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The majestic palace of Queluz marks the half way point between Rossio and Sintra. Arguably the most graceful example of the rococo style in Portugal, behind the soothing candy pink façade the baroque interior oozes French grandeur and Portuguese eclecticism, and is truly redolent of 18th-century aristocratic court life. The formal Italian gardens are worth a visit alone. The regal aura is palpable, and the palace remains the setting for grand official functions. Apart from the palace, the unbefitting and rather grotty town of Queluz has little appeal.
Trains from Rossio to Queluz-Belas take 20 mins. e2.20 return. The Palácio de Queluz is signposted from the station, a 10 to 15 min stroll.
Sights
Palácio de Queluz
1000-1300, closed Tue and during official functions.
Exuding French palatial pomp and circumstance and a lofty look- but-don’t-touch factor, the palace of Queluz has appropriately been garlanded with the sobriquet ‘Portugal’s Versailles’. It was designed by architect Mateus Vicente de Oliveira to transform Dom Pedro III’s 17th-century hunting lodge into a graceful rococo summer palace and was completed in 1747. The flamboyant interior is the epitome of 18th-century baroque with a profusion of tiles, Florentine paintings, ornate crystal chandeliers and Chippendale furniture. Look out for the stunning murals of Cervante’s Don Quixote in the royal bedroom. Following the wedding of Dom Pedro III to Queen Dona Maria I in 1760, it was embellished further by French architect Jean-Baptiste Robillion.
More Italian in style, the gardens are quite out of keeping with the prevalent fad for all things French. From Holland came lime trees, chestnut trees, elms and boxwood. In all, some 233 statues were sculpted, painted and gilded in England, with Anglophile themes of classical mythology and allegories.
The royal kitchens have been converted into a restaurant Cozinha Velha, which serves traditional, rather mediocre, Portuguese food, although the wine list is suitable monumental.
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