Sintra reopens parks and monuments on International Museum Day

New rules and regulations will be in effect on all cultural venues in the Portuguese municipality

On International Museum Day, celebrated on 18 May, the Portuguese municipality of Sintra has prepared a special treat for locals who have been forced to remain in quarantine for the past few months.

With the threat of the coronavirus subsiding, yet remaining ever-present, Sintran local authorities have decided to reallow entry into the city’s monuments and parks, so long as visitors obey strict rules and regulation on hygiene and social distancing.

First foray into post-corona culture

In celebration of International Museum Day, Parques de Sintra, the authority responsible for managing parks and monuments, has decided not only to allow for the first time since the pandemic entry into local green spaces but has also proclaimed that visiting monuments will also be free of charge – thus keeping up the spirit of the day that we remember from prior years.

The parks and monuments that will be officially reopened on 18 May are the Park and National Palace of Pena, the National Palaces of Sintra and Queluz, Chalet of the Countess d "Edla, Castelo dos Mouros, the Palace and Gardens of Monserrate and Convento dos Capuchos, after they were closed in mid-march upon the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. Meanwhile, other venues will be reopened in a couple of weeks’ time, including the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art in Belem.

The new measures that are to be strictly observed when visiting these venues are the now painstakingly familiar mandatory wearing face masks and other kinds of personal protective equipment, disinfection and the keeping of a safe distance from others. Furthermore, payments will only be allowed to be done via card, as cash will not be accepted by any vendors on the sites of the monuments and parks.