• Timed palace entry on every ticket: be at the palace door at your slot, since late arrivals are turned away and not refunded
• A 30-minute climb from the park gate to the palace, with a small transfer from the main entrance (book it with your ticket) if kids can't manage the walk
• Quieter afternoons at the palace, per Parques de Sintra, so explore the park in the morning and book a later palace slot

King Ferdinand II built this castle-like palace on a summit of the Sintra hills: red and yellow walls, towers, terraces and a stone Triton over one archway. Kids walk the terraces and a circuit of rooms inside.

The surrounding Park of Pena is Portugal's largest arboretum, with woodland paths, the Valley of Lakes, a fern valley, the Chalet of the Countess of Edla and the High Cross lookout.