Museums in Lisbon

The Status of Every Big Museum

Two of the most famous names in Lisbon are out of action while public money rebuilds them, and one of the city's best collections has just come back. The figures and dates below come from the museums' own announcements and from Museus e Monumentos de Portugal (MMP). Use the last column to find the alternative or the museum's own page.

Where to See Azulejos While the Tile Museum Is Shut

The 'Open Azulejo' exhibition at Palácio da Calheta in Belém (Rua General João de Almeida 15) shows the collection while the works continue, open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-17:00 with last entry at 16:30. A Time Out report puts entry at about €5 ($5.58), a price the museum has not confirmed. If you want to make a tile rather than look at one, the Azulejos Design workshop runs 2.5 hours and costs €55 ($61.33) per person, and you leave with a 10 cm by 10 cm tile you painted yourself.

For the full story of the museum, its 36 m Great Panorama of Lisbon and its reopening, see the National Tile Museum page.

Price, Closed Day and Lisboa Card, Museum by Museum

This table compares the adult price, the weekly closed day, the Lisboa Card term and the area for sixteen Lisbon museums. Official prices come from each museum's own website. For the museums where a ticket is sold on this site, the price shown is the ticket price and links the card. Check the closed day column before you build a day around any museum.

Figures current in Q4 2026.

1. Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

Back at number one because it reopened on 18 July 2026 after more than a year of works, adding a new numismatics room. The Founder's Collection holds Egyptian, Greek, Islamic, Armenian and European art, with star pieces that include the Lalique Orchid diadem and Dragonfly jewel, Rembrandt's Portrait of an Old Man and Houdon's Diana. The museum is closed on Tuesdays and opens 10:00-18:00, with Saturdays until 21:00.

Admission is €16 ($17.84) and includes the CAM collection. It sits in Avenidas Novas near Praça de Espanha, reached by metro to São Sebastião or Praça de Espanha. Free entry for everyone on Sundays from 14:00, and under 18s always go free.

Full details in the Gulbenkian Museum guide.

• Last admission 30 minutes before closing.
• Sundays from 14:00 are free for all visitors.
• Closed 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 24-25 December.

2. CAM (Gulbenkian Modern Collection)

The Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian is open, in the Kengo Kuma building and garden that opened in 2024 on the edge of the Gulbenkian grounds at Praça de Espanha. The Modern Collection covers Portuguese and international art from the 20th century on, with works by Almada Negreiros, Paula Rego and Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso. The Gulbenkian museum ticket of €16 ($17.84) already includes the CAM collection, and CAM alone costs €10 ($11.15).

Closed on Tuesdays, open 10:00-18:00 and Saturdays until 21:00. Metro to Praça de Espanha or São Sebastião, the same stops as the Founder's Collection next door, so the two fit one visit. Sundays from 14:00 are free, and under 18s enter free.

See the art museums in Lisbon page for how it compares.

• Last admission 30 minutes before closing.
• Under 18 free, Sundays from 14:00 free.

3. National Coach Museum

The richest royal carriage collection in the world, over 70 vehicles, in Paulo Mendes da Rocha's 2015 building in Belém. Standouts are the Coach of Philip II from around 1620, the 1716 Coaches of the Oceans from the Papal embassy and the Berlinda of Lisbon. The main building is open, though the Picadeiro Real annex has been closed for works since 29 September 2025.

Closed Mondays, open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-18:00 with last admission at 17:30. A National Coach Museum ticket costs €20 ($22.30) and includes a self-guided audio tour on your phone. Belém is served by tram 15, buses 728, 714, 727, 729 and 751, and the Cascais line to Belém station.

The National Coach Museum guide has the full picture.

• Last admission 17:30.
• Under 12 free.
• Closed Monday and 13 June.

4. National Tile Museum

Closed for works since 1 November 2025, so plan around it. The museum holds the history of azulejo from the 15th century in the 1509 Madre de Deus convent, and its star is the 36-metre Great Panorama of Lisbon from around 1700, a view of the city before the 1755 earthquake, set in a Manueline cloister with a gilded baroque church. MMP's president says the works are finished and the museum should reopen early in 2027, with no official date yet.

