Lisbon's museums span large national collections and houses built for contemporary work, and this list covers both ends of that range. The oldest institution here, the National Museum of Ancient Art, dates from 1884, while the youngest, the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, opened in 2016. Between them you will find tiles, carriages, the navy, archaeology, and a museum given over entirely to Fado music. One entry sits outside the city: Quinta da Regaleira is a heritage estate near Sintra, and it earns its place here because the trip is worth making. Many of the state museums keep a Tuesday-to-Sunday week from 10:00 to 18:00, so plan your days around that before you find yourself at a locked door. We put this together for visitors who would rather give two hours to one collection than twenty minutes to six, and for anyone who wants to know when a place is open before walking across town to get there.
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1 Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
Avenida de Berna 45AAn art museum dating from 1969 with a long Wednesday-to-Monday week
The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum opens at Avenida de Berna 45A from 10:00, Wednesday through Monday, and has been part of Lisbon since 1969. We'd resist the instinct to save it for a rainy afternoon. Come at opening, while you still have the energy to take the collection slowly and in order. Tuesday is the one day to avoid, as the published hours leave it shut, and closing comes at 18:00. Check the museum's own pages at gulbenkian.pt before you set out, or call +351-21-782-3000 if your plans hang on a particular room. If you have time for one serious art museum in the city, start the list here.
Dates from 1969
Hours: We-Mo 10:00-18:00
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2 National Museum of Ancient Art
Rua das Janelas Verdes 1249 - 017A national collection dating from 1884, housed in a building listed as Immovable Cultural Heritage of Public Interest
The National Museum of Ancient Art at Rua das Janelas Verdes 1249 - 017 has been running since 1884, which makes it the oldest institution on this list, and the building's status as Immovable Cultural Heritage of Public Interest means the setting itself is worth your attention before you've looked at anything inside. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00; Monday is a wasted trip. We'd give it an unhurried morning rather than a quick pass through lesser stops. The galleries pay back the people who slow down, read the labels, and return to a painting once they've seen the rest of the room. Check what's currently on at mnarteantiga-ipmuseus.pt, or call +351 21 391 2800 before making the walk over.
Dates from 1884 · Immovable Cultural Heritage of Public Interest
Hours: Tu-Su 10:00-18:00
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3 Quinta da Regaleira
5 27101567 Rua Barbosa du BocageA heritage estate near Sintra dating from 1697, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Dating from 1697, Quinta da Regaleira is a heritage estate near Sintra and part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is the one stop on this list that sits outside the city, and that matters: give it a day of its own rather than tacking it onto an afternoon. From Apr 01 to Sep 30 the gates open 09:30 to 19:00; from Oct 01 to Mar 31 closing moves up to 17:00, and the estate shuts on Dec 24 and 25. To beat the late-morning crowd, be on Rua Barbosa du Bocage for 09:30. Wear shoes you trust and leave the schedule loose. Check regaleira.pt for anything that changes before you travel.
Dates from 1697 · Part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site
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4 National Archaeology Museum
Praça do Império, Lisboa, 1400-206The national archaeology collection, in a building dating from 1893 and listed as Immovable Cultural Heritage of Public Interest
Since 1893 the National Archaeology Museum has kept its collection on Praça do Império, in the 1400-206 postal area, in a building listed as Immovable Cultural Heritage of Public Interest. Hours run Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, so arriving at 17:30 is a poor plan. Archaeology takes time to make sense of, and a rushed half hour leaves you with nothing but glass cases. Note the closures before you plan a holiday visit: Jan 01, May 01, Jun 13, Dec 25 and Easter. Check current rooms at museunacionalarqueologia.gov.pt. Give it a full morning and it will pay for one.
Dates from 1893 · Immovable Cultural Heritage of Public Interest
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5 National Azulejo Museum
Rua Madre de Deus, Lisboa, 1900-312A museum built around the azulejo, dating from 1960
Check the door before you travel: the National Azulejo Museum, on Rua Madre de Deus in the 1900-312 postal area, currently has its hours listed as closed. Dating from 1960 and the one place on this list built around the azulejo, the tile in its name, it is not worth turning up on the off chance. Confirm on museudoazulejo.gov.pt whether visitors are being admitted before you build a morning around it. We have kept it on the list because the subject matters to anyone trying to understand the city, and we put the warning first so you know before you go.
