Ajuda National Palace
High above Belém, the unfinished neoclassical palace that was home to the royal family until 1910, with rooms decorated by Queen Maria Pia.
Ajuda National Palace
The Ajuda National Palace, high on the hill above Belém, is the great royal palace of 19th-century Lisbon. Construction began in 1802, during the regency of Prince John, in a neoclassical style meant to make it one of the largest palaces in Europe. The design, by Francisco Xavier Fabri and José da Costa e Silva, was never completed: the court's departure for Brazil in 1807 and a lack of funds forced it to be scaled down, and the last building campaign dates from 1844. It was under King Luís I that the palace came to life, becoming the official residence of the royal family until the end of the Monarchy in 1910. Queen Maria Pia of Savoy took charge of decorating the rooms and gathered a remarkable collection of decorative arts, paintings and furniture, which can still be seen just as it was lived in. Closed when the Republic was proclaimed, it opened as a museum in 1968. State rooms, private apartments and the Throne Room tell the daily life of a royal court, and the palace is also home to the Royal Treasure Museum.
Located at: Palácio Nacional da Ajuda
Address: Largo da Ajuda, 1349-021 Lisboa
Opening hours: 10:00-18:00 (closed on Wednesdays)
Phone: +351 213 637 095
Coordinates: 38.7074655, -9.1977605
Buses: 729, 742, 760
Tram: 18E
Train: Cascais Line, Belém Station
Opened: 1968 (58 years)
