Sintra City Guide
Mafra Palace: Tickets, Hours, the Closed Basilica and the Bus From Sintra
Mafra Palace costs $17.31 (€15) and sits about 55 minutes from Sintra on bus 2626, which leaves from Portela de Sintra station. It is not a Parques de Sintra monument. It is run by Museus e Monumentos de Portugal, so none of the Sintra palace tickets or passes work here, and its rules are its own: closed every Tuesday, last entry at 16:30, and the basilica shut for works with no reopening date on the palace's page. This page sets out the ticket and who gets in free, what the visit covers while the basilica is closed, both directions of the 2626 timetable, and how to add Ericeira the same day. It is one of the trips compared on the day trips hub, and the palaces in Sintra itself are on the Sintra guide's opening page.
Quick answer Ticket, hours, the basilica and the bus
Mafra Palace is open 09:30 to 17:30 with last entry at 16:30, closed on Tuesdays, and the general ticket is $17.31 (€15), half price for 65 and over and ages 13 to 24, free up to 12. The basilica is closed for works, so the visit covers the palace rooms, the library, the infirmary and the sacred art section. From Sintra, bus 2626 leaves Portela de Sintra station 10 times on weekdays and 7 at weekends and takes about 55 minutes. No Sintra tour goes there.
Key takeaways
- Go on any day but Tuesday, and catch the 10:35 weekday 2626 or the 10:30 at weekends. The 15:27 or 17:12 back from the palace stop reaches Portela de Sintra about 47 minutes later.
- Add Ericeira on a weekday: the 2133 runs from the palace stop to the coast at 13:22, and bus 1633 takes you back to Portela de Sintra. For a Sintra palace day instead, the small-group tour from Portela de Sintra starts at the same station.
- Mafra is a separate operator from the Sintra palaces, so compare it with Queluz Palace on the day trips hub before choosing one.
Key facts
Opening hours
| Palace, every day except Tuesday | 09:30–17:30 |
|---|---|
| Last entry | 16:30 |
| Shop | 09:30–12:30 |
| Shop, afternoon | 14:00–17:00 |
Closed Tuesdays. The basilica is closed for works, with no reopening date on the palace's ticket page
Admission
- Adult
- $17.31 (€15) general ticket
- Reduced
- 50% off for visitors 65 and over, ages 13 to 24, and family tickets
- Free
- Children up to 12, unemployed EU residents, visitors with a documented disability over 60% plus one companion. Portuguese residents on 52 designated days a year
Planning it
- Time needed
- Not stated on the palace's page. Our estimate: 2 to 3 hours inside, plus about 55 minutes on the bus each way
- Address
- Terreiro D. João V, Mafra. The 2626 bus stop of the same name is marked Palácio
What a Mafra visit costs from Sintra, from the ticket page of the Palácio Nacional de Mafra and Carris Metropolitana's tariff page for the bus. No tour on this site visits Mafra, and the two tour rows say so, so you can see what the alternative day costs.
Do you want Mafra's palace and library at the palace's own price, or a guided day of the Sintra palaces that leaves Mafra out?
| Option | Price | Includes | Cancel | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| General ticket at the palaceEvery adult visitor between 25 and 64. | $17.31 (€15) | Palace, Library, Infirmary and Sacred Art section. Basilica closed for works | Not stated | Official site |
| Reduced ticketVisitors 65 and over, ages 13 to 24 and families. Children up to 12 go in free. | $8.65 (€7.50), half the general price | The same visit | Not stated | Official site |
| Bus 2626, pre-paid naveganteAnyone going from Sintra without a car. Load the card before boarding. | $1.79 (€1.55) a trip | Portela de Sintra to Mafra on a red Longa line | Not applicable | Official site |
| Half-day small group from Portela de Sintra, 4 hoursIf you still have Sintra's palaces to do. It starts at the same station as the Mafra bus. | From $75.02 | Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira and the historic centre. Does not visit Mafra | Free up to 24 hours before | Check Availability |
| Small-group day with Pena ticket, 9 hoursA Lisbon-based first visit. Its fallback stop when Pena is closed is Queluz, not Mafra. | From $78.48 | Pena, Cabo da Roca and Cascais from Lisbon. Does not visit Mafra | Free up to 24 hours before | Check Availability |
The official rows carry no tracking of ours. The half-price figure is our arithmetic on the palace's stated 50% reduction. A terraces-only ticket and a combined ticket with the music museum are reported elsewhere but are not on the palace's ticket page, so they are not in this table. Figures current for in Q3 2026.
