In the heart of the town, the National Palace of Sintra has witnessed the course of Portuguese history, bringing together in a single complex several royal residences built, adapted and expanded over the centuries. The origins of its oldest nucleus remain an enigma, but point to the period when Sintra was under Islamic rule (10th–11th centuries).

A visit takes you through a place that safeguards memories and landmark events — a palace shaped by layers of history: courtly life, refuge in times of plague, cooler summer retreats, and the succession of reigns that left their mark here.