Visiting Monserrate: the hours, the restoration and the hill
Opening hours
Two sets, because the park opens half an hour before the palace and closes an hour after it. The deadline that catches people is the last palace ticket at 17:00, an hour before the house closes.
| Open | Last ticket | Last admission | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park | 9:00–19:00 | 17:30 | 18:00 |
| Palace | 9:30–18:00 | 17:00 | 17:30 |
| Ticket office | Closed 12:00–13:00. The automated machines stay available; a booked ticket needs neither | ||
| 11 November 2026 | Site closes 14:00, last admission 13:00 | ||
The ticket office closes 12:00–13:00, with the automated machines running through it; a ticket booked ahead on the platform walks past both, and it is the operator’s own ticket at the same price with fast-track entry. Arriving for opening gets you the park in the cool of the day, the palace as it opens at half past nine, and the coaches still in Sintra town. The ticket, with live dates.
One date to check before you book
On 11 November 2026 the site closes at 14:00, with last admission at 13:00. It is the only dated early closure on the operator’s ticket page. If your Sintra day falls on it, put Monserrate in the morning.
The restoration, in the operator’s own words
The roofing and pantry areas of the palace are under restoration until the first quarter of 2027, with scaffolding and temporary protective covering on the outside of the building, and the operator says the site “will remain open to the public, with all necessary safety conditions ensured”. That is a schedule for building work, and the site is open through all of it.
What visitors this summer report is consistent: the exterior is wrapped, the ten rooms are open, and the park — thirteen points of interest, none of them roofed — is exactly as it was. One reviewer on the ticket listing wrote that the palace and the gardens were magnificent and the only drawback was the exterior under renovation; another, “Outside had scaffolding but inside was picturesque.” Both gave the visit five stars. The gardens are the larger half of the day, and they are the reason to come. The park, point by point.
The hill, and the transfer
The palace sits uphill from the main entrance, and the park’s hop-on hop-off electric transport is temporarily unavailable. In its place the operator offers a transfer supplement on its ticket page — a round trip between the main entrance and the palace, bought separately from admission. Anyone in your party who would rather not walk up should book it before the day. The route up runs through the park you have paid to see, so for everyone else the climb is the visit. The one distance the operator publishes is 850 metres from the main entrance east to the Farmyard. Buses, the road and the transfer.
What a ticket covers
Both halves. Every ticket here covers the park and the palace together, at every age band, which is exactly where this monument differs from Pena, where the park and the palace interior are priced apart. The listing on the platform is the operator’s own ticket at the gate price with fast-track entry and a free app audio guide in four languages, and most listings carry free cancellation up to the day before. What a ticket costs, in a table.
If you are coming on a day trip, two of the six that call at Monserrate include the ticket, one includes it on its ticketed option, and the rest leave the gate fee to be paid on the day — each says which in its own lists, and the tables print them.
Palace and park, fast-trackSintra: Monserrate Palace & Park Ticket
The one most people bookLisbon: Sintra Full Day Pena Palace, Regaleira & Monserrate
Entry included, with the hour setFrom Lisbon: Sintra, Regaleira, Monserrate and Pena Palace
Read next
- What a ticket costs and covers.
- Getting here — train, bus, road and the transfer.
- The park, point by point.
- Is it worth it?
Frequently asked questions
What are the opening hours of Monserrate Palace?
The park is open 9:00–19:00, with the last ticket at 17:30 and the last admission at 18:00. The palace is open 9:30–18:00, with the last ticket at 17:00 and the last admission at 17:30. The ticket office closes 12:00–13:00, though the automated machines stay available and a booked ticket needs neither. On 11 November 2026 the site closes at 14:00, last admission 13:00.
Is Monserrate Palace open during the restoration work?
Yes. The operator is working on the roofing and pantry areas until the first quarter of 2027, with scaffolding and temporary protective covering on the outside of the building, and says the site will remain open to the public with all necessary safety conditions ensured. Visitors this summer describe the rooms and the gardens as unaffected.
Is there transport inside the park up to the palace?
The hop-on hop-off electric transport inside the park is temporarily unavailable. The palace is uphill from the main entrance, and the operator offers a separate paid transfer supplement — round trip, main entrance to palace — on its ticket page.
Does the ticket cover the palace as well as the park?
Yes, at every age band. There is no park-only ticket at Monserrate, which is where it differs from Pena. Booked ahead on the platform it is the operator’s own ticket at the gate price, with fast-track entry and a free app audio guide.