National Palace of Queluz

About this place

Work began in 1747 on this royal retreat, which became an important residence of the Portuguese court. Its Rococo architecture reflects the taste for elegant leisure and ceremony in the 18th century. Consider the palace and gardens together as a carefully composed setting for royal life. The royal family later used Queluz as a principal residence before leaving for Brazil during the French invasion in 1807. That episode connects the palace with a major shift in the monarchy's history. Its refined setting therefore carries both the memory of court entertainment and the pressures of European conflict and overseas rule.