Museu de Artes Decorativas

Alfama, Castelo & Graça


Set in a petite 17th-century palace, this museum creaks under the weight of treasures including blingy French silverware, priceless Qing vases and Indo-Chinese furniture – a collection amassed by a wealthy Portuguese banker from the age of 16. It’s worth a visit just to admire the lavish apartments, embellished with baroque azulejos, frescoes and chandeliers.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Alfama, Castelo & Graça attractions

1. Largo das Portas do Sol

0.01 MILES

This original Moorish gateway affords stunning angles over Alfama’s jumble of red rooftops and pastel-coloured houses, underscored by the true blue Rio…

2. Miradouro de Santa Luzia

0.03 MILES

From bougainvillea-clad Miradouro de Santa Luzia, your gaze drifts over a mosaic of rooftops and spires to the river below.

3. Alfama

0.11 MILES

Wander downhill (to save your legs) through Alfama's steep, narrow, cobblestoned streets and catch a glimpse of the more traditional side of Lisbon before…

4. Museu do Teatro Romano

0.15 MILES

The ultramodern Museu do Teatro Romano, reopened in 2015 after a two-year renovation and further excavation, catapults you back to Emperor Augustus’ rule…

6. Museu do Aljube

0.16 MILES

Both poignant and haunting, this new and highly important museum has turned the former Portuguese dictatorship's political prison of choice into a museum…

7. Museu do Fado

0.17 MILES

Fado (traditional Portuguese melancholic song) was born in Alfama. Immerse yourself in its bittersweet symphonies at Museu do Fado. This engaging museum…

8. Sé de Lisboa

0.19 MILES

The fortress-like Sé de Lisboa is one of Lisbon’s icons, built in 1150 on the site of a mosque soon after Christians recaptured the city from the Moors…