Museums in Portugal
From Lisbon azulejos to Belém coaches and Porto heritage, Portugal’s museums trace seafaring history, sacred art, and everyday culture.
Updated
65 museums with visitor guides on Mooseum
Top museums in Portugal
Most visited first (annual visitors from Wikipedia), then the museums with audio tours and indoor maps on Mooseum.
National Archaeology Museum
Archaeology museum · 263,650 visitors a year
The dormitory wing of the Jerónimos Monastery, where the monks once slept, now houses Portugal's largest archaeological museum. The National Archaeology Museum (Museu Nacional de Arqueologia)...
National Azulejo Museum
202,900 visitors a year
One of the largest ceramics collections in the world fills the former Madre de Deus Convent in Lisbon, now the National Azulejo Museum (Museu Nacional do Azulejo), sometimes called the National Tile...
National Coach Museum
Transport museum · 181,594 visitors a year
Horse-drawn coaches and carriages that belonged to Portugal's royal houses from the 16th to the 19th century form the core of the National Coach Museum (Museu Nacional dos Coches). It was founded in...
National Museum of Ancient Art
Art museum · 98,626 visitors a year
Nestled in the heart of Lisbon, the National Museum of Ancient Art offers an extraordinary journey through centuries of European art and culture. As Portugal's premier museum for ancient art, it...
Museu Judaico de Belmonte
History museum · 92,000 visitors a year
Chiado Museum
Art museum · 52,901 visitors a year
Despite its name, the Chiado Museum is devoted to art made between 1850 and 1950. It holds the best collection of Portuguese painting and sculpture from the Romantic, Naturalist and Modern periods....
National Museum Soares dos Reis
Art museum · 44,166 visitors a year
National Museum of Costume
Historic house, palace or castle · 26,668 visitors a year
More than 33,000 items make up the collection of Portugal's National Museum of Costume, signposted locally as the Museu Nacional do Traje e da Moda. Men's and women's costumes from the 18th and 19th...
Museu de Arte Popular
Art museum · 8,181 visitors a year
The Museu de Arte Popular, Lisbon's museum of folk art, occupies a building first designed by Veloso Reis and João Simões as the popular life pavilion of the Portuguese World Exhibition in 1940....
National Museum of Music
Music, film or theatre museum · 7,328 visitors a year
National Museum of Ethnology
Ethnographic or open-air museum · 5,217 visitors a year
Portugal's most important ethnographic collections belong to the National Museum of Ethnology (Museu Nacional de Etnologia) in Lisbon. The museum researches, safeguards and manages more than 40,000...
Atelier-Museu Júlio Pomar
Art museum
Álvaro Siza, the Portuguese architect who won the 1992 Pritzker Architecture Prize, designed the building of the Atelier-Museum Júlio Pomar (Atelier-Museu Júlio Pomar). It is dedicated to preserving...
Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
Nestled in the heart of Lisbon, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum is a treasure trove of art and culture that beckons visitors from around the globe. Founded by the Armenian oil magnate Calouste...
Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian
Art museum
One of the largest collections of modern and contemporary Portuguese art, nearly 12,000 works, belongs to the Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian, known as CAM. Wikipedia describes it as a major venue...
Cinemateca Portuguesa
Music, film or theatre museum
Founded in 1948 to preserve and share the art of film, and Portuguese cinema in particular, the Cinemateca Portuguesa works as both a national film archive and a working cinema. Its headquarters on...
Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves House-Museum
An Art Nouveau house designed by the architect Manuel Joaquim Norte Júnior holds the Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves House-Museum, signed in Portuguese as Casa-Museu Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves. Built as a...
Edifício Pedro Álvares Cabral , antigos Armazéns Frigoríficos do Bacalhau, actual Museu do Oriente
A former cold-storage warehouse for cod on the Alcântara waterfront now houses the Museum of the Orient (Museu do Oriente), Lisbon's museum of Asian art, which opened in May 2008. The refurbished...
Lisbon Zoo
Zoo or aquarium
Since 1905, Lisbon Zoo (Jardim Zoológico de Lisboa) has occupied the grounds of Quinta das Laranjeiras in Sete Rios, and it is classified as Immovable Cultural Heritage of Public Interest. The zoo...
Museums by city in Portugal
Portugal’s museums are closely tied to the country’s maritime past, royal history, and regional identities. In Lisbon, major institutions such as the National Archaeology Museum, the National Coach Museum, the National Museum of Ancient Art, and the Fado Museum offer different ways into the story of the country, from Roman finds and decorative arts to music rooted in the capital’s old neighborhoods. Mooseum helps visitors navigate these collections with practical, museum-focused tools.
Beyond Lisbon, the museum landscape opens into distinct local traditions. Mafra’s palace complex connects court life, religion, and architecture on a monumental scale, while the Museu Judaico de Belmonte highlights the long history of Jewish communities in central Portugal. In Porto, Coimbra, Évora, and smaller historic towns, visitors will find municipal museums, sacred art collections, archaeology displays, and house museums that reflect the character of each region.
A recurring theme across museums in Portugal is material culture: azulejo tiles, religious sculpture, maritime objects, manuscripts, and decorative arts all appear frequently. Contemporary art also has a strong place, with museums such as the Chiado Museum linking modern Portuguese art to broader European movements. On Mooseum, travelers can compare museum types, plan stops by city, and explore indoor maps before arriving.
