Palaces in the Sky

On a recent trip to Portugal I saw the palace to end all palaces. Now I know what you’re thinking: ‘force me to tour another castle/palace/stately home while on holiday and I’ll shoot myself.’ We all suffered through enough family holidays to have that knee-jerk reaction. But bear with me, this place is seriously cool.

Just half an hour from the gorgeous port city of Lisbon, lies the sleepy, ethereal town of Sintra; once the summer retreat for Portugese royals (and those rich enough to pretend to royalty), Sintra’s lush hillsides are dotted with striking palaces and myriad follies that peek out from amongst the greenery. Hike or drive up to the top of one of the hills and you’ll look down on collections of spiky spires and majestic towers looming over the serene valley.

And the queen of all these structures is, funnily enough, the Pena Palace or ‘Queens Palace’ which perches on the highest peak in all it’s yellow, pink and filigreed glory.

Sintra has long been a centre for the occult, and the Pena Palace certainly lends itself to this unusual heritage. There are hardly an grand halls here but rather close, low-ceilinged chambers, opulently decorated and cosily chic.

A huge Neptune-like figure roars down at all those who pass through the gate and winding stairs and dark passages was prevail. It’s creepy and unbelievably cool. It probably helped that I visited during a raging storm, but apparently a white cloud hovers around the palace even on the sunniest of days.

And if you happen to choose a sunny day for your visit, be sure to roam the massive grounds where you can meditate in the monk’s cave, climb a stand alone tower and picnic in total isolation.

If you think you’re ‘palaced out’ think again…