Palácio da Pena/ Pena National Palace

Although living in Lisbon, I took this Easter weekend to get to know Lisbon and surroundings! I even bought the Top 10 American Express Guide, and I might say that it doesn't make any justice... About Pena National Palace, I highly recommend it for various reasons! First, Sintra is a beautiful village, a very green one, and pitoresque! Today me and my friends decided to leave the car near the village's historical centre and walk to the palace... don't do that! :p Unless you're used to climb :)But the visit was quite rewarding! Everything in the palace shows how kings and queens once lived and we get really curious about their lifestyle! It's part of my past and I'm quite proud of it! Then once coming down, have some hot chocolate and a croissant in Paris Café, it's delightful! It's a bit expensive, but the staff are very nice, and the food delicious!

Pena National Palace is located in the mountains above Sintra about an hour outside of Lisbon. Originally a monastery, the Palace has been renovated and added on to over the years with each addition appearing in a different brillant color. Today's Palace features fabulous blue, bright yellow and a pinkish red! It is quite the sight to behold after traveling on narrow winding roads through a dense forest, almost like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

You can wander around the outside of the castle enjoying almost 360 degree views. The interior is open to the public as well, though after the expansiveness of the exterior it can feel a bit cramped in places. While the food in the cafe was nothing remarkable the day I was there, it was a farily good value and the outside eating area was fabulous.

Pena Palace is located close to the Moorish Castle. The tourist bus that takes you to the Castle continues on up the road to the Palace. It drops you off at the bottom of yet another hill that you can either walk up or purchase a ticket for the shuttle bus. If you're going to more than one attraction in Sintra, you can buy a combo ticket for entrance to more than one attraction. No car? You can reach Sintra by bus or train.

We went out of Lisbon for one day and went to Sintra.
It's about 50 minutes by train (from Lisbon to Sintra). Sintra is situated in the hills.. and from the train station you need to take a bus, unless you like steep hills ;)

Wikipedia has a page on this palace > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pena_National_Palace

It is absolutely gorgeous en I would certainly recommend going here!