking section below), but it will take you at least around 1 – 1.5 hours.
If I were you, I would honestly take one of the following ways of transport to get from the station to the Palace and save my energy to explore Pena park and the palace.
- By bus: take the bus nº 434 (Scotturb station) for €4.55, leaving every 20 minutes from 9 am to 6 pm.
- By tuk tuk: the ride costs €10 per person but you can definitely negotiate it
- By hop on hop off bus: if you buy a hop on hop off ticket pass for about € 13.50, it will give you unlimited access to all lines/routes in Sintra and Cascais for 24 hours
- Taxi: A ride to the Pena Palace will take you about 12 minutes and cost you around €8
Check out this map showing you all the possible ways to get to the Palace from Sintra Railway station!
By car:
If you have a rented car, driving from Lisbon to Sintra will take you around 40 minutes on the A37, which is the quickest route inland.
If you are not in a rush, I suggest you take the panoramic road N6 along the coast, which is a little longer but will give you incredible views of the water and sometimes you can even spot dolphins!
Once you reach Parque da Pena, you cannot enter the complex with a car, but there are 2 parking spaces nearby (the other 2 are quite far). One is near the main entrance, but it has very few parking spaces, and the other is close to the Chalet of the Countess, but then you’ll need to take a 30-minute walk uphill to reach the entrance.
Check out the map to see where exactly the parkings are located!
Walking:
If you love walking, there are several hiking routes you can follow to reach the Pena Palace, starting from Sintra city center. Check them out below:
- Santa Maria Route: this hike starts in Sintra historical center (by the Palacio Nacional), and gets to the Palace of Pena passing through the forest and Moorish Castle in 30 minutes. The whole route is 2.4 km long and takes you 1h, but is suitable for all ages!
- Seteais Route: this circular walking route leaves from the 18th-century neoclassical Seteais Palace and will get you to the Pena Palace & Gardens through steep paths in the forest. The whole trail is 3.5 km long and lasts about 1.5h (about 45 minutes to get to the palace), but is quite challenging, so it’s not for beginners!
- Sintra Palace – Castle Of The Moors – Pena Palace: this 11-kilometer hike starts and ends at Sintra Palace, passing through the Castle of the Moors and the majestic Pena National Palace. The whole route lasts 4 hours, so it is good if you want to see the 3 attractions and it can be an amazing day trip!
3.2. How to get to Pena Palace from Quinta da Regaleira
If you are visiting the two most popular palaces in Sintra on your own, the Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira, you should know that it is kind of hard to get from one castle to the other one (unless you do that with a guided tour).
For this reason, I will show you all the options you have to get to Pena Palace from Quinta da Regaleira, so you come already prepared:
- By hop on hop off bus (best option) – the hop on hop off ticket pass gives you unlimited access to all lines/routes in Sintra and Cascais for € 13.50 and 24 hours. The journey between the 2 palaces will take you about 30 minutes.
- Walking – follow this 1 hour trek, the journey is beautiful but you have to be fit to do that!
- By car – the drive between the 2 palaces will take you about 30 minutes, but take into consideration that the roads are narrow and tricky to navigate (plus it is hard to find parking)
- Bus – take bus 434 from Quinta da Velha station, for about 13 minutes and €4.55
- Taxi – A ride from Quinta da Regaleira to the Pena Palace will take you 10 minutes and cost you about €13
4. What to bring and not to Pena Palace
Don’t forget a thing with this handy packing list for your trip!
BRING:
✅ Tickets (either printed or on your phone)
✅ ID
✅ Sandwich or a small picnic if you want to spend the day there or you don’t want to get hungry: the restaurants in the complex are very expensive
✅ Pair of good walking shoes: you’ll walk a climb a lot in the park
✅ A map: either print this map or ask one in your preferred language at the ticket counter… so that you don’t get lost!
✅ Strong sunscreen & water: in summer Sintra can be VERY hot
✅ A jumper: I know I just said that Sintra is quite hot, but the city is famous for its unreliable weather, so it can rain at any time!
✅ Pair of binoculars: just if you want to catch the best views of Southern Portugal!
