From fairy-tale-like horse drawn coaches to the old masters and 3D ceramics –there seems to be a museum for almost everyone in Lisbon. To give you an overview we’ve selected 12 excellent museums in the Portuguese capital.
All museums are curated from our Lisbon city guide for iPhone, momondo places. Download it today – for free!
MUDE – Museu do Design e da Moda
Visit MUDE and make your Lisbon visit eclectic
Straight out of a 1960’s British romantic comedy film set, this five-storey Art Deco bank building now houses MUDE — a world-class design museum. The spectacle comes to life when you first see the bare brick walls, granite columns and torn stucco ceilings alive with the story of 20th century design. From stacks of drawers by Sottsass to iconic kitchenware by Dresser or haute couture by Givenchy, the eclectic collection is mesmerising.
Product designers like Wright and Wegner showcase their ingenious way of mastering shape and functionality into the stuff of your wildest designer dreams. Before you leave, ask to visit the classic 60’s bank vault in the basement; it’ll have you reciting lines from The Italian Job.
Where: Rua Augusta 24
Tel: +351 218 886 117
Nearest station: Terreiro do Paço
Museu da Electricidade
Become enlightened at Museu da Electricidade
A gargantuan, looming red-brick building you couldn’t miss if you tried, this thermoelectric plant lit the entire city of Lisbon for more than four decades. In 1990 it was converted into Museu da Electricidade, with fascinating exhibits detailing the operational and working environment of the old power station, spiced up with modern art and photography exhibitions.
Be sure to visit the Boiler Room, where the old high-pressure boilers reach heights of 30 metres. Guests are not only allowed but encouraged to walk right into the furnaces and explore their internal structure and components. The new Arts & Technology Centre of the EDP Foundation next door – with its organic lines and 3D ceramic tiles – is also worth a look.
Where: Avenida de Brasília
Tel: +351 21 002 8130
Nearest station: Belém
Museu Nacional dos Coches
Classy carriage from times gone by © Museu Nacional dos Coches
A ‘garage’ Cinderella would have drooled over, the 45 horse drawn coaches, dating back centuries, that make up the elegant Museu Nacional dos Coches were formerly, and rather fittingly, housed inside an old, royal riding hall. One of the largest and rarest collections of its kind in the world, it’s the most visited museum in Portugal, and a must if you travel with a little prince or princess.
But even fairytales need revamping every now and then, and in 2015 the museum was moved into a Modernist building down the road – designed by Brazilian architect and Pritzker Prize winner, Paulo Mendes da Rocha. The new space displays even more coaches, Berlins, carriages, chaises and cabriolets, along with royal belongings from times gone by.
Where: Avenida da Índia 136
Tel: +351 21 073 2319
Nearest station: Belém
Museu da Marioneta
Masks on display at Museu da Marioneta
Housed in a 17th century convent, the Museu da Marioneta was founded in 1987 by the São Lourenço Puppet Company in an attempt to continue the Portuguese tradition of putting on puppet theatre and opera. To encourage interest in this very particular and peculiar universe, the museum now has the main goal of researching, gathering, preserving and displaying everything puppet theatre-related.
Guided tours are on offer, detailing the different kinds of puppets, their mechanisms and their history. It’s the only museum of its kind in the country. The surrounding neighbourhood is residential and quiet, a nice peek into local life.
Where: Rua da Esperança 146
Tel: +351 213 942 810
Nearest station: Tram 25
Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência
Find out about Portugal’s history at Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência
Budding naturalists should not pass up the chance to see this incredible ancient collection, gathered over a period of more than 250 years, of items in the areas of zoology, anthropology, geology and botany. Many of the treasured exhibits at the natural history museum, Museu Nacional de História Natural e da Ciência, come from Portugal’s former colonies in Asia and Africa, and the whole tour tells the incredible story of the country’s colonial past.
Tucked away behind the museum you will find the Botanical Gardens, a lush oasis of exotic tropical plants, gigantic trees and even a butterfly incubator, along with unique greenhouse collections of prickly cacti and voluptuous palms.
Where: Rua da Escola Politécnica 56
Tel: +351 21 392 1800
Nearest station: Rato
Reservatório da Patriarcal
Reservatório da Patriarcal is an underground Lisbon attraction
Hidden directly underneath Príncipe Real square, this high-vaulted and mysterious underground reserve was built by French engineer Charles Mary in 1856 to distribute water underneath the city. Now open to the public, its echoing cisterns and water stained walls make a visits quite the hair-raising experience. A few days a week, guided tours are hosted in the mornings and afternoons.
Reservatório da Patriarcal also hosts regular cultural events, from musical performances to painting, sculpture and photography exhibitions. There’s usually something interesting on display for all members of the family. Make sure to book your visit ahead of time.
