Traveling to…Palácio da Pena

Get ready to venture off to a magical colorful palace! Palácio da Pena has everything you can possible love about an European castle. Firstly, it’s a bit hard not to notice its bold yellows and reds as you begin your walk up the hill towards the main entrance, which was one of the most beautiful doorways I’ve seen. It had beautiful tiles each showing a different historical design, and of course iconic Portuguese architecture. And these details are spread throughout the spectacularly colorful palace.

As you begin to approach the Palácio, you’re greeted by it’s grand structure, that is quite magnificent, and you quickly realize this castle isn’t like the rest!

The Palácio da Pena’s design consists of an eclectic mix of styles that resembles the exotic taste of the Romanticism era. This castle was originally built during the Middle Ages as a monastery until the worst earthquake in the country’s history in 1755 practically destroyed it. It wasn’t until early 1800’s when, then Prince Ferdinand fell in love with structure, even in its ruins, and transformed the rumble into a romantic summer home for the Portuguese Royal Family. I’d say this was one colorful way to spend the summer!The Queen actually had a lot to say in the overall design of the castle, which you can easily see in the beautiful ornate window that graces the front. The Palácio’s design has typical Portuguese Manueline architecture, and grand arches that are all Medieval and Renaissance period. What I couldn’t get enough of, was that at every turn and corner you found yourself starting at a new and completely different, and equally stunning detail.

Palácio da Pena is brimming with gorgeous unique details, that I couldn’t help myself from taking way too many gorgeous photos. The hardest part is choosing the best shots to share. Each archway, tiled wall and stone sculpture, is totally different. You may even notice many influences from the Islamic and Gothic style.

Now let’s get to the fun part. My fellow Game of Thrones fans, doesn’t the Palácio da Pena look as if it was perfectly made to be the ruling court of a kingdom?! I’m thinking maybe Dorne, which is filmed in Spain, or perhaps High Garden, though we know how those kingdoms have faired.

It’s even more amazing that this amazing castle stands atop of a large hill nestled amongst the equally beautiful Sintra Mountains. I did mention the steep walk to the entrance, which you can actually hike all the way up from the bottom of the city’s center. I imagine it would feel as long as the walk from the shores of Dragonstone to the throne room. But let’s go back to reality, and not a world where dragons fly, although this place would be so fitting.

This, this was my absolute favorite part of the palace. Blue and white tile, the most intricate stone work of the God Triton, stone coral surrounding the gran archway, and the prettiest seashells. Greek mythology has always fascinated me, so the unique concept for this side of the castle made me love it more.

This amazing castle also has its enormous surrounding Parque {forest} you can wander off and explore. You can even notice nods to the castle’s design in the forest, with trees and beautiful fern from diverse parts of the world. The forest is an endless backdrop of fern, which made it more enchanted and romantic. I just thought how a wedding in one of the garden nooks would be just absolutely perfect. It is so large that it still has all the paths and roads used centuries ago to connect the palace, that there’ll be so many different parts to discover. 

It was an absolutely stunning day when we visited Palácio da Pena. We did arrive much later than we had anticipated due to traffic, so there were plenty of tourists everywhere you turned. A tour of the interior wasn’t going to be possible since we planned on taking a coast drive, but I’ll take my uncle’s advice and know it’s just like most 19th century castles. The sun was high and shining bright, not a cloud in the sky, which made much of Lisbon and the surrounding cities quite visible. There were a few cloud formations in the distance that I actually confused them for mountains, but were just the cloud accumulations off the beach shores.

This DOOR! The detail in the different tiles, the perfectly crafted stone work, the Moroccan arch style, it’s just gorgeous!

It’s no surprise this monument is one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal, along with Jerónimos Monastery and Torre de Belém. The next time I’m in Portugal I’m visiting the last three wonders left on my list. Have you fallen in love with Palácio da Pena yet? I know I found it hard not to!

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