No Sintra Tour Stops at Mafra: The Nearest Options
None of the tours on this site includes Mafra Palace, and we would rather say so than list a card that pretends. These two start where a Mafra day would, at Portela de Sintra, or cover the Sintra palaces you might do on another day.
from $75.02
Half-Day Sintra: Pena Palace & Regaleira Small-Group Tour
A 4-hour small-group walking tour that starts in Sintra itself (not Lisbon), covering Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira and the historic centre. You reach the start point by train to Portela de Sintra, one stop before the main Sintra station.
Check Availability
from $78.48
Lisbon: Sintra, Pena, Cascais & Cabo Day Tour With Tickets
A 9-hour small-group day tour from Lisbon with Pena Palace entry included, plus Cabo da Roca and Cascais. If Pena Palace is closed, the operator substitutes a visit to Queluz Palace instead.
Check AvailabilityPrices, ratings and details are the platform's own. dollar figures are the listed prices — the platform bills in your account's currency.
Mafra Palace Tickets and Opening Hours
One price, a long list of free categories, and one closing day that catches people out.
The ticket prices and reductions below are from the palace's own ticket and shop page. The palace sells one general ticket and applies percentages to it rather than printing separate adult and child prices.
| Ticket | Price | Who |
|---|---|---|
| General | $17.31 (€15) | Adults |
| 50% reduction | $8.65 (€7.50) | 65 and over, ages 13 to 24, family tickets |
| Free | $0 | Children up to 12, unemployed EU residents, disability over 60% plus one companion |
| Free days | $0 on 52 days a year | Portuguese citizens and residents with their ID card |
| Groups | 7.5% to 15% off | Orders of more than 250, 500 or 1,000 tickets |
Hours and the Tuesday Closure
The palace opens at 09:30 and closes at 17:30 every day except Tuesday. Last entry is at 16:30, an hour before closing, and the library and infirmary section closes a little earlier, at 17:15. The shop keeps split hours, 09:30 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 17:00.
The Tuesday closure is the rule that ruins a plan, so check the day before you board the bus. A secondary list of annual closures also names 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May, Ascension Thursday and 25 December, but that wording is not on the palace's live page, so treat those dates as likely rather than confirmed.
Not a Parques de Sintra Ticket
Mafra is managed by Museus e Monumentos de Portugal, the public body that replaced the former heritage directorate, and not by Parques de Sintra. The Parques combined tickets, the Friend's Card and anything bought for Pena, the Moorish Castle or Queluz do not work here. Buy at the palace.
If your trip is built around a Parques pass, Queluz Palace is the palace day trip that uses it.
What the Ticket Shows While the Basilica Is Closed
The palace's ticket page lists four parts of the visit and marks the basilica as closed for works.
The Palace Rooms
The ticket covers the palace itself, part of what is known as the Real Edifício de Mafra. The complex as a whole is described as the palace, the basilica, the Franciscan convent with its library, the Cerco Garden and the Tapada Nacional de Mafra hunting ground, and it is reported as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ticket page does not publish a route or a count of rooms, and it does not tell the building's history, so for that the palace's own site is the source rather than this page.
The Library
The library is the part of the visit most people come for, and the most searched part of the palace. Secondary sources report around 30,000 volumes and describe it as the largest single-room library in Europe. The palace's ticket page confirms only that the library is part of the visit and that the library and infirmary section closes at 17:15, so arrive with time to spare if the library is the point of your trip.
The Infirmary and Sacred Art
The infirmary and the sacred art section are the other two parts listed on the ticket page. No detail on either is printed there. The basilica, reported to hold six pipe organs and two carillons, is shut for works, and the palace's page gives no date for its reopening.
