Striking in its unusual Monserrate Palace is located near Sintra, a traditional summer resort and a favorite vacation spot of the Portuguese kings and the Portuguese aristocracy.

The palace was built in 1858 for Sir Francis Cook, an English baronet, who later became Viscount de Montserrat. The history of the palace dates back to 1540, when on the hill, not far from Sintra, a chapel was built, named Montserrat. For several centuries, the land next to the chapel were bought by different people, and were built up. As a result, in 1855, Francis Cook, a famous English textile magnate and collector, bought the estate of the family Melo and Castro, who were at that time the owners and built a new palace.

The construction of this unique architectural complex covers an English architect, James Knowles Jr.. Around the palace was a park. The project involved the park landscape designer James Burt, along with landscape artist William Stockdale and William Neville - leading botanist of the time. The park has a waterfall, lakes and even artificial ruins. In addition to the cork oak and the strawberry tree in the park grow flowers and plants from all over the world, among which there are palm trees, bamboo, rhododendrons and many others.

The palace itself is a prime example of Portuguese Romanticism. The building is decorated with a large round tower, the interior of the palace impresses with its exotic decoration in the Gothic Revival style. It is worth noting that in 2013 the palace and park of Montserrat were awarded European Garden Award.