PALÁCIO DA PENA - PARQUE DA PENA

Perched atop a hill - like any self-respecting palace in Sintra - this emblematic site was originally home to a monastery dedicated to Nossa Senhora da Pena. In the early 19th century, after the earthquake of 1755, Ferdinand II, King Consort of Portugal, decided to transform the monastery into a summer palace for the royal family, inspired by the romantic styles then in vogue in Europe. The palace's extravagant architecture combines Gothic, Manueline, Moorish and Renaissance elements, accentuated by the canary yellow and scarlet colors of the façade. A real fairytale castle! It served as the royal residence until 1910, when the last king of Portugal, Manuel II, nicknamed "the Sad King", went into exile. You enter through a long tunnel adorned with pointed arches, at the end of which is a Moorish door leading to an inner courtyard. In this courtyard stands the famous neo-Gothic Triton Arch, which marks the entrance to the new palace - probably an allusion to a character in Luís de Camões' epic of discoveries The Lusiads . Inside the palace, you can visit the Manueline cloister decorated with different types of Hispano-Moorish azulejos, the former conventual refectory transformed by Ferdinand II into a dining room, or King Carlos' apartments. Each king has settled here in his own way, transforming the palace in turn to his own taste. A visit to the superb gardens is a must. More than 200 hectares of rare plants, winding paths, viewpoints and pavilions invite you to daydream. Come rain or shine, the mysticism of the Sintra mountains will leap out at you, whether you're in the palace or the park.