Pena Palace Tickets: Entry Fees, Opening Hours & What to Expect

Pena Palace sits 450 metres above Sintra, wrapped in turrets, Moorish arches, and walls painted in shades of yellow, red, and grey. It’s one of the most photographed buildings in Portugal - and one of the most visited. Getting there without a ticket in hand means joining a long queue at the gate. Book online, and you walk straight in.

Entry Fees (as of 2026)

Two ticket types are on sale:

• Palace + Park: approximately €17 per adult, €14.50 for youth (6–17) and seniors (65+). This gets you into the palace interior as well as the grounds.
• Park only: approximately €9 per adult. Covers the gardens and exterior terraces but not the palace rooms.

Children under 6 enter free. Prices are subject to seasonal adjustment - check the official Sintra tickets portal (sintra.pt) or Tiqets before you visit. Booking online typically saves the entry queue entirely; the ticket desk queue in summer can run 45 minutes.

Opening Hours

The palace grounds open daily at 9:30am. Last admission to the palace interior is around 5:45pm, with the site closing at 6:30pm. Summer hours (June–September) extend closing time to 7:00pm.

The palace is closed on 25 December and 1 January.

What to See Inside

The State Rooms

The palace interior is a time-capsule of 19th-century royal taste. King Ferdinand II commissioned it in the 1840s as a summer residence, and each room reflects a different influence.

The Arab Room (Sala Árabe) is the most striking - walls and ceiling covered in intricate tilework, the floor laid with patterned stone. The Queen’s Dressing Room retains its original furnishings, including a French porcelain washstand. The Stag Room is lined with antler trophies from royal hunts, and the kitchen has its original copper pots still hanging above the stoves.

The route through the state rooms is guided by a one-way system - it takes about 45 minutes to walk through at a comfortable pace.

The Moorish Gate and Terraces

The entrance arch connecting the lower courtyards to the upper palace is the Porta do Tritão - a triton figure flanking an arch encrusted with sea creatures. Beyond it, the main terraces look out over the Serra de Sintra and, on clear days, the Atlantic coast toward Cascais.

The upper terrace above the chapel tower is the highest point on the palace exterior. Arrive early and you’ll have it almost to yourself for the first 30 minutes after opening.

The Chapel of Our Lady of Pena

The original monastery chapel that predates the 19th-century palace survives intact inside the complex. A 16th-century alabaster altarpiece by sculptor Nicolas Chanterene is preserved here - one of the finest pieces of Portuguese Renaissance sculpture still in its original location.

When to Visit

Early morning weekdays are the best combination. The palace opens at 9:30am - aim to arrive by 9:15am. The first coach parties from Lisbon typically arrive between 10:30am and 11:00am.

Saturday mornings in July and August are consistently the busiest time of the week. If you’re visiting on a summer weekend, book the earliest available slot and be at the gate before opening.

Spring (April–May) and autumn (October–November) offer comfortable temperatures, shorter queues, and - in spring - the surrounding gardens in full bloom.

How to Get There from Lisbon

By train: Take the Linha de Sintra from Lisbon Rossio station or Lisboa Oriente. The journey takes approximately 40 minutes. Trains run every 15–20 minutes. From Sintra station, you have two options:

• Bus 434 (circular route): Runs from Sintra train station via Sintra Vila, up to Pena Palace, and on to the Moorish Castle. A day ticket costs approximately €4 as of 2026 and covers unlimited use on the route.
• On foot: A steep uphill walk of around 45 minutes through the palace park (you pay park admission from the lower entrance). Worthwhile if you want to see the forest paths - tiring in summer heat.

By taxi or rideshare: Takes 10–15 minutes from Sintra station. A typical fare runs approximately €8–12 one-way.

Driving: There is limited paid parking near the palace. In peak summer the car park fills by 10am. The train + bus combination is easier than driving.

Palace + Park vs Park Only

If you have more than two hours, buy the Palace + Park ticket. The park alone is impressive - centuries-old trees, ferneries, and hidden follies - but the interior is where the palace earns its reputation.

If you are visiting Sintra on a tight budget or already have another palace booked the same morning, the Park only ticket lets you see the exteriors and terraces without the interior queue.

Booking Tips

• Book online in advance. Summer peak season (July–August) sees timed entry slots sell out days ahead. Use Tiqets or the official Sintra portal. Book Sintra tours and tickets
• Combo passes: Sintra offers a combined Sintra Heritage Pass covering Pena, Moorish Castle, Monserrate, and Sintra National Palace. Worth it if you plan to visit three or more sites.
• Bring the QR code on your phone. The gate scanner is quick, but have it ready - the entry area gets congested.
• Booking last-minute? Guided day tours from Lisbon to Sintra sometimes have availability within 24 hours - check our last-minute tours page for options.

What to Wear

Comfortable walking shoes are non-negotiable. The park paths are uneven stone and can be slippery after rain. The interior involves some low doorways and narrow staircases. Bring a light layer even in summer - the altitude and wind on the terraces is noticeably cooler than in Sintra town below.

Pena Palace is genuinely one of the most remarkable buildings in Europe. Go early, book ahead, and you’ll have the terraces to yourself for at least the first half-hour - which, on a clear morning looking out toward the Atlantic, is worth every effort to get there first.