One of the most interesting examples of Sintra Romanticism

History

The Palace and adjoining gardens take their name from a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Monserrate built by Friar Gaspar Preto in 1540, after visiting the sanctuary of Monserrate, close to Barcelona in Spain.

The church maintained its activity until the 18th century at the beginning of which the chapel was abandoned.

Nevertheless, in 1718, the estate of Monserrate was assigned to Caetano Melo e Castro, Commendatory of the Knights of Christ and Viceroy of India.

Severely damaged by the 1755 earthquake , the estate was then rented to a wealthy Irish business man, Gerald de Visme, who commissioned the construction of a Neo-Gothic palace where he resided for a short period.

n 1794, the English writer William Beckford settled in Monserrate, redecorated the palace and landscaped the gardens.

In 1809, Lord Byron visited the place and described it as the 'first and foremost beautiful place in the Kingdom' in its lengthy narrative poem Childe Harold's Pilgrimage .

In 1856, the abandoned estate was bought by another wealthy Englishman, Francis Cook , later 1st Viscount of Monserrate.

He built a fabulous Oriental-style palace, with revivalist elements, which became the perfect testimony of the Neo-Romanesque architecture and of the superior creativity of architect James Knowles Jr .

The area surrounding the palace was transformed into an exotic garden with plants from all over the world which landscaping was commissioned to an English gardener, James Burt.

Presently the garden is considered to be an important Botanical garden.

Monserrate Palace

The Palace

Interior of the Monserrate Palace

 

Monserrate Palace

 

Monserrate Palace Music Room

Music Room

Monserrate Palace

 

Monserrate Palace

 

Opening hours

Open all year except December 25th and January 1st

Summer 2018
up to

Palace: From 09:30 until 19:00 - last entry 18:15

Gardens: From 09:30 until 20:00 - last entry 19:00

Winter 2017-2018
up to

Palace & Gardens: From 10:00 until 18:00 - last entry 17:00

€ Prices up to Oct 27, 2018

Adult (18-64 years) Entry 8,00
Youth (6-17 years) Entry 6,50
Senior (over 64 years) Entry 6,50
Family (2 adults + 2 youth) Entry 26,00

Accommodation nearby

nearest:

Booking.com
Quinta São Thiago Guesthouse
see on Google Maps

Getting there

Coordinates: 38.7934465; -9.34200361

Address: Rua Visconde de Monserrate, 2710-591 Sintra Portugal

4 km from Sintra National Palace (Sintra's historical centre)

Bus 435 (4 Palaces line)

11 minutes to and from Sintra Train Station

Frequency:
Every 25 minutes, from 09:40 until 18:15
Detailed timetable

Sintra Bus 435 Itinerary Diagram

Itinerary:
Sintra Train Station > Historic City Centre, Tourist Office, Sintra National Palace > Regaleira Palace > Seteais Palace > Monserrate Palace > Seteais Palace > Regaleira Palace > Historic City Centre, Sintra National Palace > Sintra Train Station

Route Calculator | Scotturb, Cascais Sintra Busses Website
Public transportation in Sintra

Monserrate Palace immerged in the forest