Often overlooked in lieu of other palaces, gardens and monuments closer to the river, as the only visitable royal palace in Lisbon, Palácio Nacional da Ajuda gives visitors a look inside the Portuguese Royal Family’s last official residence, where most of the rooms are as they were in the 19th century.
The Palace
If the proportions of Palácio Nacional da Ajuda (palacioajuda.gov.pt) seem off when you step inside the interior courtyard, your eyes aren’t deceiving you – after the Portuguese Royal Family was forced to seek exile in Brazil following the French invasions (1807), construction stopped and never resumed.
But after entering the building, the explosion of frescoes, tapestries, heavy velvet drapes and silk-covered walls quickly overrides the thought of being inside a half-finished palace. It's hard to weigh the importance of each room, but when it comes to beauty, the Queen's Chamber takes the prize (despite some wear and tear) – the cobalt blue silk covering the walls was handpicked by King Luís I to compliment the demanding tastes of his future wife, Italian princess Maria Pia.
The Crown Jewels
No other setting would be as perfect to showcase the royal jewels as the palace. The back of the building was closed off, and the interior courtyard no longer leads to doors and windows without rooms but to Museu do Tesouro Real (tesouroreal.pt). Despite Portugal’s over 800-year-old history, only jewels from two 19th-century reigns survived. On the bright side, a small collection means more time to see each piece in detail.
