The thousand-year-old history of the Palace of the Town of Sintra began during the Muslim occupation of the Iberian Peninsula. This Palace is also called Town Palace, because it’s located in the town of Sintra. Anyone visiting Sintra, going up the large curve around the valley known as the “Volta do Duche”, is immediately struck by the clear white outline of the Town Palace which dominates with its two immense cones that corresponded to its colossal chimneys. No one will remain indifferent to the originality and the bizarre character of this rich building, resting in the valley and facing the very small town just ahead.

This is one of Sintra’s main tourist attractions. This magical village with its extravagant neo-Manueline gardens, dreamed by an Italian opera designer, Luigi Manini, under the orders of the Brazilian tycoon of precious stones and transport, António Carvalho Monteiro, known by Monteiro dos Millões.

Monserrate Palace is a beautiful 19th century stately home. This extravagantly decorated palace blends Portuguese, Arabian and Indian architectural styles and is one the most beautiful buildings in Sintra. The palace was commissioned by Francis Cook, an English textile baron, who used the estate as a summer retreat. The grounds of the Monserrate Palace hide specialist and exotic gardens with non-native plants. This palace is the smallest of Sintra’s three palaces but it is by far the most decorative and beautiful one.