It is a significant tourist attraction, and is part of the cultural landscape of Sintra, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The other, now known as the Castelo dos Mouros (Castle of the Moors), located atop a high hill overlooking modern Sintra, is now a romantic ruin.

The castle now known as Sintra National Palace, located downhill from the Castelo dos Mouros, was the residence of the Islamic Moorish Taifa of Lisbon rulers of the region.

[1] The blend of Gothic, Manueline, Moorish, and Mudéjar styles in the present palace is, however, mainly the result of building campaigns in the 15th and early 16th centuries.

The earliest surviving part of the palace is the Royal Chapel, possibly built during the reign of Dinis I in the early 14th century.

[5] The other major building campaign that defined the structure and decoration of the palace was sponsored by Manuel I between 1497 and 1530, using the wealth engendered by the exploratory expeditions in this Age of Discoveries.

A sad story associated with the palace is that of the mentally unstable Afonso VI, who was deposed by his brother Peter II and forced to live without leaving the residence from 1676 until his death in 1683.