Gardens of Parque da Pena

This park with his own micro climate is beautiful! It is an amazing and scenic road to get to the palace. In summer it is very refreshing walling through the trees. The air is very clean and fresh. There is a point where you can get a perfect view of the castle, very nice. Totally recommended if you like nature.

Place: 4/5
Experience: 5/5
How long did it take me to see everything: 2 hours for the Gardens, 30 min for the exterior of the Palace

The place has a unique microclimate so it's not as hot as the rest of the city which makes long walks a pleasure. A few of the attractions located in the park are the Seven Lakes with duck houses, the High Cross, the Temple, Greeenhouses, and of course the Pena Palace itself.

Long queue and the way the traffic was organized to get to the Palace made the experience less attractive. If I were to do it again, I'd be happy to just see the Palace from the distance and focus on the Gardens.

The only minus is a lot of people here. But the garden is big and beautiful with old trees and all coloured flowers. The smell is magical here

Beautiful park with tropical plants and a labyrinthine network of paths. Plenty of shade and so many amazing hidden corners to explore. You can walk uphill all the way to the Peña Palace or let gravity work for you and start at the top near the palace. Make sure to pre-book tickets and a time slot early if you want to go into the palace. The gardens are usually not too busy it seems but you’ll need a ticket as well.

The gardens surrounding the Pena Palace were planted as the Palace was being built. It houses several exotic species and follows a wild, naturalistic layout, with several follies like lakes, creeks and bridges partially hidden within the dense vegetation, following the romantic taste of the time. It blends naturally with the woods of the hills of Sintra.

The temperature of the gardens is lower than in its surroungs, making it comfortable during hot summer days, but calls for a warmer garment during winter.

The exuberant vegetation is magical and calls for a slow stroll around its sinuous paths.

Amazing place. What a Disney Castle would look without the tackiness. Gardens were stunning, even in winter. The whole of Sintra has this special vibe to it, almost like an Alpine village. A definite must-see.

Pure magic - Wonderland!
Start with the castle but allocate a few hours for the gardens, the highlight of our visit.
I would recommend starting from the top then going down and exiting from there. You can follow the path but it's more fun to get lost and stumble on gems.

Pena park's garden offers an amazing excursion in the nature. There are walkways and earthen paths which lead to the palace, or to the high cross or far away to the chalet. Though not very physically demanding, it's no piece of cake and one should always carry lot of water and some snack (there are no bars nor fountains in the garden, and it's very easy to be walking one hour straight if one is heading uphill).
The view is breathtaking, especially from the high cross from where you can see the colorful palace.
Entrance costs 7.50€ which can be integrated once already inside if one decides to enter the palace too (thus for an extra 6.50€).

the parks of the pena palace is so much more worth than the castle itself. save half the price of the ticket (park only 7.5 € instead of 14 € combined, 2018), and you can still visit the courtyards and terraces of the palace (you only miss the inside rooms) and have the views without the 30-60 min queues (just walk along, they all queue for the interiors). in the park one can enjoy the freedom in the vast area and explore the dozens of interesting places, like temples, viewpoints, warmhouse, lakes and birdhouses. the lake valley entry of the park (backside of the palace) is way less crowded. the castle's cafe is much cheaper than the other cafés in the park, so pack up a picnic there.

A beautiful grounds, of perhaps more interest than that Palace itself! Scattered works of contemporary art, clear signposting and eminently walkable trails with plenty of shade make this an excellent outing.

A wonderful spot to visit. Do not miss a chance to go here

Beautiful park. Expect some steep climbing.

Beautiful walk around. You'll be surrounded by nature. Suit all types of traveller

The park area blew me away with a new wonderful sights around every corner. I seriously got all giddy from all the beautiful spots. It was a rainy day but they sell umbrellas and (even better) ponchos at the palace shop. In the end the rain made the park feel even more lush and scared away a lot of visitors so we had the place basically to ourselves! Will come back.

Incredibly green and picturesque place. Inhaled fresh air for a year in front

The garden around the castle are incredible and with the visit! You could spend the whole day walking around and having a picnic.

Peña Park is beautiful and very quiet in the morning. Well worth the hike from Sintra.
Peña Palace itself.... wish I'd skipped. Too crowded and excruciatingly slow as you're herded through the palace interiors.

Worth it

Great walk in these gardens! Portugal’s nature, hillside and park... majestic ;-)

If you have not enough time, just do at least this! Tranquil huge park with many things to see! From nice river bodies to gardens with deliberately planned plants and vantage points.