Queluz National Palace is an 18th-century royal palace with formal gardens in Queluz, in the municipality of Sintra. Prince Pedro, the future King Pedro III, began the works in 1747 with the architect Mateus Vicente de Oliveira, and the French architect and goldsmith Jean-Baptiste Robillion added the state rooms after 1760.
The palace was the official residence of the royal family from 1794 to 1807.
What to see at Queluz National Palace
- Throne Room: a state room added by Robillion at the end of the 1760s, which was not part of the first plan. It has gilded carved woodwork and tall mirrors.
- Ambassadors Room: a reception hall created by Pedro III for official visits.
- Music Room: a hall used for concerts and receptions by the royal family.
- Robillion Pavilion: the pavilion of private rooms, with a staircase that links the palace to the gardens.
- Don Quixote Room: a bedroom decorated with scenes from Cervantes' novel, where King Pedro IV was born and died.
- Gardens: formal gardens with statues, lakes and fountains, including the Hanging Garden, the Malta Garden and a canal lined with tile panels.
History of Queluz National Palace
- 1747: Prince Pedro appoints the architect Mateus Vicente de Oliveira to expand the old palace at Queluz.
- 1760: Pedro marries Princess Maria, heir to the throne, and larger works begin under Jean-Baptiste Robillion, who works on the palace until 1782.
- 1786: King Pedro III dies, and Queen Maria I lives at Queluz during her illness.
- 1794: after a fire destroys the royal residence at Ajuda in Lisbon, Queluz becomes the official residence of Queen Maria I and the Prince Regent, the future King João VI.
- 1807: the royal family leaves Queluz for Brazil during the French invasion.
- After 1826: the palace is used less by the royal family.
- 1934: a fire destroys much of the interior, and the palace is restored afterwards.
Visiting Queluz National Palace
- Management: Parques de Sintra manages the palace and gardens. Its website publishes current opening times and prices.
- Location: the palace stands in the centre of Queluz, between Lisbon and Sintra. Queluz-Belas station on the Sintra railway line is the nearest train station.
- Distance from Sintra town: Queluz is in the east of the municipality, about 13 kilometres in a straight line from the historic centre of Sintra.