National Palace of Sintra

Of all the Sintra palaces, this is the one with the deepest roots. The Palácio Nacional de Sintra, also called the Palácio da Vila, stands right in the town square, and its two enormous conical chimneys, rising like white cones above the kitchens, are the symbol of the town. The site was a residence of the Moorish governors before the Portuguese crown took it in the twelfth century, and Portuguese kings and queens used and rebuilt it from the Middle Ages until the end of the monarchy, which makes it the best-preserved medieval royal palace in the country. Most of what you see dates from two great building campaigns, under King João I in the fifteenth century and King Manuel I in the early sixteenth, and the mix of Gothic, Mudéjar and Manueline styles gives it a character quite unlike the romantic fantasies on the hills above. The rooms are the reason to go. The Swan Room has a ceiling painted with swans, each with a golden collar. The Magpie Room is covered in painted magpies holding a scroll with the motto Por Bem, linked to a story of João I being caught kissing a lady-in-waiting. The Coat of Arms Room, under a gilded wooden dome, displays the arms of the leading noble families of the sixteenth century above walls of blue-and-white tile panels. Elsewhere you find Mudéjar tiles that are among the oldest in Portugal, a chapel, inner courtyards and finally the vast kitchens beneath the chimneys. It is managed by Parques de Sintra, and because it is in the town centre it is the easiest of the major palaces to visit.

Why it matters: Pena and Regaleira are nineteenth- and twentieth-century dreams, but the National Palace is the real thing, a working royal residence where history happened. Kings hunted in the hills from here and escaped Lisbon's summer heat; King Sebastião is said to have planned his ill-fated African campaign here; and King Afonso VI, deposed by his brother, spent his last years confined in the palace, where the floor of his room is said to be worn by his pacing. The tiles alone make it a must for anyone interested in azulejos: the palace holds one of the most important collections of early tilework in the country, from geometric Mudéjar patterns to sixteenth-century panels, and it is the perfect primer before or after a visit to the National Tile Museum in Lisbon.

Working the visit: follow the one-way route through the state rooms at your own pace; there are guided-tour options if you want the stories told in full. Look up constantly, because the painted ceilings are the highlights, and leave time for the Coat of Arms Room, where a small terrace looks out over the town and up to the Moorish Castle. The kitchens, with their soaring chimney cones seen from inside, close the visit. It takes about an hour and a quarter. Because it sits on the main square, it is an easy first stop straight off the train before you tackle the hills, or a calm last stop while you wait for the train back.

Fitting it in: from Rossio station, the train to Sintra takes under an hour, and the palace is a pleasant walk from Sintra station. Pair it with a pastry from one of the old cafés on the square, Quinta da Regaleira a short walk away, and Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle up the hill. It is usually less crowded than Pena, but tour groups pass through in the middle of the day in summer, so go early or late. Mostly indoors, it is also the best Sintra choice on a showery day.