Dates from 1960
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6 Navy Museum
Praça do Império, Lisboa, 1400-206Portugal's navy museum, dating from 1863
The Navy Museum, on Praça do Império in the 1400-206 postal area, dates from 1863. Hours run 10:00 to 18:00 from May 01 to Sep 30, pulling back to 17:00 from Oct 01 to Apr 30. This is not a museum reserved for enthusiasts: Portugal's story was written at sea, and the subject earns the hour even for visitors who would never call themselves maritime buffs. It closes at Easter and on Jan 01, May 01 and Dec 25, so check the calendar if you are visiting on a holiday. Current details are on ccm.marinha.pt.
Dates from 1863
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7 Electricity Museum
Avenida de BrasíliaA museum in Lisbon given over to electricity, dating from 1990
On Avenida de Brasília, the Electricity Museum has been recorded as a Lisbon museum since 1990. The subject is in the name, and it is one that most travel itineraries pass over entirely. A museum built around one specific force gives you something concrete to think about on the walk out, which puts it ahead of the identikit interactive science halls found in every capital. We could not confirm opening hours, so check fundacaoedp.pt before you set out. We would not make it the anchor of a day, but it works well as a second stop when you are already on Avenida de Brasília and want a change from paintings.
Dates from 1990
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8 National Coach Museum
Afonso de Albuquerque SquareThe national coach collection, in a museum listed as Immovable Cultural Heritage of Public Interest
Listed as Immovable Cultural Heritage of Public Interest, the National Coach Museum opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, and you'll find it on Afonso de Albuquerque Square. Dismiss the idea that this is a place for transport specialists: the coaches are the reason to come, and you need no prior knowledge to stand in front of one and feel the weight of what you're looking at. We'd give it a morning slot, well before the 18:00 close, and build the day around the shuttered dates: Jan 01, May 01, Dec 25 and at Easter. Visitors tend to underrate it until they're standing inside.
Immovable Cultural Heritage of Public Interest
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9 Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology
Avenida de Brasília, Lisboa, 1300-598The youngest museum on this list, dating from 2016, open until 20:00
The Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology opens 12:00 to 20:00 every day except Tuesday, which suits anyone who prefers not to rush a morning. It dates from 2016, making it the youngest museum on this list, and sits on Avenida de Brasília in the 1300-598 postal area. Skip the morning slot entirely: the 20:00 close makes this the natural choice for the end of the day, once the older collections have shut their doors. Plan around Jan 01, May 01 and Dec 25. With art, architecture and technology all in the name, the programme is the point, so check maat.pt for what is showing.
Dates from 2016
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10 Berardo Collection Museum
Praça do Império, Lisboa, 1449-003Modern and contemporary art, open seven days a week
The Berardo Collection Museum, a museum of modern and contemporary art dating from 2006, opens every day, 10:00 to 19:00, on Praça do Império in the 1449-003 postal area. That makes it the natural Monday option, when the Tuesday-to-Sunday museums are closed. The 19:00 close also leaves room for an afternoon start, and if your taste runs to the last century rather than the last five, it belongs in your week whatever the day. Check museuberardo.com before you go.
Dates from 2006
Hours: Mo-Su 10:00-19:00
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11 Chiado Museum
4 Rua Serpa Pinto, Lisboa, 1200-444An art museum dating from 1911
The Chiado Museum has stood at 4 Rua Serpa Pinto, in the 1200-444 postal area, as an art museum since 1911. Don't save it for the end of a long day. This is a place that asks for your full attention, and it rewards coming in fresh rather than spent. Hours run Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, with closures on Jan 01, May 01, Jun 13, Dec 25 and Easter, which means anyone planning a mid-June visit should check the calendar before heading over. The visit is compact, which makes it a useful counterweight to the larger national collections on this list. Current details sit at museuartecontemporanea.pt.
Dates from 1911
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12 Fado Museum
Largo do Chafariz de Dentro, núm. 1A museum dedicated to Fado music, dating from 1998
The Fado Museum sits at Largo do Chafariz de Dentro, núm. 1, dating from 1998. It's the place to understand the music before you go out to hear it, so skip the dinner-show circuit until you've spent time here. An hour inside makes any evening of Fado afterwards land harder and mean more. Hours run Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, which means a late-afternoon visit leads straight into the evening, and it closes on Jan 01, May 01 and Dec 25. Check museudofado.pt for anything on the programme.
Dates from 1998
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