Once inside, it takes about 45 minutes to an hour to walk through the interior of the palace. If you have less than 2 hours to spend at Pena Palace, I'd honestly skip the interior and use that time exploring the outside terraces, watchtowers, and gardens.

You can absolutely visit the grounds of Pena Palace without purchasing a ticket for the interior, and many travelers actually prefer this "exterior-only" experience. By purchasing a "Park" ticket, you gain access to the colorful terraces, the decorative battlements, and the expansive 200-hectare park that surrounds the palace. This allows you to take all the iconic Instagram photos of the yellow and red towers without enduring the often cramped and slow-moving lines inside the royal apartments. The park ticket also includes access to the Chalet of the Countess of Edla and various scenic viewpoints like the High Cross (Cruz Alta). Since the interior rooms are relatively small and can feel very crowded during peak tourist season, the park-only option is a fantastic way to enjoy the architecture and the views of Sintra at a lower cost and with much more physical freedom to explore the "fairytale" atmosphere at your own pace.