National Palace of Sintra: the chimneys, the Hall of Blazons and the tickets

The two white conical chimneys in every photograph of Sintra are the exterior of the kitchen at the National Palace of Sintra. They stand about 33 metres tall and they are not decoration: they were functional, and you can still see the structure from inside, with the ranges and worktops on the ground floor.

This is the oldest palace in Sintra and the only Portuguese royal palace continuously lived in from the 15th century to the end of the monarchy. That explains the mixture of languages: Gothic, Manueline, Mudéjar and Renaissance layers sit in the same building, each added by a different king.

The three rooms that justify the visit

The Hall of Blazons

An octagonal dome carrying the coats of arms of seventy-two Portuguese noble families, commissioned by King Manuel I in the early 16th century. The walls carry 18th-century tile panels with hunting scenes. It is the grandest room in the palace and the one that best survives being full of people.

The Magpie Room

The ceiling is covered in painted magpies, each holding a rose in its beak with the motto "por bem" — for the good. Tradition credits the commission to King João I, to silence court gossip about a kiss given to a lady-in-waiting. The story may be legend; the 15th-century ceiling is not.

The Swan Room

Twenty-seven swans painted into wooden coffers, each in a different position. This was the main reception room, and it is the most complete medieval painted ceiling surviving in Portugal.

Also worth stopping for: the kitchen beneath the chimneys, and the Palatine Chapel with its original Mudéjar floor.