Luxury Hotels Atlas / Places / Portugal / Queluz / Pousada Palácio de Queluz
Pousada Palácio de Queluz
Queluz, Portugal · Pousadas de Portugal · Core Luxury
Guests sleep in the 18th-century clock-tower annex Manuel Caetano de Sousa designed for palace staff, a warehouse, and Queen Maria I's private theatre, across the square from Queluz National Palace, the Rococo summer house often compared to a smaller Versailles. The court lived there from 1794 until the royal family fled Napoleon for Brazil in 1807. Opened in 1995 as the Pousada D. Maria I, the 26-room inn's restaurant Cozinha Velha occupies the palace's old royal kitchen.
- 26 rooms
- Opened 1995
- Neighborhood: Avenida Engenheiro Duarte Pacheco
- Architect: Manuel Caetano de Sousa
About Pousada Palácio de Queluz
- Before the 1995 conversion, the clock-tower annex housed palace staff, a warehouse, and a concert hall for Queen Maria I's personal theatre.
- A portrait of Queen Maria I, brought over from the palace, hangs in the pousada's ground-floor lounge.
- The marble staircase leading to the 26 guest rooms was built in the 1990s during a nearly three-year conversion originally named Pousada D. Maria I.
- Cozinha Velha occupies the palace's old royal kitchen and opens only by appointment for private events.
History
Pousada Palácio de Queluz occupies the bell-and-clock tower building and an adjacent construction that stand opposite the Queluz Palace, a Rococo summer palace built in the 18th century and often called a smaller Portuguese Versailles. The palace was designed as a place for the court's serenades and fire displays, and it became the royal family's permanent residence from 1794 until they fled to Brazil in 1807. The clock tower and its annex, designed by the architect Manuel Caetano de Sousa, functioned as an extension of the main palace, primarily housing palace staff and also serving as a warehouse and as a concert hall for the queen's personal theatre.
The pousada came into being in 1995, originally known as the Pousada D. Maria I, after an extensive repurposing that took nearly three years to complete; the marble staircase leading to the guest rooms was built in the 1990s. The hotel offers 26 rooms, including two suites, with wooden ceilings, marble bathrooms and painted decorative designs that replicate the originals. Its restaurant, Cozinha Velha, is set in the palace's old royal kitchen, and the property is now operated within the Pestana group's Pousadas de Portugal network.
Experiences
- Queluz National Palace visit — The palace stands right across from the Pousada; visit its royal apartments, state rooms, chapel and gardens (admission fee applies).
- Palace gardens — Gardens inspired by the French palatial style, a short walk from the Pousada (paid entry).
- Private tours to Lisbon, Sintra, Obidos, Fátima — Private tours offered by the hotel; may include an extra charge.
- Rossio Square — One of the city's busiest squares, with Pombaline-style buildings, shops, cafés and Rossio Station.
- Belém Tower — Manueline-style tower, listed in the document as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal.
- Tram tours — Modern tram 15 links the historic centre to Belém; vintage tram 28 passes Graça, Alfama and the Castle district.
Amenities
- Free Wi-Fi
- TV in rooms
- Bar
- Room service
- Laundry (payable)
- Free parking
- Bottled water, refrigerator and safe in rooms (guest review)
- 24h reception
- Private tours to Lisbon, Sintra, Obidos, Fátima (may include extra charge)
- Meeting and event organisation on a personalised basis
Open Pousada Palácio de Queluz in the atlas for live weekend rates, photos, and the full folio.
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