While you wait, an 'Open Azulejo' exhibition runs at Palácio da Calheta in Belém, Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-17:00, around €5 ($5.58), or try the Azulejos Design tile workshop for €55 ($61.33) and leave with your own 10 cm tile. The National Tile Museum guide tracks the reopening.

• Closed since 1 November 2025.
• Reopening expected early in 2027, no official date.
• The museum shop trades temporarily at Palácio Foz, Restauradores.

5. National Museum of Ancient Art

Closed since 29 September 2025 for €8.5 million of works, with a partial reopening set for 21 November 2026 at 15:00. That first stage brings back the international decorative arts floor and the restored Capela das Albertas, with free entry until 1 December inclusive before the normal tariff returns. It holds the Panels of St Vincent by Nuno Gonçalves, Bosch's Temptations of St Anthony, Dürer's St Jerome, the Belém Monstrance and the Namban screens, which is why it still ranks despite the closure.

The museum sits in Santos, on Rua das Janelas Verdes. Prices and hours after the reopening are not yet confirmed, and Monday closure is expected but unconfirmed. Follow the National Museum of Ancient Art guide for updates.

• Partial reopening 21 November 2026 at 15:00.
• Free entry until 1 December inclusive.
• Full reopening has no confirmed date.

6. MAAT

Open and closed on Tuesdays, so pair it with the Gulbenkian on a Monday. MAAT works contemporary art, architecture and technology exhibitions across Amanda Levete's elliptical riverside building and the old Tejo Power Station in Belém. A MAAT ticket costs €16 ($17.84) and covers both the Gallery and MAAT Central, valid one day, with free cancellation up to three days ahead and free guided tours on site.

Open Wednesday to Monday 10:00-19:00, though the ticket office may close early on busy days. Reach it by tram 15, bus 728 or the train to Belém. The Lisboa Card gives a 15 percent discount rather than free entry, and the first Sunday of the month 10:00-13:00 is free for residents in Portugal.

More in the MAAT guide.

• Closed Tuesdays.
• Both buildings on one ticket, valid 1 day.
• Free cancellation up to 3 days before.

7. MAC/CCB

The Museum of Contemporary Art and Architecture Centre at the Centro Cultural de Belém holds the State Contemporary Art Collection, the Teixeira de Freitas, Ellipse and Berardo collections, art from the 1970s on. A new wing, the Pavilhão Julião Sarmento, opens in November 2026. A MAC/CCB ticket costs €15 ($16.73), is valid two days and opens all exhibitions.

Closed Mondays, open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-18:30 with last admission at 18:00, on Praça do Império, reached by bus 729 to CCB, tram 15E or the train to Belém. Residents in Portugal enter free every Sunday until 14:00, and the Lisboa Card takes 20 percent off. The MAC/CCB guide has the details, and the art museums in Lisbon page puts it in context.

• Last admission 18:00.
• Closed Mondays.
• Residents in Portugal free Sundays until 14:00.

8. Museu do Oriente

Museu do Oriente covers Portugal's presence in Asia, with the Macau and Goa material, the Japanese namban screens and the Kwok On collection of puppets and masks from across Asia. It sits in a converted cod warehouse on the Alcântara waterfront. The museum is open. It closes on Monday, opens 10:00-18:00 Tuesday to Sunday and stays open until 20:00 on Friday. Entry to all exhibitions costs €10 ($11.15) with the Museu do Oriente Ticket. The Lisboa Card gives 20% off instead. Every Friday from 18:00 to 20:00 entry is free for everyone. Reach it from the Alcântara docks along Avenida Brasília.

- Entry closes 30 minutes before the museum - Bags and backpacks are not allowed inside - Bring a passport or ID card for entry

9. Carmo Archaeological Museum

The Carmo Archaeological Museum sits inside the roofless Gothic church left by the 1755 earthquake, one of the most atmospheric rooms in Lisbon. Among the finds are a Roman sarcophagus, a mummy from Peru and carved stone fragments rescued from convents across the city. The museum is open Monday to Saturday, 10:00-18:00 from November to April and 10:00-19:00 from May to October. It closes on Sunday. Admission is €7 ($7.81) at the door and Lisboa Card holders pay €5 ($5.58) instead. You reach it from the Largo do Carmo square above Chiado. The Carmo Convent page has the full visiting details.

