Portugal Trip - Sintra - Pena Palace and Moorish Castle
We stayed in the attic of the cutest little house up in Sintra’s tree covered hillside. Once upon a time it was the stables of the nearby Castle but has since been converted into a beautiful little bed and breakfast. The staff was wonderful and the house was just charming. See the little round window in the picture below… that’s our bedroom window - along with the roof windows below.
After checking into our hotel, we left our car and walked down and then grabbed an Uber up to our first destination: The Pena Palace.
The Pena Palace
The Pena Palace was breathtaking.
I loved all the vibrant colors, intricate moldings, arches and tilework. It was amazing!! Definitely one of the highlights of our trip. Loved it!
This magical hilltop palace sits high above Sintra, above the Moorish Castle ruins. In the 19th century, Portugal had a very romantic prince, the German-born Prince Ferdinand. A contemporary and cousin of Bavaria’s “Mad” King Ludwig (Neuschwanstein Castle), Ferdinand was also a cousin of England’s Prince Albert (Queen Victoria’s husband). Ferdinand hired a German architect to build a fantasy castle, mixing elements of German and Portuguese style. He ended up with a crazy Neo-fortified casserole of Gothic towers, Renaissance domes, Moorish minarets, Manueline carvings, Disneyland playfulness, and a tile toilet for his wife.
Rick Steves
Love the picture of Chris and I up with the tile and arches. Every place we looked was another picture perfect spot.
We loved touring the castle and seeing all of the different rooms decorated. Views from this balcony were perfect.
Loved all of these intricate details.
We explored another beautiful courtyard and balcony. Then we followed the wall walk around the outside of the castle, enjoying views of the castle itself and of the surrounding countryside. We did the entire circuit ending up back at the entrance.
Views of the Moorish Castle on an adjacent hilltop below.
Out the final archway, through the gift shop and on to the next destination…
The Moorish Castle
We walked down the winding road from the Pena Palace to the Moorish Castle below.
Sintra’s thousand-year-old ruins of a Moorish castle are lost in an enchanted forest and alive with winds of the past. They’re a castle lover’s dream come true. Though built by the Moors, the castle was taken by Christian forces in 1147. It’s one of the most classically perfect castles you’ll find anywhere, with two hills capped by hardy forts, connected by a crenellated wall walkway. Rick Steven, Portugal Book
The circular castle wall walk was enchanting — especially with towers to climb. It was amazing.
in the pictures Below are views from the castle. In the second picture you can see another castle with a great roof. Our hotel is across the street and used to be the stables on the property until it was transformed into a bed and breakfast. Fun to be staying somewhere with a little history.
The Walk into Town
Walking from the Moorish Castle into town was another highlight. The forested pathways, colorful doors, frequent flowers and moss covered walls were all so perfect.
Scott and Elisha following the pathway leading to the town of Sintra.
Wandering around Sintra
