THE MOST BEAUTIFUL ROYAL PALACES TOUR – Option I (8h)
- Queluz National Palace
- Mafra National Palace
- Ajuda National Palace (Lisbon)
This tour of the royal palaces will take you to discover the most magnificent palaces in the history of the Portuguese monarchy. Over the centuries, several palaces were built in and around Lisbon, and many of them reflecting a time when the Portuguese royal family was the richest in the world, although many of its treasures disappeared with the 1755 earthquake and, later, with the French invasions of the XIX century.
We will start this tour by the imposing Queluz National Palace and its gardens, which are located about 20 min. from the capital. This palace is one of the most remarkable examples of the harmonious connection between nature and the palatial architecture in Portugal. Inspired in the Palace of Versailles, in France, the Palace of Queluz is one of the last buildings built in the Rococo style in the country, flanked by sumptuous gardens of French design. It was ordered to be built in the XVIII century, by the consort king D. Pedro III, as a summer retreat for the royal family, having been permanently inhabited between the end of the XVIII century and the beginning of the XIX century, when the royalty left to Brazil, due to the Napoleonic invasions. Currently, the Queluz Palace is the residence of foreign heads of state on an official visit to Portugal.
The next destination of your tour is the monumental National Palace of Mafra, one of the largest palaces in the world and the most important masterpiece of the Portuguese baroque style, built by the king D. João V in the early XVIII century as a result of a promise he had made if the queen gave him a son. Built with gold from Brazil, this colossal piece of art consists of a basilica, convent and palace. Its greatest treasures are its library, considered one of the most beautiful in Europe, with a precious collection of 36 thousand volumes on average, and its two chimes and six unique organs. The Mafra Palace marks the end of the monarchy in Portugal, having housed the king D. Manuel II, the last king of the country, before his departure for exile in England.
Then, on this tour of the royal palaces, we invite you to go to the charming town of Ericeira, located by the sea and with a long fishing tradition, where you can taste its wonderful fish and seafood. Enjoy your meal.
After a superb lunch, you will visit the great Ajuda National Palace, in Lisbon, whose construction was ordered by the king D. José I, after the terrible 1755 earthquake that devastated the city and destroyed the sumptuous Ribeira Palace, located in Commerce Square, where the royal family lived before. Initially built in masonry, becoming known as the “Royal Tent”, the current palace dates from the late XVIII century, reflecting the traces of the Baroque and Neoclassical styles. The Ajuda Palace houses nowadays one of the most important museums of decorative arts, presenting a unique collection that goes from the XV to the XX centuries, as well as it is still today the location of state protocol ceremonies.
From € 260