- Sunday is the closed day here - Pair it with Chiado and Bairro Alto on foot

10. Royal Treasure Museum and the National Palace of Ajuda

The Royal Treasure Museum holds the crown jewels of the Portuguese royal house, about 1,000 pieces shown over 3 floors and 11 sections, including Germain silver and the jewelled insignia. It is open every day, 10:00-18:00 from October to April and 10:00-19:00 from May to September, closing only on 1 January and 25 December. Entry costs €11 ($12.27) with the Royal Treasure Museum Ticket, and the Lisboa Card covers it free. In the same building, the National Palace of Ajuda shows the 19th-century royal state rooms. The palace closes on Wednesday, open Thursday to Tuesday 10:00-18:00, with last admission at 17:15. Entry costs €15 ($16.73) with the Ajuda National Palace Ticket. Both are covered in the Royal Treasure and Ajuda Palace guide.

- Expect an airport-style security check and bag lockers - The palace visit takes about 1h45 - Wednesday closure applies to the palace, not the treasure

11. Fado Museum

The Fado Museum in Alfama covers the history of fado and Amália Rodrigues, with Portuguese guitars on display and a sound installation. It is open Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-18:00 and closes on Monday, with last admission at 17:30. Admission is €5 ($5.58) at the door, and the Lisboa Card covers adults free. Residents of the Lisbon municipality enter free on Sundays and holidays until 14:00. You find it at Largo do Chafariz de Dentro, in Alfama. Pair it with the Alfama streets. The Fado Museum page has the details.

- Lisboa Card adults enter free - Closed Mondays

12. Museu de Marinha

Museu de Marinha, the Navy Museum, sits on Praça do Império in Belém and holds the Age of Discovery ship models, naval history and the royal barges hall. It opens daily: in winter, from October to April, it runs 10:00-17:00, in summer 10:00-18:00, with Monday mornings closed until 13:00 from October to May. Admission is €8 ($8.92) at the door, €12 ($13.38) with the planetarium, and the Lisboa Card gives 20% off. Last admission is 16:30 in winter and 17:30 in summer. Tram 15, bus 728 and the Belém train all stop nearby. The Museu de Marinha guide covers the visits.

- Daily, but Mondays open only from 13:00 October to May - Museum plus planetarium ticket 12

13. Museu de Lisboa

Museu de Lisboa tells the city's history across four sites, and the main one is Palácio Pimenta in Campo Grande, which holds the permanent exhibition of the city's past. The other three are Santo António by the Sé cathedral, the Roman Theatre in Alfama from the 1st century AD, and Casa dos Bicos with its spiked stone facade. Palácio Pimenta, Santo António and the Roman Theatre open Tuesday to Sunday and close on Monday, with Palácio Pimenta open 10:00-18:00. Casa dos Bicos opens Monday to Saturday and closes on Sunday. The Lisboa Card covers all four sites free, and Lisbon-municipality residents enter free on Sundays and holidays until 14:00. Palácio Pimenta costs €5 ($5.58), Santo António and the Roman Theatre €4 ($4.46) each, and a joint ticket for those three sites is €8 ($8.92), valid for two months. The Casa dos Bicos ground floor is free. The Museu de Lisboa page maps them out.

- Lisboa Card free at all 4 sites - Closed Monday, except Casa dos Bicos (closed Sunday) - Torreão Poente is closed for conservation

14. Lisboa Story Centre

The Lisboa Story Centre on Praça do Comércio walks you through 60 minutes of Lisbon's history across about 2,200 square meters, with six exhibition areas, a virtual scale model of the pre-earthquake city and an audio guide in nine languages. Entry costs €8 ($8.92) with the Lisboa Story Centre Ticket, which includes the audio guide and lets you skip the ticket line. The Lisboa Card lists the centre as free. It is open daily 10:00-19:00 with last entry at 17:45, which makes it a useful Monday option when most city museums are shut. Details in the Lisboa Story Centre guide.

