Palace of the Marquesses of Fronteira (Palácio dos Marqueses de Fronteira) - Garden

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It was the second last day of our Lisbon trip. We went to places depending on the weather.  If it was a day of sunshine, we went to famous spots (e.g. Sintra), the sea (e.g. Cascais, Setubal).  Museum is the choice for rainy or cloudy days. The sun hid itself in the morning. It meant we could not go far but stay in Lisbon. We could finally visit the Palace of the Marqueesses of Fronteira which is famous for its fabulous tile works, second to the National Azulejo Museum. 

The Fronteira Palace was built in 1640 for the first Marquis of Fronteira, Dom Joao de Mascarenhas (bestowed with the title of Marquis of Fronteira for his allegiance to King Pedro II).  It was served as hunting pavilion.



Today, the Fronteira Palace is a privately owned property. A few parts are opened to the public on a tight schedule. The palace is only opened in the morning and accessed through guided tour.  The beautiful garden can be visited with €4 during the opening time. Call in advance about the opening time.


On the day of the visit, we could only stay two hours. We chose to stay in the garden which was amazingly green and huge. At time, it was cool but did not stop the blossom of flowers. Beautiful vibrant colours were added to the lush green in the gloomy weather.

 
 

The area of the carefully arranged garden hits 5.5 hectares. Apart from the spectacular scenery of the ingeniously cut hedges, visitors can explore and appreciate beautiful and vivid tile panels and the statuary where sculptural works rendering the Kings of Portugal.

The oldest part of the castle is a 16th century chapel.  It is made with shells, ceramic tiles and special sculptures.



Some visitors found it difficult to reach the palace.  You can refer to the map below. Basically, just take the underground and get off at the Zoological Garden station. Follow the highlighted path.  At a point, you will go over a foot bridge over the highway.  Close to the palace one will need to walk a bit up slope.



Phone: 00351 217 782023


Date of visit: 9 May 2018

Location: Largo São Domingos de Benfica, 1500-554 Lisboa, Portugal

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