Where: Praça do Príncipe Real, 1250
Tel: +351 21 810 0215
Nearest station: Restauradores
Museu do Chiado
Museu do Chiado is a good place to start if you want to look at art in Lisbon
Showcasing various Portuguese artistic movements, Museu do Chiado is a dramatic leap into Portugal’s history. Five thousand pieces, from paintings and sculpture to design and photography, spell out the exciting timeline of Portuguese modern art.
Major Portuguese artists are on display, from established names like Paula Rego and José de Almada Negreiros to some very recent work by talented local artists such as Alexandre Estrela, João Onofre and João Pedro Vale. Auguste Rodin sculptures also feature, including a beautiful, life-size nude male figure created in 1876.
Following the abolition of Portugal’s religious orders in 1834, the old convent that houses the museum was purchased by an English merchant who turned it into a biscuit factory. The factory’s brick ovens can still be seen today.
Where: Rua Serpa Pinto 4
Tel: +351 21 343 2148
Nearest station: Baixa-Chiado
Museu do Fado
Get down with the Fado on your holiday in Lisbon
Before you pay a visit to the many fado establishments in Bairro Alto or Alfama, some background study of fado’s history might not go amiss. Museu do Fado pays tribute to the mournful music of Lisbon’s historic neighbourhoods, a local tradition dating back 200 years until popularised nationwide in the 20th century by the lovely Amália Rodrigues.
Rare collections of photos, posters, music scores, musical instruments, professional documents and even contracts and licences that together helped create the story of fado are all treasures to be found inside – an entertaining and insightful look into the distinct traits of Portuguese culture. The museum also holds seminars, workshops and concerts – and we highly recommend you ask to see the secret Roman cistern hidden underneath the building.
Where: Largo do Chafariz de Dentro 1
Tel: +351 21 882 3470
Nearest station: Terreiro do Paço
Museu Nacional do Azulejo
Enjoy beautiful azulejo tiles at Museu Nacional do Azulejo
Housed in a 16th century convent, the complete history of the beautiful Portuguese ‘azulejo’ (tile) tradition is covered in this accomplished Museu Nacional do Azulejo. The unique collection dates from the 15th century and illustrates the great historical narratives of the Catholic Church, the Great Earthquake and the rise and fall of the nation’s monarchy.
A highlight, the vast blue and white hand-painted composition of 1300 tiles, spanning 23 metres and depicting Lisbon’s cityscape in 1738 is nothing short of marvellous. The museum’s gift shop sells beautiful samples to take home, as well as objects showcasing a more modern take on the art of ceramics.
Where: Rua da Madre de Deus 4
Tel: +351 21 810 0340
Nearest station: Santa Apolónia
Museu Fundação Oriente
Museu Fundação Oriente has an impressive collection of oriental art
Overlooking the River Tejo from Alcântara, Lisbon’s extravagant Museu Fundação Oriente boasts splendid views alongside an impressive 12,000 piece collection of Oriental Art. One of the finest of its kind, the collection showcases hand-crafted pottery, masks, art and sculptures, amassed over many years by dedicated private collectors.
One of these is French sinologist Jacques Pimpaneau. His 2,000 item Kwok On Collection from East Timor, Japan, Goa, Korea and Macau is considered the world’s finest trove of theatrical and sacred Asian masks, costumes and religious relics.
Where: Avenida de Brasília, Doca de Alcântara
Tel: +351 21 358 5200
Nearest station: Alcântara-Mar
Casa dos Bicos
From bacalhau to literature – Casa dos Bicos has served many purposes
Literally translating as ‘the House of Spikes’, this early 16th century ‘palácio’ has a curious facade covered with diamond-shaped stone spikes, allegedly inspired by the Italian Palazzo dei Diamanti. Having survived the disastrous 1755 earthquake that destroyed much of Lisbon, the Casa dos Bicos was acquired by a codfish trader and used for years as storage for his ‘bacalhau’ – the codfish precious to Portuguese gastronomy – usually dried and salted.
Today it serves as a museum and foundation dedicated to Nobel Prize winner José Saramago. Venture inside on a journey through the author’s life and work, surrounded by an interesting architectural mix of modern steel and glass merged with Roman ruins.
Where: Rua dos Bacalhoeiros
Tel: +351 21 880 2040
Nearest station: Terreiro do Paço
Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga
See the work of old masters in beautiful surroundings at Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga
Dating back to 1884, Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga is somewhat of a hidden treasure, known mostly to locals and connoisseurs. Housed inside a 17th century palace, a work of art in itself, the museum includes painting, sculpture, metalwork, textiles and furniture from the 12th-19th centuries. You’ll find Albrecht Dürer, Rubens, Breughel, and Lorrain, as well as the mesmerising ‘The Temptation of Saint Anthony’ triptych by Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch.
The beautiful ground floor garden café boasts a really terrific river view of the port and bridge, and you can treat yourself to a nice buffet menu at reasonable prices while keeping company with the classical sculptures standing in the shade of exotic trees.
Where: Rua das Janelas Verdes
Tel: +351 21 391 2800
Nearest station: Santos