A secondary source dates the closure to January 2025 with at least a year of work planned.
How to Get From Sintra to Mafra Palace on Bus 2626
One Carris Metropolitana line runs between Portela de Sintra and Mafra. The trick is that it drops you at one stop and picks you up at another.
All departures in both directions, from the Carris Metropolitana timetable feed for a September weekday and Sunday. The outbound bus takes 53 to 55 minutes to Parque Intermodal de Mafra. Towards Sintra, the times are those at the Terreiro D. João V (Palácio) stop, about 47 minutes before the bus reaches Portela de Sintra.
| Day | Leaves Portela de Sintra | Leaves the palace stop for Sintra |
|---|---|---|
| Monday to Friday | 06:25, 07:00, 10:35, 12:20, 14:35, 15:35, 17:35, 18:35, 19:50, 20:45 | 05:27, 06:07, 06:47, 08:07, 10:37, 12:47, 13:42, 15:27, 17:12, 18:52, 19:47 |
| Saturday and Sunday | 08:30, 10:30, 12:30, 14:30, 17:55, 19:45, 20:45 | 07:37, 09:37, 11:37, 13:37, 16:52, 18:52, 19:47 |
Where to Get Off
Buses from Sintra leave from the north entrance of Portela de Sintra station, one CP stop before Sintra, and go through Montelavar and Igreja Nova. The outbound timetable does not list the palace stop: the bus ends at Parque Intermodal de Mafra and then Av. Francisco Sá Carneiro by the sports ground.
Get off at Parque Intermodal de Mafra. No official page we read gives a walking time from there to the palace, so allow for it and ask the driver if unsure. On the way back you board at the stop called Terreiro D. João V (Palácio), on the square in front of the building.
Coming Back
On a weekday the realistic buses back after a visit are 13:42, 15:27, 17:12, 18:52 and 19:47 from the palace stop, each about 47 minutes to Portela de Sintra. At weekends they are 13:37, 16:52, 18:52 and 19:47. Because last entry is at 16:30, the 17:12 on a weekday or the 18:52 at weekends is the natural return.
The fare is $1.79 (€1.55) with a pre-paid navegante, the same red Longa band as the Ericeira and Cascais buses.
The CP Oeste Bus Is Not the Answer
CP's Oeste line timetable lists a stop called Mafra, served at present by replacement buses from Mira Sintra-Meleças, for example at 08:25 on the northbound run. No page we read says how far that stop is from the palace, and no source we have places it in the town. Use the 2626, which ends in Mafra itself.
How Long It Takes to Visit Mafra Palace
The palace publishes no visit length. These plans combine the bus times with our estimate of the time inside.
Three ways to fit Mafra into a day from Sintra, built on the published 2626 and 2133 departures. The palace column is our estimate, not the palace's figure.
| Plan | Bus out | Palace | Bus back |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekday, palace only | 10:35 from Portela de Sintra | About 2.5 hours, from about 11:30 | 15:27 from the palace stop |
| Weekend, palace only | 10:30 from Portela de Sintra | About 2.5 hours | 16:52 from the palace stop |
| Weekday, palace and Ericeira | 10:35 from Portela de Sintra | Under 2 hours, a fast visit | 13:22 bus 2133 to Ericeira, then 1633 to Portela |
Two and a half hours covers the palace rooms, the library and the infirmary at a steady pace. The plan with Ericeira is tight and works only on weekdays, because the direct 2133 bus from the palace to the coast runs just five times on a weekday and is not in the weekend timetable. The Ericeira page has the 1633 times back to Sintra.
