The foundation stone for the Ajuda Palace was laid in 1795, and it served as the residence of King Luís and Queen Maria Pia, who lived there until 1910; the west wing was not inaugurated until 2021, and a standard admission ticket costs €15.

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Rodrigo Regal

 –  Redator Estagiário

 ·  November 2, 2026

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In 1794, a fire destroyed the Real Barraca, the wooden residence where the royal family had taken up residence in Ajuda after the 1755 earthquake. The following year, on November 9, 1795, the cornerstone of the Ajuda National Palace was laid, based on an initial design by Manuel Caetano de Sousa, later revised by Francisco Xavier Fabri and José da Costa e Silva. Construction dragged on for decades and was never fully completed while there were still kings.

The palace came to life as the seat of the court under King Luís I, who ascended the throne in 1861 and made Ajuda his residence. Queen Maria Pia arrived the following year and lived there until October 1910, when the establishment of the Republic closed the palace’s doors.

The west wing was not inaugurated until 2021

For more than two centuries, the west wing of the building remained unfinished. It was not until June 2021 that the west wing was inaugurated, nearly 226 years after the cornerstone was laid. The project, which also included the redevelopment of the public space on Calçada da Ajuda, represented an investment of approximately 31 million euros, financed primarily by the Lisbon Tourism Development Fund.

What You’ll See at the Palace

On the ground floor, visitors can explore the bedrooms and rooms where the royal family lived their private lives; on the upper floor, the main floor, are the halls used for grand receptions. Queen Maria Pia’s bedroom, decorated in the Napoleon III style, is one of the most striking, as is the Throne Room.

Along the way, visitors will find silverware, paintings, sculptures, furniture, tapestries, and glassware, as well as a collection of approximately 17,000 pieces of porcelain, earthenware, and stoneware.

More than a century after the end of the monarchy, the palace continues to play a role in the State: it is there that governments are sworn in, a tradition that has continued since the Second Constitutional Government on January 30, 1978.

Useful Information

Where: Largo da Ajuda, Lisbon
Hours: Thursday through Tuesday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last admission at 5:15 p.m.); closed on Wednesdays, January 1, Easter Sunday, May 1, June 13, and December
24 and 25 Ticket: €15 for ages 13 and up, no booking fees; children 12 and under are free

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