✅ Cameras
NOTE: photography is not allowed inside the palace, but you can actually take pictures outside, either in the Palace terraces or gardens, so bring your camera but make sure you use it only in the allowed spaces!
DON’T BRING:
❌ Any dangerous objects
❌ Animals
❌ Cigarettes: you cannot smoke inside the premises
5. Pena Palace Layout
The Pena Palace complex is divided into 2 main sections: the Palace, with its outdoor terraces (I made a separate section for them), and the Park. The good thing is that you don’t have to visit them all if you don’t want to, you can buy a ticket for either the Palace and Park or only to the Park for half of the price.
FUN FACT: You can see the Pena Palace from many parts of Lisbon on a clear day: try at one of the many viewpoints (miradouros) in the city!
If you are on a budget or you’re just interested in seeing the castle, you can avoid going inside the palace, but if you are into history and/or you don’t mind spending a little extra, the castle interiors are fun too.
Here’s a map for you to visualize the whole complex, but let’s check out all the sections separately, so you get an idea of each of them:
Pena Palace:
The colorful Pena Palace was the former summer residence of the royal family and has a mix of many architectural styles: Romantic, Islamic, Medieval, neo-Gothic, Renaissance, and neo-Manueline, that is why it is so magical and fairytale-like.
DID YOU KNOW? The Pena palace was constructed by Wilhelm Ludwig von Eschwege, an amateur German architect, who got inspiration from castles in Germany and elsewhere in the world!
From the outside (park ticket only), you can admire its red and yellow façade, domes and turrets, the curving grand stone staircase, a Manueline cloister, and even some mythological creatures… and you won’t need a ticket to the castle for this!
But you will need the Palace ticket if you want to follow the Sentry Walk all around the castle, bringing you through the Monumental Gate (a large triumphal arch) to the Courtyard of Arches on the back of the building: a panoramic terrace from which you can have stunning views of the Atlantic Ocean and the Sintra Mountains… Don’t forget to take a picture there!
Inside the Pena Palace, you will visit many rooms decorated with stucco art: each one unique and worth visiting, among which the dining room, the noble room, all the bedrooms, a chapel, the bathroom, the huge kitchen, etc… so you’ll get a feel of how the Royal Family used to live!
There is even a miniature model of the Pena Palace that you can touch and explore: you kids will love that!
NOTE: You are NOT allowed to take pictures while inside the palace rooms!
Pena Palace terraces:
All around the Pena Palace you’ll find many terraces, all perfect spots to take good pictures and gaze at breathtaking views.
NOTE: you cannot access these terraces without a palace and park ticket!
- The Queen’s terrace: this is the highest terrace in the palace, and one of the most beautiful ones, from where you can get views of the rest of the palace, the Sintra Valley, and the Moorish Castle. Here you can take good pictures under the yellow domes or have a snack/drink/meal at the Pena Palace restaurant.
- Triton’s Terrace: this terrace is located right after the Monumental Gate and is named after the mythological figure that you’ll find at the entrance of the Palace: Triton (half man and half fish) representing the water world (downstairs) and the terrestrial one (upstairs). For this reason, the low part of the terrace is decorated with marine elements like corals and shells, while the top part with leaves and bunches of grapes.
- Coach House’s Terrace: this terrace is located right next to Triton’s Terrace and the Kitchen (the last room on the interior itinerary) so you can explore it both before and after visiting the interiors of the National Palace of Pena. This is where the royal family used to keep its carriages and the ones used by their guests.
FUN FACT: In the Pena Palace there is a sundial cannon that used to fire a shot every day at noon!
Pena park
Pena Park is absolutely a MUST if you visit the Pena palace. With its exotic plants from Portugal and all over the world, and the beautiful gardens, lakes, fountains, viewpoints, and statues… this is one of the prettiest parks in Europe.
The park is just huge, extending for about 200 hectares, so you can literally spend the day here after (or before) have visited the Castle, walking, hiking through, and enjoying a delicious picnic under the shade of a tree… and still, you’ll never be able to see it all!
