First things first, you can visit this place and I highly recommend that you do, with a baby in a stroller (we had baby yoyos with a car seat on top). We didn’t find reliable information confirming this prior to our visit so we weren’t sure how things would turn out but I am glad we went as this place is MESMERIZING. We went in mid-March and it is so peaceful and beautiful. There were other people ofc but it didn’t feel crowded at all at any time. So glad we decided to go here instead of Pena Palace. Amazing garden and beautiful, fairytale-like architecture. You can buy tickets at the front gate which has a small parking lot next to it. From there you can either walk down a path that includes stairs, or if you’re like us and have a stroller, you follow the wheelchair signs and go down an accessible street/pathway. The pathway down is partly cobblestoned but not too bumpy. It takes about 5min to get down to the castle. But before you get there, there’s a nice little cafe in an old red building where they serve lunch also (soup etc.). The gardens are the best part of the experience. There are some ruins there so it does require some lifting to go through them, if you want to go further into the garden(the accesible route next to the ruins seemed to be under maintenance so couldnt use it with the stroller). I highly recommed that you take a local taxi there, ie. someone who actually knows the way there. On the day of our visit, part of the road was closed due to a tourist bus getting stuck driving the wrong way on a oneway street (as per our taxi driver google maps isnt always correct when it comes to the streets of Sintra park). We started our visit by going to the village of Sintra first, hoping to get more information on the accessibility of the Monserrate palace from the tourist info. They didn’t know which I thought was a bit odd!! Overall Sintra in itself was chaotic and IMO to be avoided at all cost. Small, narrow streets with A LOT of tourists even in March, tour busses and tour sales people everywhere, as well as the most annoying tuktuks zigzaging everywhere. My advice is to just take a taxi (e.g) from the train station, if you’re coming from Lisbon, to get you where you want. Local taxis use their own app “Taxi Link” which is how we ordered a taxi back when we left the palace. Our ride back from Monserrate Palace to Cascais was about 40€ so definitely not much considering you avoid all the hassle.

Very nice, the park is really big and it is nice to visit it. Attention access to the park is allowed until 19 but the building closes at 17.30. It is not crowded like other places in Sintra, and very quiet and pleasant to visit. I recommend it by buying the combined ticket with the other attractions in Sintra so you have a little discount.

One of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen, with a lot of exotic species and very well cared for. It is difficult to decide what to photograph first. The palace is small but very elegant, you may easily imagine what a noble man's life looked like here in the 19th and early 20th century. Much less crowded compared to Pena, Montserrat Palace offers a more pleasant visiting experience and the entrance ticket is 12 euro compared to 20 at Pena. Take the bus from the rail station to get here, it is the farthest located palace from the center of Sintra and is not reachable by walking.

We took the bus 435 to get there which takes you to the front entrance. We bought our tickets online ( 10 euros for senior) and we also had bought on line the audio tour which we downloaded. It’s a palace villa, located near Sintra that served as a traditional summer resort for the Cook family in the foothills overlooking the Atlantic Ocean , north of Lisbon. The park and palace are true masterpieces of romanticism . In 17th century , the Castro family took possession..In 1755, after the Lisbon earthquake, the farmhouse became unliveable. In 1789, a English man Gerard de Visme rented the farm.. In 1793-94 , Beckford designed a landscape garden..in 1863, Louis Cook purchased this ruined placed and with help of architects , he built the palace Monserrate as a summer home for himself and his family… The grounds, the gardens is full of plants organized in geographical areas..there is a very rocky pathway uphill and downhill , …large park designed in a romantic style with a lake, several springs + fountains, grottoes..surrounded by lush greenery , a Mexican garden, a rose garden etc.. The Palace itself is breathtaking , with a lot of Arabic influences..the decor , the ceilings are exquisite…however the rooms don’t have much furniture, they were sold off …it had a display box of what it should have looked like in the days with the furniture…..as you approach the exit there is a cafe and a gift shop… Less crowded than the other places but a great place to visit!

An opportunity to review this beautiful palace in a splendid natural environment. We were accompanied by a guide of great quality who made us a thorough tour telling us interesting details of the various occupants and owners, namely of those who printed a decisively romantic cunning to that space and palace: Gerard Devisme e Sir Francis Cook. The garden deserved a particular highlight given the richness and variety of species existing and the visit to the palace led us to the exotic and dream environments of a certain English dominant class of the late century. XIX. To note the small coffee and store existing in the place very nice environment.

The Monserrate Palace is located in a beautiful sprawling landscaped park that invites you to linger. The fairytale castle was built in the Moorish-Neo-Gothic style, a very nice mix of styles, I think. Unlike the other castles in Sintra, Monserrate is fortunately not crowded with tourists.

By taxi we drove for quite a while through dense forests, partly walled until we finally stood in front of the entrance. The beautiful park with its various themed gardens invites you to linger, you can easily spend a whole day here. The castle is a gem and encourages you to dream... Everything looks like a single piece, with perfect harmony down to the smallest detail! How nice that this jewel was uncovered again after years of "sleeping beauty" and can be visited! In a cafeteria in the park you can eat a little something (delicious Pasteis de Nata...) and drink. Back we walked down the street and enjoyed the tranquility and the great trees before heading back into the "buzz" of Sintra... The Moserrate Palace is our absolute recommendation and very relaxing!!!

By far my favourite of the 3 castles/palaces we visited in Sintra! I hesitated before writing this review as I don't want everyone flocking to it like Pena, but people should know how great this is. The best part by far is the gardens- they are massive and so diverse! We spent over an hour just walking around to the different areas (lake, desert plants, trees). We liked that there was a challenge you could do also where you have to go to each QR code and scan you had been there to check it off because it led us to parts of the grounds we might not otherwise have discovered. (There is a "prize" discount at the giftshop for doing this, but we did it just for the challenge). The palace itself is beautiful- so intricate and full of special details. It's not that big so don't get your hopes up on it being massive, but it is a special place.

If you enjoy beautiful gardens with interesting planting and a stunning location go here and skip Pena palace. Although quite amazing Pena Palace has several real downsides namely the crowds, the poor cafe and the truly horrendous restrictive ticketing system. (we met an Aussie family who were denied entry having been delayed by the slowness of the transfer system ) Choose Monserrat and have relaxing interesting day at a fascinating small but perfectly formed palace with extensive gardens. It's like the best of the smaller less well known National Trust properties. AND it has a delightful cafe with a shady terrace and good light lunches _ what's not to like. Take the 435 bus from Sintra station (goes a couple o times an hour) for a stress free 20 minute drive. The best day out we had in Portugal.

The gardens are massive and extremely well maintained with a huge variety of plants, shrubs and trees. The palace itself is small, rather like an English estate home but also nicely maintained and furnished. The architectural detail is beautiful. Less busy than some of the other sights of Sintra so very peaceful. The coffee shop offers a variety of tea, coffee and pastries at a reasonable price. Wi-Fi is available. And there is a senior discount offered.