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LISBON
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- Rossio Square
- Santa Justa Elevator
- Tram 28
Viewpoints
- Miradouro de Santa Catarina
- Miradouro de Santa Luzia
- Miradouro das Portas do Sol
- Miradouro São Pedro Alcântara
Castles & Palaces
- Ajuda Palace
- Belém Palace
- Belém Tower
- Castle of São Jorge
- Fronteira Palace
- Neccessidades Palace
- Queluz Palace
- São Bento Palace
Religious Buildings
- Carmo Convent
- Cathedral (Sé)
- Conceição Velha Church
- Estrela Basilica
- Graça Church
- Jeronimos Monastery
- Memória Church
- National Pantheon of Santa Engracia
- Saint Anthony Church
- São Domingos Church
- São Roque Church
- São Vicente de Fora Monastery
Zoological
- Aquario Vasco da Gama
- Lisbon Zoo
- Oceanarium
Museums and Galleries
- Banksy Museum
- Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
- Carris Transport Museum
- Fado Museum
- Interactive Science Museum
- Lisbon Museum
- MAAT (Museum of Art,
Architecture and Technology) - Military Museum
- MUDE
- National Archeology Museum
- National Coach Museum
- National Museum of Ancient Art
- National Tile Museum
- Orient Museum
- Planetarium Calouste Gulbenkian
- Quake
- Roman Theatre and Museum
- Water Museum (Mãe d’Água das Amoreiras Reservoir)
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- Eat
- Sleep
- Activities
- Info
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SINTRA
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MISCELLANEOUS
- Capuchos Convent
- Parque da Pena (Pena Park)
- Peninha Sanctuary
Lisbon Card DiscountsHISTORIC CENTRE
- About
- Fountains
- Sintra Myths & Legends
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- Close By
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MAFRA
Welcome to Mafra, a charming town steeped in history and natural beauty, just a short distance from Lisbon. At the heart of Mafra lies its crowning jewel, the magnificent Mafra National Palace, Portugal's largest building and possibly the most extravagant. This colossal Baroque palace complex, built in the 18th century, boasts stunning architecture, including a basilica and library adorned with rare books and manuscripts.Beyond the palace, Mafra offers enchanting outdoor experiences in the surrounding National Park of Sintra-Cascais. Explore lush forests, rolling hills, and scenic trails perfect for hiking and picnicking.
Visitors to Mafra can also discover other notable landmarks, such as the Church of Santo André, the Tapada Nacional de Mafra wildlife reserve, and the picturesque beaches of Ericeira.
To make the most of your visit, consider pre-booking entrance tickets online. This convenient option allows you to skip the queues and secure your entry to popular attractions, ensuring a seamless and stress-free experience. Don't miss the chance to immerse yourself in the rich history and natural splendour of Mafra during your trip to Portugal.
National Palace of Mafra (Palácio Nacional e Convento de Mafra)
It was designed with an obsessive use of geometry and symmetry over a total area of 40,000 sq. metres (48,000 sq. yards). The footprint is a near square at 251 metres (825ft) long by 221 metres (725ft) wide. It has over 4,500 windows and doors throughout 1,200 rooms connected by over 150 flights of stairs. The building is faced with locally quarried Lioz Dourado stone. The whole complex was designed to impress and surpass all other such building which came before. It is a superlative example of Baroque opulence that boasts the wealth and power of the Portuguese crown at this time. It was financed by gold that poured into royal coffers from Brazilian mines. Despite this great influx of wealth, King D. João V almost bankrupt Portugal with his ambitious architectural works such as the one at Mafra.
Construction
The original plans drawn up by the German architect Ludwig were, in comparison, quite modest before the King decided to pull out all the stops and spare no expense. The Italian architect Frederico Ludovice was employed who added an Italian feel to the design. During the height of construction, there were over 15,000 masons, craftsmen, sculptors and the like working on the project. It's rumoured that a garrison of 6,000 troops was camped onsite to ensure law and order. Although the majority of construction was completed by 1730AD work would continue until 1755, five years after King D.João V death, when the devastation wreaked by the Great earthquake required as many workers as possible to rebuild Lisbon.
National Palace of Mafra: Skip the line tickets
ONLINE TICKET
With this entrance ticket you can gain entry to the National Palace of Mafra at your leisure. Book with confidence with FREE CANCELLATION Buy online before you arrive to avoid queues and have the convenience of the e-ticket on your phone…
• The price includes a single entrance to the venue. Tiqets covers the cost of payment processing and provides you with customer service seven days a week.
• It is strictly forbidden to eat and smoke inside the monastery
Wednesday - Monday: 09h00 - 13h00/14h00 - 18h00, Tuesdays: CLOSED.
Last admission: 45 minutes before closing
Adult: €6.00, Child (0-12): FREE
A Royal Residence
Although only designed as a summer residence, nothing less than 666 rooms would do for the comfort of royal living. As a pious couple, the King and Queen had separate quarters, in two large pavilions that occupy the front corners of the palace. The towers are set 220 metres apart, with a church in the centre. Joining corridors allowed the royal couple to observe church services without having to leave their royal chambers.
Great works of art decorated the royal residences featured many commissioned pieces of art by mainly Portuguese, Italian and French artists, including Cirilo Volkmar Machado and Domingos Sequeira. With the approach of Napoleon's troops, the royal family made a speedy departure from the Palace to Brazil, taking most of the valuable furnishings and works of art with them. However, there still remains many considerable pieces. Mafra continued as a Royal residence right up until the end of the Portuguese monarchy, and it was in Mafra where King Manuel II, the last king of Portugal, spent his last night before leaving for exile in 1910.
The Basilica
The consecration of the Basilica occurred on the 22nd of October 1730, the King's 41st birthday. Unique organs were created by António Machado Cerveira and Peres Fontanes. A restoration process started in 1994 until they were finally heard played together for the first time on the 15th of May 2010. In addition to the organs, Mafra has a set of two carillons consisting of forty-nine bells in each housed with either side of the main façade. In the main chapel, a painting by Francesco Trevisani represents the Virgin, Jesus and St. Anthony, to whom the church is dedicated. The marble retables of the side chapels, Holy Family (south) and Blessed Sacrament (north) and the six collateral chapels are attributed to Alessandro Giusti from the Mafra School of Sculpture. The Basilica's other highlights are the ensemble of statues made by Italian masters, the most significant collection of Baroque Italian sculpture outside Italy.
