Mafra Palace: The Baroque Giant Near Lisbon

The Mafra National Palace is one of the largest baroque buildings in Europe: a vast palace, basilica and convent built with Brazilian gold in the 18th century. It has one of the world’s most beautiful libraries, where a colony of bats protects the books. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage site and an easy trip from Lisbon, often combined with Ericeira.

Quick answer: Mafra is about 40 minutes north of Lisbon by car, a little over an hour by bus, and 15 minutes from Ericeira. Allow 2 hours for the palace rooms, the basilica and the library. Tickets cost around €15. Combine it with lunch by the sea in Ericeira. See Ericeira and Mafra tours.

Why go

Mafra is about scale. The building is so big it’s hard to take in from the square, and inside you walk down corridors that seem to go on for ever. Few visitors make the trip compared with Sintra, so you often share the rooms with only a handful of people. The library alone is worth the journey.

About the palace

King João V started building Mafra in 1717, fulfilling a vow for the birth of an heir and showing off the wealth flowing from Brazil’s gold and diamond mines. The German-born architect João Frederico Ludovice designed it, and the basilica was consecrated in 1730. Its façade stretches for about 220 metres, and the complex has roughly 1,200 rooms. It housed a royal palace, a basilica and a Franciscan monastery, all built from local limestone.

UNESCO added the palace, basilica, convent, garden and the Tapada hunting park to its World Heritage list in 2019. The building’s construction is also the backdrop to José Saramago’s novel Baltasar and Blimunda (Memorial do Convento), a good read before you go.

What to see

• The library: a long, luminous rococo hall, about 88 metres long, with over 36,000 leather-bound books from the 14th to the 19th centuries. Bats come out at night to eat the insects that would damage them. It reopened in January 2026 after restoration, with new lighting.
• The basilica: coloured marble, dozens of statues by Italian sculptors, and six historic organs, unusual in being designed to play together.
• The carillons: two towers holding 92 bells cast in Antwerp, one of the largest sets of historic bells in the world.
• The royal apartments: long corridors, the king’s and queen’s wings at opposite ends of the façade, and the hunting room decorated with antlers.
• The convent: the monks’ infirmary, kitchen and cells, which show how simply the friars lived next door to all this luxury.
• Tapada de Mafra: the former royal hunting park nearby, with walking trails, deer and wild boar.

Restoration works

Mafra is in the middle of its first major restoration in about 300 years, funded by Portugal’s recovery plan. The basilica has been closed to visitors since January 2025, with reopening planned for mid-2026, so check whether it is open before you go. The works also cover the library, roofs and façades. The National Music Museum is due to move into part of the palace in the coming years.

Tapada Nacional de Mafra

The royal hunting park was created in 1747 and is still enclosed by about 21km of stone wall, covering roughly 833 hectares. Today it is open every day, with marked walking trails, bike routes, carriage rides and falconry displays. It has its own ticket and entrance, a short drive from the palace. Allow two to three hours for a walk, and book activities ahead at weekends.

Getting there

• By car: about 40 minutes from Lisbon on the A8 and A21 motorways. There’s parking in the big square in front of the palace.
• By bus: Carris Metropolitana buses leave from Campo Grande in Lisbon, on the yellow and green metro lines. The trip takes a little over an hour. Some routes stop in Mafra and continue to Ericeira, so check that your line stops at the palace. There’s no train to Mafra.
• From Ericeira: about 15 minutes by car or local bus.

Opening hours and tickets

The palace is usually open from 9.30am to 5.30pm, with last entry at 4.30pm, and closed on Tuesdays. It also closes on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May, Ascension Thursday (Mafra’s local holiday) and 25 December. When open, the basilica usually closes for lunch. Adult tickets cost about €15. In 2025, while the library and basilica were both shut, tickets were sold at half price, so prices may change as areas reopen. Works to restore parts of the building and its surroundings are ongoing, so some rooms may be closed. Check the official Museus e Monumentos de Portugal site before you go.

A one-day route

• Morning: bus or drive from Lisbon and see the palace, library and basilica.
• Lunch: head to Ericeira for grilled fish by the sea.
• Afternoon: walk the old town and watch the surfers, then return to Lisbon.

Drivers can swap Ericeira for a walk in the Tapada, or carry on to Sintra.

What to eat

Look out for pão de Mafra, the town’s chewy, crusty bread, sold in bakeries across the region. In Ericeira, order fresh fish, shellfish and, in season, sea urchins.

Combine with

• Ericeira: the surf and seafood town. See Ericeira and where to stay in Ericeira.
• Sintra: about 25 minutes away. See visiting Sintra.
• Queluz: another royal palace on the way back to Lisbon. See Queluz Palace.

Tips

• Library access: it’s usually viewed from the doorway, but the view is stunning.
• Opening days: check before you go, as the palace usually closes on Tuesdays.
• Bring a layer: the stone halls stay cool even in summer.
• Bell concerts: carillon recitals are held from time to time. Check the programme if you’d like to hear them.

FAQ

How long do you need at Mafra Palace?

Allow about two hours for the palace rooms, the library and, when it is open, the basilica. Add two to three hours if you also want to walk in the Tapada.

Can you go inside the Mafra library?

The library reopened in January 2026 after restoration. Visitors usually see it from the doorway rather than walking among the shelves.

Can you visit Mafra without a car?

Yes. Carris Metropolitana buses run from Campo Grande in Lisbon in a little over an hour, and some continue to Ericeira. There is no train.

What day is Mafra Palace closed?

It usually closes on Tuesdays, plus a few public holidays such as 25 December and Ascension Thursday.

More: palaces in Portugal, UNESCO sites in Portugal and the best day trips from Lisbon.

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