06Guides
Who authorises photo shoots in Sintra's parks, palaces, town and coast: Parques de Sintra, Regaleira, the council and ICNF, with notice, fees and rules.
Checked 3 October 2026
Sintra's palaces, gardens, streets and coast answer to five different bodies, each with its own terms for cameras. Here is who decides, how far ahead to ask and what it costs, for brands, photographers, couples and crews.
Rules change: confirm with the managing body before booking. This is not legal advice.
The short version
Who decides: Parques de Sintra for Pena, Monserrate, the Moorish Castle and eight other sites; the Fundação Cultursintra for Quinta da Regaleira; the council for the town; ICNF and the maritime authority for the natural park and coast.
Parques de Sintra: professional photography needs prior authorisation, 15 working days ahead. Commercial shoots pay €750 to €3,000 per hour per location.
Weddings at Parques de Sintra: a €150 ticket covers six people in the grounds, not the interiors, without tripods, reflectors or drones.
Quinta da Regaleira: 5 full working days' notice for photography, 10 for video; from €3,500 for up to two hours.
Sintra town: filming and photography in public space need a municipal licence, requested 22 working days ahead.
Natural park and coast: commercial shoots need ICNF's authorisation (up to 45 working days); beaches add the council or the Capitania.
Who manages what
Parques de Sintra – Monte da Lua, a publicly owned company, lists eleven sites: the Park and National Palace of Pena, the Chalet and Garden of the Countess of Edla, the Moorish Castle, the National Palace of Sintra, the Park and Palace of Monserrate, the Capuchos Convent, the National Palace and Gardens of Queluz, Vila Sassetti, the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art, the Cabo da Roca lighthouse and the Sanctuary of Peninha.
Quinta da Regaleira is separate: it is run by the Fundação Cultursintra, a foundation set up by the Municipality of Sintra. Streets and squares are the Câmara Municipal de Sintra's. The Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, managed by ICNF, runs from the Falcão river at Sintra's northern edge to the Cascais Citadel, taking in the Serra and the coast.
Some places need several approvals: Peninha, the Queluz woods and the forest areas of the Serra de Sintra and Penha Longa are shared with the council and ICNF, and the Cabo da Roca lighthouse with the Autoridade Marítima Nacional. Every body involved must agree.
Parques de Sintra: commercial and professional shoots
Visitors may photograph for private use only: no professional photography, no tripod without written authorisation, no drones, no flash or artificial light indoors, and no images at all inside the Pena Palace.
Any professional photo or video, whatever its purpose, needs prior authorisation. The web page asks for 15 working days' notice through its form; the regulation, dated February 2022, says at least 15 days, by email to comunicacao@parquesdesintra.pt. Work to the longer. The request must cover purpose and content (synopsis, script or storyboard), exact locations, timing, equipment, crew, vehicles and needs such as wardrobe rooms or power; incomplete requests are not considered. A shoot can be refused if it clashes with visits, conservation or safety.
Fees are per hour and per location, by purpose. Commercial or advertising work: €3,000 at Pena and the Sintra and Queluz palaces; €2,250 at Monserrate, the Capuchos, the Moorish Castle and the Equestrian School; €1,500 at Peninha, the Cabo da Roca lighthouse and Vila Sassetti; €750 at the Quintinha de Monserrate and the forest areas. Artistic or fiction work pays €2,000 to €500; complex logistics can add costs. The rules do not say which column a fashion editorial falls into, so ask.
Once authorised:
Pay by bank transfer at least two days ahead; no refund if the producer cancels.
Sign a liability statement; companies also need civil liability insurance.
Name a person in charge on site, in writing, 24 hours ahead.
Credit the site and Parques de Sintra – Monte da Lua; no sale to image banks without express permission.
Nothing fixed to buildings or plants; vehicles only on authorised routes.
The Sintra and Queluz palaces can be requisitioned for State functions, moving or cancelling a shoot, with a full refund.
Parques de Sintra: weddings and couples
A wedding photo or video session costs €150, paid at the monument's ticket office during opening hours. It covers park entry, not the interiors, for six people including models and photographer; anyone more buys a garden ticket. No tripods, external flash, reflectors or drones, no advance payment, no exclusive use and no opening outside public hours; events can limit sessions. Public commercial use of the images needs separate authorisation.
The page names only weddings; whether engagement or couples' sessions qualify is not stated, so ask first.
Quinta da Regaleira
Visitors may photograph general views for private use. Tripods and professional equipment need prior authorisation, flash and artificial light are not allowed in the Palace and Chapel or outdoors beyond what is built into the camera, and drones are not allowed. Commercial work and private celebrations such as weddings fall outside these rules.
For those, write to producao@cultursintra.pt at least 5 full working days ahead for photography and 10 for video, with purpose, place, timing, crew and equipment. Fees since 1 January 2025, set-up and take-down included: €3,500 for up to two hours (the minimum), €1,925 per extra hour, €7,875 for a half day (up to five hours), €14,875 for a day (up to ten). Drones need the foundation's authorisation plus any legal licences. Images must credit Quinta da Regaleira and the foundation, which may ask for high-resolution copies for its own promotion.
Sintra town: streets and squares
The council's public-space regulation (2011, amended 2019) covers filming and photography in public space and municipal buildings, whatever the purpose, and requires prior authorisation. Apply on the form for occupying public space (municipe@cm-sintra.pt) at least 22 working days ahead, unless the nature of the event justifies less, with a description of the shoot, its duration and a site plan marking any parking. Opinions other bodies must give, such as the natural park's or the parish council's, are yours to collect.
The 2018 fee table, still listed as in force, charges commercial shoots €56.00 per hour per location, or €61.70 to €72.90 when occupying public space; fees can be updated yearly, so confirm them.
The coast and the natural park
Sintra's coastline lies within the natural park. Commercial shoots in protected areas go on ICNF's form to rtn@icnf.pt, with a map of the area. ICNF has 30 to 45 working days to reply, and its answer does not replace other permits. On infrastructure in classified areas, national forests or other state property, its 2026 table charges €86.40 a day for commercial photography, €307.20 for filming, plus VAT. Drone flights in the park need ICNF authorisation at least 10 working days ahead; aviation rules are in Drone Rules for Photo & Video Shoots in Portugal.
On beaches, gov.pt points filming on beaches, seawalls and coastline to the Capitania (through Capitania Online+), and authorised bathing areas to the municipality. The council's beach page lists Praia Grande, Praia das Maçãs, Magoito, Azenhas do Mar, Adraga and São Julião.
Planning around hours and access
As published on 3 October 2026: Pena and Monserrate parks 09:00 to 19:00, last entry 18:00, with Pena Palace tickets sold only for a set date and time; the Moorish Castle 09:30 to 18:00; Regaleira 10:00 to 18:30 from October to December, last entry 17:30.
Private cars cannot use the roads up to Pena and the Moorish Castle, traffic in the historic centre is limited to residents' cars, and Regaleira has no parking; at Parques de Sintra sites, production vehicles go in the request. For timing, see Light & Seasons for Shooting in Lisbon; for options nearer the city, Fashion Shoot Locations in and around Lisbon.
How we handle it
We produce shoots in Lisbon and across Portugal, and when we do, what each location needs is part of the plan from the first scout. For Lisbon, Cascais and the wider coast, see Photo Shoot Permits in Lisbon & Portugal.
Sources
Guides