Hotels near Parque da Pena

Most visitors photograph Pena Palace and leave, which means the 200-hectare park below it stays quiet all day. Ferdinand II planted it from the 1840s with species shipped in from across the Portuguese empire: North American sequoias, Chinese ginkgos, Australian tree ferns, Himalayan rhododendrons. Gravel paths thread between them past ponds, stone follies and shaded benches.

Cruz Alta, at 528 metres, is the highest point in the Serra de Sintra and a 30-minute uphill walk from the palace. On a clear morning the view stretches from Cascais to the Tagus estuary. The Chalet da Condessa d'Edla, the Swiss-style cottage Ferdinand built for his second wife, sits at the western edge and needs its own ticket. Park-only admission is around 10 EUR.

Pro Tip: Your Pena Palace ticket already includes Parque da Pena, so do not pay twice. Head straight for Cruz Alta after the palace visit; ten minutes of walking leaves almost every other visitor behind.