- About 60 minutes for the visit - Audio guide included with the ticket

Smaller Museums

These smaller houses round out a week of museums in Lisbon. Each one is small enough for an hour, and several are free or covered by the Lisboa Card.

• Museu do Dinheiro in Baixa, Banco de Portugal's museum in the former São Julião church with Roman wall remains, is free, see the Museu do Dinheiro page
• Museu da Marioneta in Santos, puppets from Portugal and the world in a former convent, €5 ($5.58) at the door and free with the Lisboa Card, closed Monday
• Museu do Aljube near the Sé, a former political prison turned museum of resistance, €4 ($4.46) at the door and free with the Lisboa Card, closed Monday
• Casa Fernando Pessoa in Campo de Ourique, the poet's last home, €5 ($5.58) for adults over 25 and free with the Lisboa Card, closed Monday, with the second-floor library room closed for conservation works
• Museum of Illusions Lisbon in Chiado, open daily 10:00-20:00, €12 ($13.38) with the Museum of Illusions Lisbon Ticket

One Fix for the Tile Museum

The National Tile Museum is closed for works, but you can still get azulejo in your hands. A 2.5 hour workshop costs €55 ($61.33) per person with the Azulejo Tile Workshop, rated 4.9 from 603 reviews, and you leave with your own painted 10 cm tile the same day. The 'Open Azulejo' exhibition at Palácio da Calheta in Belém shows tiles while the museum is shut, Tuesday to Sunday 10:00-17:00 with last entry at 16:30.

Read the status and alternatives on the National Tile Museum page.

By Period

For old masters you have two options. The National Museum of Ancient Art holds the Panels of St Vincent by Nuno Gonçalves, Bosch's Temptations of St Anthony, Dürer's St Jerome and the Belém Monstrance, but it has been closed since 29 September 2025, with a partial reopening on 21 November 2026 at 15:00 covering the international decorative arts floor and the restored Capela das Albertas, free entry until 1 December inclusive. The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum, reopened 18 July 2026 after more than a year of works, holds Rembrandt's Portrait of an Old Man, Lalique jewellery including the Dragonfly, and Monet and Renoir, open 10:00-18:00 and closed Tuesday.

For modern art, CAM shows Almada Negreiros, Paula Rego and Amadeo de Souza-Cardoso in the Kengo Kuma building, €10 ($11.15) for the collection, and the Chiado Museum covers Portuguese art from 1850 to 1950, €10 ($11.15), closed Monday. For contemporary work, MAC/CCB shows the State Contemporary Art Collection and the Berardo Collection, €15 ($16.73) with the MAC/CCB Museum Ticket, MAAT pairs contemporary art and architecture on the riverbank, €16 ($17.84) with the MAAT Museum Ticket, and MACAM in Junqueira shows the Armando Martins collection, €15 ($16.73). See Art Museums in Lisbon.

One Art Day

The Gulbenkian and CAM share one campus in Avenidas Novas and one rule: both close on Tuesday. On any other day of the week, start at the Founder's Collection when doors open at 10:00, then walk through the garden to CAM for the 20th-century and contemporary collection. The museum ticket at €16 ($17.84) includes the CAM collection free, so the pair costs one ticket.

Stay on for the All Inclusive ticket at €18 ($20.07) if you want the temporary exhibitions too. On Saturday both stay open until 21:00, and from 14:00 on Sunday entry is free for everybody. Both are a 20% Lisboa Card discount rather than free.

The Gulbenkian Museum page has the rooms worth lingering in.

How Free Entry Works Now

The old free Sundays for all visitors ended on 1 August 2024. They were replaced by Acesso 52, which gives residents of Portugal 52 free days a year at 37 national museums and monuments, on any weekday. Tourists do not qualify.

Under-12s stay free at national museums. Lisbon municipality residents keep free entry to the EGEAC municipal museums on Sundays and holidays until 14:00. For the full rules, see the guide to free museums in Lisbon.

Where You Get In Free

The table lists the free options the museums themselves publish, and who qualifies. The Gulbenkian is free to everybody on Sunday afternoons. The Money Museum in Baixa charges nothing at all.

