National Palace of Sintra: Full Visit + Queen Maria Pia Residence
Visit to the National Palace of Sintra, including the standard tour of the monument and access to the Queen Maria Pia Residence, one of its most private and intimate spaces. This wing offers a closer insight into the daily life of the royal family during the final years of the Portuguese monarchy, providing a more immersive and in-depth experience within one of the palace’s most distinctive settings.
Beyond the Royal Palace Tour
This visit option extends the usual tour of the National Palace of Sintra by granting access to one of its most secluded and intimate areas: the Queen Maria Pia Residence.
In this wing of the palace, recently subject to conservation and remusealisation works, visitors are invited into a more intimate setting, where the private spaces associated with the final years of the Portuguese monarchy are revealed. Through the interpretation of the rooms and the objects preserved within them, it is possible to gain a deeper understanding of daily life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, as well as of Queen Maria Pia’s personal world during her final years in Portugal.
This is an experience designed for small groups, privileging immersion, detail and a calm enjoyment of the space, offering a closer connection to a heritage setting of rare access. A unique opportunity to discover a more intimate dimension of the National Palace of Sintra and to deepen knowledge of one of its most significant historical contexts.
What’s included
- Entry to the Palácio Nacional de Sintra with access to the standard visitor route
- Visit to the Queen Maria Pia Residence, in a small group, at the scheduled time
- Free digital resources to enrich the visit, available in Portuguese, English, Spanish and French, including Zoomguide, the official audio guide with AI integration
- Free access to the gardens
Opening hours
- Palace: 9.30am opening > 6.30pm closing (last ticket and last entry at 6.00pm)
- Gardens: 9.30am opening > 6.30pm closing (last ticket and last entry at 6.00pm)
- Ticket office closed between 12.00pm and 1.00pm. Automatic ticket machine available.
How to get there
- The National Palace of Sintra is located in Sintra Historic Centre, at Largo Rainha D. Amélia, with the following coordinates: 38°47'50.7"N 9°23'25.9"W
- Public transport: Buses nos. 434 and 435 (Scotturb), from Sintra railway station.
- Private vehicle: Please note that private vehicle circulation in the historic centre is restricted to residents. Visitors are advised to use the designated car parks and continue to the historic centre on foot or by public transport.
- Parques de Sintra’s responsibilities are limited to the parks and monuments under its management. The company is not responsible for external circumstances, namely access routes and transport to the sites.