FUN FACT: The king literally ordered tree species from several countries to plant them in the park: try to spot the North American sequoia, Lawson’s cypress, Western redcedar, Chinese ginkgo, Japanese Cryptomeria, and tree ferns from Australia and New Zealand!
Depending on how much time you have (and which part of the park you’ll focus on) you will be able to see different attractions.
Some must-sees:
- The Saint Catherine’s Heights
- The Warrior Statue
- The Temple of Column
- The Riding Arena
- The Grotto of the Monk
- The Garden of Queen Amélia
- The Pena Farm and Garden
There are actually many more… but the one that mostly deserves your attention is Chalet of the Countess of Edla, right in the following section.
P.S.: If you’re interested only in visiting the park and not the palace interiors, check out this ticket!
The Garden & Chalet of the Countess of Edla
The Garden & Chalet of the Countess of Edla was a small refuge for King Ferdinand II and the countess Elise Hensler to celebrate their first days of marriage, and symbolizes the couple’s love, as well as their passion for music, architecture and botany… and was used also as a vacation home!
This picturesque chalet is located about 2 kilometers from the National Palace of Pena, and it is the last stop if you take the hop-on hop-off transfer service available inside the park.
As for the Pena Palace, here you can visit either the interiors of the Chalet or its Gardens. The Chalet offers more than a dozen rooms to visit, all decorated with naturalist-style architectural elements: wood, cork, stucco, tile, etc.
From the other side, the gardens show the King’s love for botany, with more than two hundred plant species from all over the world, among which Amelias, Azaleas and Rhododendrons and Tree ferns… the perfect place to just enjoy some quietness!
NOTE: The Chalet of the Countess of Edla is included both in the ticket price for the National Palace of Pena and only the Park!
Suggested routes
If you want to visit both the Pena Palace and the park, I suggest you follow one of these 2 options, depending on your travel needs:
- Visit the palace first, early in the morning (at 9 am), starting from its terraces so you can take pictures without the crowds, and use the rest of the day to explore the park and the Chalet of the Countess of Edla (this should be your last stop!).
- Schedule your visit to Palace for the afternoon (there are way fewer people after 4 pm) and use the morning to discover the Park and the Chalet of the Countess of Edla
6. Audio guides
When buying the ticket online, you have the option to buy a CloudGuide App for only 1 euro more, which will guide you through the complex and explain a lot about the castle’s history, whether you want to visit the castle or just the park.
The National Palace of Pena Audio Guide is available on both GooglePlay and AppleStore in Portuguese, English, Spanish, and French. You’ll just need to download it and insert the purchased code (once only), and it will be valid for 30 days. But don’t uninstall the App or delete the data before using it!
Otherwise, you’ll also have the option to buy and download the 5 Monuments Audio Guide CloudGuide App for €4.
This CloudGuide App will give you a tour through the Pena, Sintra, Queluz, Monserrate Palaces, and the Capuchos Convent, and is also available on GooglePlay and AppleStore, but only in Portuguese and English (valid for 365 days).
7. Facilities inside/nearby Pena Palace
- Toilets: one at the park entrance and 2 in the castle (and they are much cleaner and better than the ones in Quinta da Regaleira)
- Wifi: At the Park entrance
- Cafes/restaurants: There are some dining options in the complex, but they are quite expensive so if you are on a budget, just bring your own food. These are:
- Palace restaurant: on the upper floor of the neo-Indian building
- The Terrace Bar: on one of the palace’s terraces
- The Garden cafeteria: next to the entrance, overlooking the Garden of Queen Amelia
- Wheelchair Ramp: up to the Palace entrance (assistance is necessary as it is long and steep).
- Accessible paid transfer: running every 15 min between the park entrance and the palace
- Gift shop: at the palace entrance
- Parking (2): one near the main entrance and one close to the Chalet of the Countess
8. Where to stay in Sintra
If you want to have more time to explore all the interesting attractions in Sintra and its natural surroundings, you can always spend the night there (the atmosphere in the city is just magical, you will love it!).
I found for you 3 hotel options for different budgets, check them out:
- Luxury (€250 and up): Sintra Marmoris Palace – If you want to splurge a little, check out this luxury hotel in Sintra city center. The property is split across 2 elegant buildings and offers stunning views of the Moorish Castle and has access to a big swimming pool!
