Lisbon Museums
Visiting a museum in Lisbon will contribute to an even better understanding of the intriguing history and culture of the city. You will be amazed by all the beautiful and impressive stories you will learn and by the beautiful art collections you will discover. Your citybreak Lisbon will become even more complete and fascinating. Here you read more about the most impressive museums in Lisbon.
Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga
The National Museum for Ancient Art can be seen as the most important museum of Portugal. In this prestigious museum the national art collection is stored. The museum was founded in 1884 and houses in a 17th century palace. You need hours and hours to be able to study the immense collection of paintings and sculptures of great Portuguese and foreign masters, European artifacts, furniture, tapestries, African art and Chinese porcelain.
Address: Rua das Janelas Verdes
Museu Nacional do Coches
In the National Coach Museum you can experience the grandeur of the rich history of the country by watching the most beautiful coaches. The museum was founded in 1905 by Queen Amélia to show the large collection of coaches owned by the royal family and other prominent families to the public. This collection gives an interesting overview of the development of coaches from the 16th till the 20th century. The museum is located in the Belém district in a part of the former Royal Palace where the horses used to be trained.
Address: Praça Afonso de Albuquerque
Museu do Fado
the Fado Museum in the Alfama district in Lisbon is the best place to learn everything about Portugal’s traditional fado music. Paintings, pictures and instruments will tell you all about the long history and the tradition of fado. At the Fado Museum you will also have the possibility to listen to this beautiful music.
Address: Largo do Chafariz de Dentro 1
Museu Calouste Gulbenkian
Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian (1869-1955) was an Armenian business man with a great passion for collecting art. Since 1942 he was living in Lisbon. In his testament he declared he wanted to donate his collection to Portugal. In 1956, just after his dead in 1955, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation was initiated. The Calouste Gulbenkian art collection can be considered one of the most important private art collections in the world. The collection consists of a wide variety of Egyptian art, Greco-Roman art, Mesopotamian art, Eastern Islamic art, Armenian art and Far Eastern art. The museum is surrounded by beautiful gardens; a popular spot for the Lisboetas to relax in the grass, read a book or have a family picnic. You can also find here a nice open-air amphitheatre.
Address: Avenida de Berna 45a
Museu Nacional do Azulejo
When you walk through Lisbon it will not stay unnoticed that everywhere as well inside as outside buildings traditional tiles are used for decoration. The Portuguese copied this tradition from the Moors. The ‘azulejos’, as the Portuguese call it, were first introduced in the 15th century and are still widely used in the entire country. In the Museu Nacional do Azulejo you will learn everything about the history and the development of the azulejos in Portugal.
Address: Rua da Madre de Deus 4
Museu da Marioneta
This lovely puppet museum is hidden in a little street in the Estrela district and is housed in a former monastery. The Museu da Marioneta shows you a large collection of beautiful masks and puppets from all over the world and from different periods in time. The museum also has a theatre were they organize puppet shows. Maybe it’s a nice idea to go and watch one of the shows during your citybreak Lisbon.
Address: Rua da Esperança 146
Museu do Chiado
Lisbon is a beautiful historic city, but that doesn’t mean there is no space for modern art. The Museu do Chiado is specialized in modern art, especially Portuguese art from the 19th and 20th century. Different modern art movements are represented in the Museu do Chiado such as romanticism, symbolism, Portuguese modernism, neo-realism and expressionism.
Address: R. Serpa Pinto 4