Details in the guide to free museums in Lisbon.

Card Prices and What It Covers

The card comes in 24, 48 and 72 hour versions, valid for adults aged 15 and over and children aged 4 to 15. These prices run until 31 March 2027. The card gives free entry to 50-plus museums and monuments, more than 45 discounts, and unlimited metro, buses, trams and trains.

Belém Tower and Jerónimos Monastery need a booked time slot using the card number. Get the Lisboa Card or read the full guide to the Lisboa Card for museums.

Free Entry or Discount, Museum by Museum

The difference matters. Big names such as the National Coach Museum, the Ajuda National Palace and the Royal Treasure Museum are free with the card. Others only give a discount, so count that in before you buy.

The figures come from the official Lisboa Card lists.

Where the Card Does Not Help

The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum only gives 20% off its €16 ($17.84) museum ticket, and Sunday afternoons are already free for everybody. At the Carmo Archaeological Museum, Lisboa Card holders pay €5 ($5.58) instead of €7 ($7.81). And the card cannot help at the museums closed for works: the National Tile Museum, the National Museum of Ancient Art, the National Archaeology Museum, the National Costume Museum and the National Theatre and Dance Museum.

Check the current status in the closures section before you plan a card around them.

Belém: Coaches, Contemporary Art and the River

Belém holds the densest cluster. The National Coach Museum (closed Monday) shows more than 70 royal carriages, MAC/CCB (closed Monday) covers contemporary art and the MAAT (closed Tuesday) sits in Amanda Levete's elliptical building on the riverbank. Museu de Marinha adds naval history at Praça do Império, opening at 13:00 on Monday mornings from October to May.

Get there by tram 15, bus 714, 727, 728, 729 or 751, or the CP Cascais line to Belém. On Monday the Coach Museum and MAC/CCB are shut, and MAAT is shut on Tuesday. Tickets: the National Coach Museum, MAC/CCB and MAAT.

Avenidas Novas: the Gulbenkian Pair

The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum (Founder's Collection) and CAM (the Modern Collection) share one garden complex near Praça de Espanha. Both open 10:00-18:00, until 21:00 on Saturday, and both close on Tuesday, never on Monday. Metro São Sebastião (blue and red lines) or Praça de Espanha (blue line), plus buses 713, 716, 726, 742, 746 and 756.

A €16 ($17.84) museum ticket includes the CAM collection, and the All Inclusive ticket at €18 ($20.07) adds temporary exhibitions. Both are open on Monday. More in the Gulbenkian Museum guide.

Chiado and Alfama: History on Foot

Central Lisbon runs on a Monday-closed rhythm. The Carmo Archaeological Museum in Chiado closes on Sunday instead, and the Museu do Dinheiro in Baixa sits in a former church over Roman wall remains. Across in Alfama, the Fado Museum (closed Monday) costs €5 ($5.58), and the Lisboa Story Centre on Praça do Comércio (open daily) takes about an hour with its audio guide.

Tickets: the Lisboa Story Centre.

Rainy Day Picks That Are Open

The safest rainy day picks open daily: the Royal Treasure Museum (10:00-18:00 from October to April), Quake (daily sessions from 10:00), the Oceanário (10:00-20:00) and the Museum of Illusions (10:00-20:00). Museu de Marinha also opens on Mondays from 13:00 in the cold months. For a Monday when most national museums shut, turn to the Gulbenkian, MAAT, MACAM or the Royal Treasure Museum.

Tickets: Royal Treasure Museum, Museum of Illusions, Banksy Museum and 3D Fun Art Museum.

Museums With Children

Under-12s enter national museums free, and under-18s enter the Gulbenkian free. The Museu da Marioneta (€5 ($5.58), closed Monday) is the classic family stop, in a former convent in Madragoa. The interactive picks work well too: the Museum of Illusions in Chiado (€12 ($13.38), about 45 minutes to an hour of illusion rooms) and the 3D Fun Art Museum (€13 ($14.50), 40 photo scenarios plus an infinity mirror room).

For a hands-on session, the Azulejo Tile Workshop at €55 ($61.33) is 2.5 hours of drawing and painting a 10 cm tile to take home.