Sintra Travel Forum

I have a quick question. Is there anyway to get to see the Pena Palace upclose without having to walk up the steep hills? I traveled with my boyfriend's parents and we went to the main entrance but it still seemed like quite the uphill from there, so we didn't do it - and you could barely see it from the main entrance. I am traveling with my parents next month and we will have the same problem (not really being able to climb up the hills), and so I was just wondering if there is some way to accomplish this or if not.

Thanks!

Yes; once you entered the gardens of the palace there is a green bus to the castle entrance. You have to pay around 1.50 euro I think.

By all means, take a cab up to the palace.

Standing atop a steep hill, Pena palace may represent one of two things: a very hard walk in a fabulous landscape, with signposted indications and attractions on the way, or the need to motorized transport.

Getting there by car it's easy (good signals) but parking is not so easy. A good solution is the public bus, using line 434, that starts in the railway station, and stops in the historical centre, the moor castle and the palace's entrance (buses with more than 35 places are not allowed in the road).

From there to the palace it's still a few hundred meters of steep path, that you may skip using the local green bus (2€)

Visiting the park can only be done on foot, and even the visit to the palace implies a minimum capacity to walk and climb stairs. But, after all, the effort is well rewarded!

The last year I was able to travel with my husband (he is now totally disabled) - the concierge at the hotel we stayed in Lisbon (Sheraton) found us a driver for the day to go to Sintra. Because my husband's problems were starting, although he was able to move around well, overdoing the walking could have spoiled the vacation. I think we paid around 150 Euro,l but for a day from Lisbon, it was perfect, we did not have to worry about waiting for buses in between the differnt places to visit in Sintra - he was just there magically whenever we entered or left a place. We did take that little bus up from the spot where he dropped us.

We'll have a car rental, and so getting to the palace itself is no problem. Thank you for the tips regarding the bus from the main entrance up to the palace itself! Once there there are some stairs, and if he can handle it great, but if not then at least they atually get to see it upclose from the outside. I wish I had known about this earlier -- I am sad that my boyfriend's family only really got to see a small part of the palace from a distance.

What is the ticket price itself, anyone know? That + 2 euros is hopefully not too steep total, would be annoying to pay a lot just to see it from the outside then leave, but I guess it would be worth it anyway.

You have all the information in english in:

http://www.parquesdesintra.pt/psmlen/

Do check this but I'm pretty sure Pena Palace is closed on Mondays. It would be a shame to want to visit it so much and find it closed.

The bus from Sintra (near the train station) stops at the entrance of the castle gardens. From there you can find a green bus that takes you to the entrance of the castle.

Entry to the castle should costs around 8 euro per person.