PALÁCIO DE QUELUZ

The palace lies on Lisboa-Sintra train line, twenty minutes away from Lisbon's Rossio station. The station is called Queluz-Bela and the palace is within a ten minutes walk. Nothing else worth seeing in Queluz.

SINTRA

On the other hand, there is lots to see in Sintra. We walked from the train station up the hill to the Palácio Nacional, a beautiful example of Gothic-Manueline style tempered with a great deal of Moorish influence, distinguished by its vast pair of white conical chimneys.

After another long walk up the hill, Castelo dos Mouros, a truly spectacular ninth century castle, of which only the outside defense walls remain.

From butch to mock-medieval: Our next stop was the Palácio da Pena: a compelling riot of kitsch, built in the 1840s by a German baron architect. Did I say queer?