Pena Palace

Sintra's Pena Palace, the palace's exterior is a fusion of several architectural types. Disney could only dream of anything like Pena Palace. It is both one of the most magnificent palaces in the entire globe and one of the most unique buildings in all of Europe. It was constructed in 1840 over an existing monastery and resembles a fairytale castle. The old monastery was merged into the new structure (including a 16th-century chapel with a marble and alabaster altarpiece, and a Manueline cloister with decorative tiles from 1520).

It is a dream palace that blends elements of the Gothic, Manueline, Moorish, and Renaissance styles, making it one of the best representations of European Romanticism. It is situated at the summit of a mountain. The inside is heavily ornamented with European furniture and oriental china, and there are watchtowers of various shapes. One of the entrances is crowned by the half-man, half-fish Triton. Large cooking items used to make the royal dinners are on display in the kitchen.

Pena is sometimes likened to the Bavarian castles of Germany, but it actually predates Neuschwanstein by two decades and is regarded as the earliest Romantic palace in Europe. Pena is as emblematic of Portugal as Neuschwanstein is to Germany. It was conceived by King Ferdinand, who also gave the order for Pena Park to be planted beneath it.

Location: municipality of Sintra, on the Portuguese Riviera