Queluz National Palace — Attraction in Sintra

This palace is reasonable to be included in a one-day voyage together with that in Sintra and the Cape of Rock if you have an opportunity to exploit a rented car by your own :).

You'll have enough time for all these points if you start your travelling early in the morning to be in Queluz when it opens. Roads are good enough; just be aware of an ugly local manner of driving. Better use toll-free roads (just tickle this option in your on-line or off-line maps) to get acquainted with real suburbs and vicinity as it is (especially they are picturesque when you go to the Cape of Rock after Sintra). There are enough parking slots in Queluz; immediately in front of the central gateway to the palace (across the street); thus, you'll not have problems with that & they are free of charge :).

The very palace is well kept and maintained but some restoration is required to almost all mirrors :( since some disjunctive processes are very evident. And, besides, there is very serious perception of excessive humidity and fungus - additional ventilation and heating systems seem to be added :(...

It's very interesting in historical terms to compare this palace, for instance, with some peers in France, Spain and especially Russia to see how factually royal richness was generated and what happened to such royal families when they lost their colonies and by that - access to tremendous resources; making them significantly poorer...

And factually the garden surrounding these premises is more attractive than the very palace since it's...

The Palace of Queluz is a Portuguese 18th-century palace located at Queluz, a city of the Sintra Municipality, in the Lisbon District, on the Portuguese Riviera. One of the last great Rococo buildings to be designed in Europe, the palace was conceived as a summer retreat for Dom Pedro of Braganza, later to become husband and then king consort to his own niece, Queen Maria I. It served as a discreet place of incarceration for Queen Maria as her descent into madness continued in the years following Dom Pedro's death in 1786. Following the destruction by fire of the Ajuda Palace in 1794, Queluz Palace became the official residence of the Portuguese prince regent John VI, and his family and remained so until the royal family fled to the Portuguese colony of Brazil in 1807 following the French invasion of Portugal.

Work on the palace began in 1747 under Portuguese architect Mateus Vicente de Oliveira. Despite being far smaller, the palace is often referred to as the Portuguese Versailles. From 1826, the palace slowly fell from favour with the Portuguese sovereigns. In 1908, it became the property of the state. Following a serious fire in 1934, which gutted one-third of the interior, the palace was extensively restored, and today is open to the public as a major tourist attraction.

One wing of the palace, the Pavilion of Dona Maria, built for Maria I between 1785 and 1792 by Portuguese architect Manuel Caetano de Sousa, is now a guest house allocated to foreign heads of state...

A national pride of Portugal is the royal residence which is a bit away from the main city of Lisbon at Queluz. The rich collection of arts and artefacts are to boast about. The typical Portuguese architecture and the grand landscape display the baroque, rococo and Neo classical art . It was fairly deserted when we visited in the late afternoon but the staff on duty were very alert and attentive. All the rooms containing the arts articles are well cordoned off . The staff followed and imposed the covid protocol very strictly and stringently which was very heartening. The Hall of Ambassadors is majestic and grand. It is still an area opened up to host various national and diplomatic guests . Preparations were on to host when we visited. The room is royal and is something to boast about. The Throne room,music room or the private rooms come with interesting stories, explanations and anecdotes.. It is advisable to take a certified guide along as with their voice modulation, gestures and expressions they make the history visible. The garden around the palace is well planned, symmetrical and has a variety. The statue of Queen Maria I is impressive and can not be missed as it stands solitary and regal. . The Tiles Corridor Hallway was my personal favourite as the panels represented the four seasons, various continents , classical mythology and scenes from regular daily lives of the...