Not far from the Palácio Nacional da Pena and next to Quinta da Regaleira lies one of the most underrated palaces in Sintra: the Biester Palace. With its unique black roof edged in turquoise, this building awakes the curiosity of many people who visit Sintra. The palace itself gained popularity as a key filming location for Roman Polanski’s thriller ‘The Ninth Gate,’ starring Johnny Depp, who also visited Sintra and the Biester Palace during that time.
The history and Johnny Depp’s visit at Biester Palace
In the 1880s, Biester Palace came to life under the guidance of Ernesto Biester, a distinguished journalist and playwright with German roots. Architect José Luis Monteiro, inspired by the English ‘Queen Ann’ style, created a masterpiece that combines Neo-Gothic and Neo-Romantic elements into a harmonious whole. The involvement of Luigi Manini, celebrated for his work on Quinta da Regaleira and various European theaters, alongside sculptor Leandro Braga, contributed to the mansion’s complex interior design.
The great thing about this underrated palace in Sintra is that you will rarely find any other visitors. We had the entire palace for ourselves when we visited Biester in February 2024, but for sure it will become more popular in the future. As we also watched the film ‘The Ninth Gate’ with Johnny Depp long before our visit, it was great to finally experience the mystique and magical atmosphere on the spot.
Beautiful garden with waterfalls and viewpoint at the top
During our visit at Biester Palace, we were amazed by the design and the small details in every room. However, the interior of Biester Palace is as fascinating as its exterior. With a centralized layout featuring a grand staircase, the garden is quite big with different places to discover. You will find many waterfalls, one viewpoint at the top (great view over Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira & Castelo dos Mouros) and the Bordallo Pinheiro Tour.
While walking through the garden, which took us in total more than an hour, we enjoyed the beautiful scents of the different flowers and plants. On top, there is also a small tea house to take a rest as well as a picnic park.
Where to buy tickets for Biester Palace in Sintra?
If you plan a visit at Biester Palace in Sintra, you should plan enough time for your visit. We spend nearly two hours in the palace and its beautiful garden. In addition, we would recommend buying a ticket through this link*, as the price for a ticket is more expensive, when you buy it directly at the Biester Palace (we payed 12€ per person).
Good to know: The Biester Palace opened for the public in 2022. Before it was not possible to visit this secret palace in Sintra.
*Ad: The link shown above is an affiliate link. We ourselves are convinced of the services offered and have even used some of them ourselves. The revenue is used to finance the operation of our website.