- Mid-range(€150 – €250): Storytellers Villas – These beautiful villas have the best location in Sintra, right in the middle of the Sintra National Palace, the Moors Castle and the Quinta da Regaleira palace! Here you will also enjoy a breakfast buffet every morning, a panoramic terrace, and free wifi.
- Budget (up to €100): Villa das Rosas – These affordable and cozy villas are perfect if you are traveling on a budget. Set in 19th-century buildings, they have nestled in green gardens just a 10-minute walk to the historical center of Sintra. They also offer access to an outdoor pool… a great option for families!
| 👩 Adult price: | €20 |
| 👧 Kids price: | €18 |
| 💲Cheapest tickets: | Official website |
| 🎟️ Pena Park only tickets: | €10 |
| 🎤 Guided tour: | Viator |
| 🤩 Best combo tour: | Tiquets |
| 🕖 Best time to visit: | 9 am or after 4 pm |
| 🏨 Best hotel in Sintra: | Sintra Marmoris Palace |
FAQs about Pena Palace tickets
💲 How much does it cost to get into Pena Palace?
✅ Can you go inside Pena Palace?
Yes, you can enter inside the Pena Palace by buying a ticket online or on site for €20, or joining this guided tour from Lisbon, combining a visit to other important attractions in Lisbon.
🕖 Which is the best time to visit the Pena Palace and Park?
The best time to visit the Pena Palace is in the early morning (9 am) or late afternoon (after 4 pm), when it has fewer visitors. This is perfect if you want to avoid crowds and tours which usually arrive between 10 am to 3pm.
🎟️ Should you buy Pena Palace tickets in advance?
Yes, if you want to book an early morning/late afternoon time slot, when the Palace is less crowded, you should book around 1 week in advance, otherwise, you’ll find many options available online even the day before.
Conclusion
Can you believe it? You are at the end of my extensive guide about all the Pena Palace tickets, including options for different parts of the complex and the best tours from Lisbon, combining a visit to the palace with other attractions in the nearby area.
As we saw, you can either visit the Pena Palace with a normal ticket (here’s the one on the official website and the refundable option) or as a day trip from Lisbon.
We also went through some important information and useful tips on how to get there, accommodations, opening hours, facilities, the layout of the complex, and much more… so you literally have everything to make the right choice here!
By the way, if you plan on staying in Lisbon, check out also the other cool day trips from the Portuguese capital!
And if I forgot to mention something you wanted to know, please share it in the comments below and I’ll answer you right away!
Have a magical trip!
Yulia
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I’m still confused.
Q. Are there 1, 2, or 3 queues?
Q. Typical mid July queue wait time for main gate (near palace)?
Q. Typical mid July queue wait time for “interior” walking tour?
Q. Which queue is the time entry for (main gate self guided exterior or the interior tour?
How does one safely & reliably get to a 930a entry (again, main gate or interior door well past main gate?) when park opens at 9a?
I guess my engineer brain needs a step by step of what queues and gates and lines one should expect to see ONLY all the terraces or to see them plus the interior rooms.
Hey Robert,
Let me try to help you out, and you’ll let me know if I missed something.
1. To enter the palace there is one queue. However, there are 3 points to enter the park (where the palace is located). One is the Main Entrance which is closest to the palace (about a 20-30 minute walk uphill), the next one is the Lagos Entrance which is a bit futher away, and the last one is the Chalet Entrance which is basically on the opposite side of the Palace.
2. Mid-July is high season for visiting Pena Palace, so it’s safe to save that the waiting time in the queues both for the main gate and the palace can be a but longer (I would say from 30 mins to around an hour).
3. The entry time is for the Interior tour for the Palace. You can actually enter the park at a time that’s convenient for you, but make sure that you respect your ticket time for entering the palace. The same entrance is for the palace and the terraces.
That early in the morning there’s actually less people, hence less waiting time. I would say that the safest would be to get at the main get at least 10 minutes before opening time, and then book a shuttle from the main gate to the palace (you can do this when you will be booking your ticket) so that you can reach the palace quickly and get in line to enter with you 9:30 ticket.
