We were not in Lisbon very long before deciding to hop onto a commuter train and explore a bit farther out. The places to go in Lisbon are spread far and wide across the region, so you really need to get comfortable using public transportation.
We no longer have the urge to try to beat tour groups to most places, instead preferring to go mid to late afternoon, after most tour groups have gone for the day. With that in mind, one afternoon we walked over to the Roma-Areeiro train station and caught a commuter train to Queluz to visit Palácio Nacional e Jardins de Queluz (the Queluz National Palace and Gardens).
This royal palace (one of several in the area) was built in the 18th century as a summer retreat and, for a time, was the residence of Queen Maria I. More recently it was used as a residence for visiting foreign heads of state. In 2012 it became a national monument.
Tickets can be purchased online or at the palace. An adult ticket costs €13, though online you get a small discount on tickets purchased several days in advance. During the summer timed entry tickets are required. In September we bought a ticket for a certain date, but not a certain time.
After the 30 minute train ride we had about a 15 to 20 minute walk through town to reach the palace. Finding the palace was not difficult as signs direct the route.
The actual entry is at the back corner of the palace. It is not very impressive. As we walked in, I could not help but wonder if we just wasted €26. The entry does nothing but crush expectations.
We walked into the gift shop, had our tickets scanned, and began the self-guided tour. Signs are in Portuguese and English, which was nice.
In maybe the fourth or fifth room we got a glance outside at the gardens and saw what is the front of the palace. It looked fantastic. I felt a lot better about the place once I realized we entered a side door.
Our self-guided tour through dozens of rooms took about 45 minutes. The palace is reasonably nice, with fairly minimal furnishings in most rooms. During our walk through we saw three employees and zero other visitors inside the palace. I guess this place is not on the radar of most tour groups.
The tour of the inside ends at a small café, which was closed for some reason when we were there. It would have been a nice place to get a drink and snack had it been open.
We walked outside into the gardens at the back of the palace. There the gardens are nice, but nothing special. The gardens get better around the side and towards the front. A small botanical garden with greenhouses contains plants from around the world.
After 45 minutes of walking around outside, we saw a few gardeners and maybe five other visitors.
At the end of the tour you finally get to the front of the palace. The best is clearly saved for last, and we left quite happy with our visit to the Queluz National Palace and Gardens.
Continuing with the palace theme, a few days later we made our way to Palácio Nacional da Ajuda (the National Palace of Ajuda), the 19th century residence of the royal family.
Unfortunately the palace is not near a metro station. Using Google Maps’ public transit display, it only took a few minutes to figure out that Tram 18 goes directly from the Cais do Sodre metro station to the palace, which is how we arrived.
Trams in Lisbon do not exactly have smooth rides and are not air conditioned. On the plus side, this particular tram is not crowded with tourists. After a short ride we hopped off the tram at the rear of the palace building.
To reach the entrance to the palace we walked past the Museu do Tesouro Real (the Royal Treasury Museum) and through the large courtyard. Palace tickets cost €15 each. The self-guided tour goes through 40 rooms and took us about an hour. Signs are in Portuguese, French, and English. We saw a couple of employees and maybe five other visitors during our tour. It was great.
Because it was hot out, we skipped walking over to the gardens across the street. We thought about going to the Royal Treasury Museum instead, but a lack of interest in looking at small objects, and the €11 ticket cost, made the decision not to go fairly clear.
Instead of riding a hot and stuffy tram back to the Cais do Sodre metro station, we caught a ride on Bus 760 from a bus stop in front of the palace. Most tram routes in Lisbon are also serviced by busses that follow a very similar, if not exact, route. Take a tram if you want to, but know that the busses are more comfortable and have air conditioning.
Garrett and Stephanie
If you have not already done so, read our other posts about Lisbon:
Lisboa, Portugal (September, 2025, Part I). Sorting out Navegante options, finding salad dressing, and beer tasting.
Lisboa, Portugal (September, 2025, Part III). Just a pantheon, monastery, cathedral, church, and castle.
Lisboa, Portugal (September, 2025, Part IV). Striking out at two of the Seven Wonders of Portugal; redemption at Oceanário de Lisboa.
For additional posts about Portugal, or elsewhere in the world, check out our Travel Blog. It contains collected links to all of our travel posts.
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