Here we have the grand dame of the Sintra palaces: the oldest, the most aristocratic, and the best-preserved medieval royal residence. If you’re going to be in Sintra, all of those should put visiting the National Palace of Sintra on your must-do list.

I’ve seen my fair share of palaces, but I’ve never seen one that looks so unadorned on the outside …

… and so elaborate on the inside.

Palace Shaped by the Centuries

These contrasts seem fitting for the National Palace of Sintra — aka the Town Palace — summer playground of kings and a mash-up of centuries of art and architecture. It’s hard to make sense out of this place, which isn’t really a single palace at all. Instead, it is a series of palaces, which developed over centuries as a succession of kings decided to build, rebuild, and redecorate. One look at the higgledy-piggledy layout of this model shows you that it was not planned by a single architect:

The Town Palace had its origins in the 1100s, but the earliest surviving part of the building is the 14th-century chapel (under construction at the time of my visit).

The next major building campaign took place in the early 1400s; then the palace saw more additions and restoration a century later. An earthquake knocked down entire sections in the 1700s, so there was more rebuilding … and, well, you get the picture. This place is a product of many eras and many whims. Want a particular Portuguese architectural style? Go ahead and choose from Gothic, Manueline, Moorish, and Mudéjar — they’re all here. And they’re often blended together.

Magnificent Ceilings

If I had to pick a highlight of the Sintra Palace, it would be the ceilings. Several of these seem to feature birds, including the ceiling of the Sala dos Cisnes (Swan Hall) …

… and the Sala das Pegás (Magpie Room):

As a side note, no one has any idea why there’s a ceiling featuring magpies. We do know that the words around each magpie, “Por Bem,” mean “Willingly,” the motto of King João I.

Other stunning ceilings include those in the Heraldic Hall …

… the Galley Room …

… the semi-outdoor “Water Grotto” (redecorated in the eighteenth century) …

… and the chapel.

The painted ceiling in the heraldic hall features one blazon, or coat of arms, for each of the 72 richest and most powerful Portuguese families of the early sixteenth century. I like that each panel has a deer with something unique on its head (in this case, a tiny castle and a unicorn).

Traditional Portuguese Tiles

An easy runner-up for the “best part of the castle” award goes to the many tiles on the walls.

You’ll find tiles surrounding fireplaces …

… and carved stone doorways …

… and regular doorways:

There are even entire walls of tile in both the Heraldic Hall …

… and the Water Grotto.

While those may be my favorite elements, the most famous part of the Town Palace has to be the twin kitchen chimneys. Built in the early fifteenth century, each is 33 meters tall, and they dominate the skyline of the central square.

Beds, Boxes, and Bathtubs

There aren’t many furnishings in the older sections of the palace, with the notable exception of this fabulously-carved blackwood-and-silver state bed from the 17th century:

Beyond that, the curators have scattered some old and valuable objects in some of the rooms. Unfortunately, these are almost never labeled, so it’s often impossible to tell how old or valuable they might be.

I later learned that, if you are so inclined, you can learn much more about many of the pieces on the palace website. That’s not super-convenient in the moment if you lack wifi, but it’s better than nothing.

The lack of furnishings changes when you reach the private apartments of Queen Maria Pia of Savoy, the last Portuguese queen to inhabit the palace. She lived here in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, and many pieces here — entirely different in style from the rest of the palace — remain in situ.

Faces of the Garden

You can also visit the gardens at Sintra Palace, though they’re tiny. And where the rest of the palace is well-signed, there’s nothing at all in the gardens (once you’ve left the Water Grotto) to let you know what you’re seeing. Some things are self-explanatory …

… but I had questions about these flat-faced figures holding the coat of arms …

… and even more questions about this potentially problematic relief:

If I were pressed for time, I might skip the gardens, though I enjoyed my brief stroll there.

Tips for Visiting the National Palace of Sintra

• You’ll find entry fees, hours and tickets here.
• Long lines and crowded rooms are a summertime phenomenon. If you go first thing in the morning in late January, there are no queues at all, and you can have most rooms entirely to yourself.
• I spent an hour and a half here. You could move through it in an hour if you went more quickly and skipped the gardens.

After Visiting the National Palace: Continuing Your Medieval Portugal Journey

• For more medieval adventures in Sintra, head up to the Moorish Castle.
• Want more medieval grandeur? Explore Portugal’s UNESCO monasteries at Alcobaça, Batalha, and Tomar.
• Excited to spend time in a village entirely enclosed by a medieval wall? Enjoy an afternoon in Óbidos, the town of queens.
• Back in Lisbon, climb to the top of the medieval walls of Castelo de São Jorge.