After you’ve entered the palace, you can take all the time that you want to explore the interior, as well as the exterior of it 🙂
I hope I managed to help your engeneering brain, but please let me know if you have any other questions.
You have made my planning so easy. You are just awesome. There is one problem I found. When I try to book through the official site, it doesn’t give you the option of “Park only” tickets. It just shows the palace and park tickets. So how to book Park only tickets from the official website?
Hi Dr. Praveen,
You should be able to buy Park only tickets via this link. I am happy to hear that our article has helped you plan you visit!
Marija, thank you so much for your reply. We booked the whole Palace tickets, not just the park, online. I am going there once, so lets experiance it from close.
You are welcome! I am sure you’ll not regeret it and you’ll have an amazing time!
I noticed that you mentioned that with ticket for the Park only you cannot access its terraces! When I clicked “Book ticket for Pena Park” it says it includes terraces. How close can you get to the Pena Palace with park ticket only? Also is the queue for the park only the same as for the Palace? Thank you.
Hey again,
Yes, it does say that, but they have changed that rule recently, so now you cannot access the terraces with a park ticket only. You can stroll around it and marvel it’s beauty from the outside. As I mentioned in your other comments, entrances are both for the park and the Palace, with one being much further away from the Palace, while the other is just a 5 minute walk away.
Hi, thank you for great info. I checked Pena Palace website and you can get tickets just for the park but there was no option to buy it on line. Everywhere I read that the queue for the Palace is very long, is there a different queue for the park only? Thank you.
Hey Andrie,
You are welcome. As a matter of fact you can buy the tickets for the park online as well, either here (these are the only refundable tickets available) or on the main website.
In order to get to the palace, you need to enter the park first, because the Palace is located inside the park. So, you’ll have to wait in line to enter the park, however, there’s two enterances, the one at the ticket office is 5-10 minutues to the Palaces, and the other at Bilheteira do Castelo dos Mouros is 30 minutes away from the Palace, so chances are the second one will be less crowded.
Hello! I’m wondering if the prices of the parks are updated, they seem to be more expensive now anywhere I look online. Is it also more expensive to buy the tickets at the ticket booth itself? Thanks!
Hey Nikki,
Thank you for bringing this up to our attention. You are correct, the prices have increased and we’ve updated our article accordingly.
That being said, If you know exactly when you are going to visit the Palace in advance, it is more expensive to buy ticket at the booth since on the official site they offer a 15% discount if you buy the tickets at least 3 days in advance. But if you are unsure when you are going, then I would suggest you buy the ticket from Tiqets since they are the only ones that have free cancellation until 23:59 the day before.
Hope this helps, and thank you again! I’m sure you’ll enjoy visiting Pena Palace
Wow! Thanks for your reply! Your blog has been really helpful 🙂
Wow thank you thank you for this detailed information. Sintra can get quite expensive, between sites, transport, sleeping and eating. Appreciate all your info. Will read your article again and again.
Such an incredibly helpful and in-depth guide! Made planning a breeze! Thank you!
Thank you and enjoy your visit! We have a lot of other articles on Lisbon, hope you will find them useful too! 🙂
Thanks – I am trying to work out how to schedule our visit. Do you have to walk through the castle rooms themselves to get to the terraces? Or once you have queued in the line can you decide if you are walking outside on the terraces and courtyards instead of walking through the palace rooms? It seems there is different information on whether you can see the terraces on the Park only ticket (just not the Queen’s Terrace which is accessed from inside the castle).
No, you dont need to go through the inside of the palace to access the terraces!
Hi there, do you have to walk through the castle to get access to the terraces? We are travelling with an 18 month old and want to optimise our time………..thinking outside terraces and the park (not queuing to get inside the castle).
Thank you.
HI Miriam!
Yes, it is part of the castle, so you would need to go though the entrance with the line to reach it, this is basically the main attraction.
You can walk around the Palace and see the view from outside to not be in the line, but other than that (aside from buying a ticket in advance that is), you will need to be in the line to enter.
Hope that makes sense!