Map of museums in Portugal
Museums in Portugal: questions
- How many museums are there in Portugal?
- Mooseum lists 65 museums in Portugal. Lisbon has the most, with 30.
- Which cities in Portugal have the most museums?
- Lisbon (30) and Porto (7).
- What are the most visited museums in Portugal?
- By annual visitors reported on Wikipedia: National Archaeology Museum (263,650), National Azulejo Museum (202,900) and Palace of Mafra (189,694).
- What kinds of museums are in Portugal?
- Of the 39 whose type we know, the most common are art museums (12), historic houses, palaces and castles (5), music, film and theatre museums (4) and transport museums (4).
- Lisbon’s museum scene spans archaeology, royal transport, decorative arts, maritime heritage, and the history of fado
- The National Azulejo Museum offers a focused look at Portugal’s tile tradition, one of the country’s most distinctive visual arts
- Palace museums such as Mafra combine historic interiors, religious collections, and architecture in a single visit
- Regional museums in places like Belmonte, Évora, and Coimbra bring local history, Jewish heritage, and archaeology into clearer focus
- Portuguese museums often mix sacred art, navigation history, and everyday material culture rather than separating them into rigid categories
- Many museums in Portugal close on Mondays, and some keep shorter hours on Sundays and public holidays, so check schedules before planning a full museum day.
- In Lisbon, several major museums are spread across Belém, central districts, and the east side of the city; use tram, metro, or suburban rail to avoid long cross-city journeys.
- Popular sites such as the National Coach Museum, Jerónimos area museums, and Mafra can be busiest from late morning to mid-afternoon, especially in summer and on weekends.
- Look for combined tickets or reduced admission for students, seniors, and families, and use Mooseum to preview layouts and choose museums that fit your route.
All museums in Portugal
Every museum in Portugal listed on Mooseum. Search by name or type.
| Name | Type | Website | Links | Stats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Archaeology museum | museuarqueologicodeodrinhas.cm-sintra.pt |  | — | |
Atelier-Museu Júlio PomarÁlvaro Siza, the Portuguese architect who won the 1992 Pritzker Architecture Prize, designed the building of the Atelier-Museum Júlio Pomar (Atelier-Museu Júlio Pomar). It is dedicated to preserving... | Art museum | www.ateliermuseujuliopomar.pt | | — |
Art museum | www.museuberardo.com | | — | |
Calouste Gulbenkian MuseumNestled in the heart of Lisbon, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum is a treasure trove of art and culture that beckons visitors from around the globe. Founded by the Armenian oil magnate Calouste... | — | gulbenkian.pt/museu | | — |
Art museum | casadashistoriaspaularego.com | | — | |
— | casafernandopessoa.cm-lisboa.pt | | — | |
Art museum | www.cm-porto.pt/cultura/museus-e-arquivos/casa-oficina-antonio-carneiro | | — | |
Centro de Arte Moderna GulbenkianOne of the largest collections of modern and contemporary Portuguese art, nearly 12,000 works, belongs to the Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian, known as CAM. Wikipedia describes it as a major venue... | Art museum | gulbenkian.pt/cam | | — |
Art museum | cpf.pt | | — | |
— | www.cm-loures.pt/AreaConteudo.aspx?DisplayId=1838 | | — | |
Chiado MuseumDespite its name, the Chiado Museum is devoted to art made between 1850 and 1950. It holds the best collection of Portuguese painting and sculpture from the Romantic, Naturalist and Modern periods.... | Art museum | www.museuartecontemporanea.pt | | — |
Cinemateca PortuguesaFounded in 1948 to preserve and share the art of film, and Portuguese cinema in particular, the Cinemateca Portuguesa works as both a national film archive and a working cinema. Its headquarters on... | Music, film or theatre museum | www.cinemateca.pt | | — |
— | museu-angra.azores.gov.pt | | — | |
— | www.museucr7.com | | — | |
Archaeology museum | www.museuddiogodesousa.gov.pt | | — | |
Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves House-MuseumAn Art Nouveau house designed by the architect Manuel Joaquim Norte Júnior holds the Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves House-Museum, signed in Portuguese as Casa-Museu Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves. Built as a... | — | blogdacmag.blogspot.pt | | — |
Historic house, palace or castle | www.fcbraganca.pt | | — | |
Edifício Pedro Álvares Cabral , antigos Armazéns Frigoríficos do Bacalhau, actual Museu do OrienteA former cold-storage warehouse for cod on the Alcântara waterfront now houses the Museum of the Orient (Museu do Oriente), Lisbon's museum of Asian art, which opened in May 2008. The refurbished... | — | www.museudooriente.pt | | — |
Science and technology museum | www.fundacaoedp.pt | | — | |
Music, film or theatre museum | www.museudofado.pt | | — | |
— | cm-sintra.pt/atualidade/cultura/museus-municipais-de-sintra/museu-ferreira-de-castro | | — | |
Memorial museum | en.mhporto.com | | — | |
Art museum | www.culturacentro.gov.pt/museu-josé-malhoa-en | | — | |
Religious museum | www.cm-tvedras.pt/viver/cultura/museu-municipal | | — | |
— | museuvidadecristo.pt | | — |