Mafra Palace From Sintra: Do and Don't
Do
- Do go on any day but Tuesday, the palace's only weekly closing day
- Do arrive by 15:30 if the library matters, because it closes at 17:15 and last entry is 16:30
- Do get off the outbound 2626 at Parque Intermodal de Mafra, as it does not call at the palace stop
- Do board the return bus at Terreiro D. João V (Palácio), the stop on the square
- Do bring proof of age if you are 13 to 24 or over 65, for the 50% reduction
Don't
- Don't use a Parques de Sintra ticket or pass here, because Mafra is run by a different body
- Don't expect to see inside the basilica, which is closed for works
- Don't plan Mafra and Ericeira together at the weekend, as the direct 2133 runs on weekdays
- Don't take the CP Oeste replacement bus to its Mafra stop without checking where it is
- Don't count on a bus after 19:47 from the palace stop, the last one on any day
Mafra Map: The Palace, the Bus and the Coast
Where the 2626 leaves from, where the palace is, and Ericeira on the coast beyond it.
Coordinates from Wikidata for the palace (Q599223) and Ericeira (Q1351868), and the Carris Metropolitana stop list for Portela de Sintra.
Next Stop From Mafra
Three places that pair with Mafra, each with its own page.
Ericeira
The surf town on the coast below Mafra, part of the same municipality. The Ericeira page has the 1633 bus times back to Sintra.
Bus 2133 from the palace stop, weekdaysQueluz Palace
The other palace day trip, and the one inside the Parques de Sintra network. See Queluz Palace.
CP Sintra line, about 20 min from SintraSintra National Palace
The royal palace in the centre of Sintra itself, for a palace comparison without a bus. See the Sintra National Palace page.
In Sintra villageMafra Palace: Questions
How much is the ticket for Mafra Palace?
The general ticket is $17.31 (€15). Visitors 65 and over, ages 13 to 24 and families pay half, and children up to 12 go in free. The ticket table lists the other free categories.
What are Mafra National Palace opening hours?
09:30 to 17:30, last entry 16:30, every day except Tuesday. The library and infirmary section closes at 17:15. See hours and the Tuesday closure.
Is the basilica at Mafra Palace open?
No. The palace's ticket page says the basilica is closed for works and gives no reopening date. The ticket still covers the palace, library, infirmary and sacred art section, see what the ticket shows.
How long does it take to visit Mafra palace?
The palace publishes no figure. Our estimate is two to three hours inside, plus about 55 minutes on the 2626 bus each way from Portela de Sintra. The plans table lays out three days.
Is Mafra worth visiting from Sintra?
Yes if you want one more palace after Sintra's, and the library in particular, and you can go on a day other than Tuesday. With the basilica closed, weigh it against Queluz Palace, which is on the train line.
Is Mafra a UNESCO World Heritage Site?
It is reported as one, covering the palace, basilica, convent, Cerco Garden and Tapada hunting ground. The palace's ticket page does not state it. The what you see section explains what the ticket covers.
How do I get from Sintra to Mafra Palace?
Bus 2626 from the north entrance of Portela de Sintra station, about 55 minutes, $1.79 (€1.55) with a pre-paid navegante. Get off at Parque Intermodal de Mafra and board the return at Terreiro D. João V (Palácio). Every departure is listed.
Where Mafra Fits in a Sintra Trip
Mafra is a day for someone who has done the Sintra palaces and wants one more, larger building. Put it on a Monday, Wednesday or Thursday, when the 2626 runs ten times and the 2133 to Ericeira runs as well, and make the coast the afternoon. If palaces are not the point, Ericeira alone or the coast to Cascais is the better day.
If you want another palace but not a long bus, Queluz is 20 minutes down the train line. All of them are compared on the day trips hub, and the two-day itinerary shows the Sintra days they follow.
Mafra Palace on Film: The Library, the Rooms, the Scale
Three films from inside the palace, the library above all, to judge the visit before the bus.
Explore Mafra National Palace, Portugal | 4K Walking Tour of a Grand Baroque Masterpiece
A walk through the rooms the ticket covers, at the pace of a real visit.
Video: Tourist Travel ChannelPortugal's Most Incredible Library - Mafra Palace
The library, the part of the palace most visitors come for.
Video: BenVenturesMafra: Secrets and Stories of Portugal's Largest Palace - UNESCO World Heritage Site
The building's story, which the palace's ticket page does not tell.
Video: À Descoberta de PortugalPrices, hours and terms are set by the venue or operator and confirmed at checkout.
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