Stock Photo - This Palace and gardens are located 4km away from Sintra city center. The history of Monserrate goes back to the times when Portugal was dominated by the moors. In those times, a moor knight lived on the hill where the palace is today, but fought the alcaide of the Moor Castle and died on a duel with him. Monserrate Park is a romantic 30_hectare garden. The wooded hillsides feature a vast range of exotic flora, from roses and conifers to Chinese weeping cypress, dragon trees, eucalyptus, Himalayan rhododendrons and more than 24 species of palm. The romantic palace was designed by James Knowles Jr. and was built in 1858. It is a fine example of Sintra Romanticism.