Alfama, Castelo & Graça
Fado (traditional Portuguese melancholic song) was born in Alfama. Immerse yourself in its bittersweet symphonies at Museu do Fado. This engaging museum…
Must-see attractions in Lisbon
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…
Baixa & Rossio
Currently in soft opening mode, this new cultural centre in the heart of Mouraria is housing temporary exhibitions in the afternoons, as construction…
Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré
The inconspicuous, graffitied white facade of this 17th-century fort-like convent contrasts with the rich blue-and-white tiles and gilded carvings of the…
Baixa & Rossio
This triumphal arch was built in the wake of the 1755 earthquake. A lift whisks you to the top, where fine views of Praça do Comércio, the Rio Tejo and…
Lisbon
This group of old warehouses have been converted into a lovely patch of restaurants and bars, all with stupendous views over the marina and Ponte 25 de…
Lisbon
Experiência Pilar 7 affords the opportunity to get up close and personal with the iconic Ponte 25 de Abril from 80m above ground. The €5.3-million…
Fundação José Saramago – Casa dos Bicos
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
The pincushion facade of Casa dos Bicos, the eccentric 16th-century abode of Afonso de Albuquerque, former viceroy to India, grabs your attention with…
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
Immerse yourself in the life and work of Portuguese modernist founder and author Fernando Pessoa as you wander through his old apartment, browse through…
Museu de Lisboa Palácio Pimenta
Lisbon
Set in an 18th-century palace, this museum shows the city's history and diverse cultural influences from prehistoric times to the early 20th century…
Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré
Set in the same street where Júlio Pomar lives and works, this museum, with two spaces housing temporary exhibitions, feels like an art gallery showcasing…
Fundação Arpàd Szenes–Vieira da Silva
Marquês de Pombal & Around
Set in a former silk factory, this museum houses paintings by Portuguese artist Vieira da Silva and her husband Arpàd Szenes. Open spaces, wooden beams…
Convento de São Pedro de Alcântara
Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré
This convent is small in size but grand in baroque decor. The inconspicuous box-like facade hides a chapel (1690s), and a church (1681) that survived the…
Lisbon
Most visitors come to this cemetery, the largest in Lisbon, for the view of the Rio Tejo right next to the artists' plot. But the elaborate baroque family…
Marquês de Pombal & Around
An urban oasis with British roots, Parque Eduardo VII is named after his highness Edward VII, who visited Lisbon in 1903. The sloping parterre affords…
Parque das Nações
Designed by acclaimed Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the space-age Gare do Oriente is an extraordinary vaulted structure, with slender columns…
Belém
The salmon-slabbed 16th-century Belém Palace is Portugal's official presidential residence and office (though the country's previous president, Cavaco…
Palácio da Assembleia da República
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
The columned, temple-like Palácio da Assembleia da República (Palácio de São Bento) is where Portugal’s parliament, the Assembleia da República, makes its…
Baixa & Rossio
This Baixa star, set in a cavernous former bank, contains furniture, industrial design and couture dating from the 1930s. It was closed for renovations at…
Lisbon
The 109 arches of the Aqueduto das Águas Livres lope across the hills into Lisbon from Caneças, more than 18km away; they are most spectacular at…
Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré
If the lanky, wrought-iron Elevador de Santa Justa seems uncannily familiar, it’s probably because the neo-Gothic marvel is the handiwork of Raul Mésnier,…
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
The ultramodern Museu do Teatro Romano, reopened in 2015 after a two-year renovation and further excavation, catapults you back to Emperor Augustus’ rule…
Baixa & Rossio
This museum takes visitors on a 60-minute journey through Lisbon's history, from its early foundation (pre-ancient Roman days) to modern times. An audio…
Belém
The monolithic Padrão dos Descobrimentos, looking like a caravel ship frozen in midswell, was inaugurated in 1960 on the 500th anniversary of Henry the…
Baixa & Rossio
Simply known as Rossio to locals, Praça Dom Pedro IV has 24-hour buzz. Shoeshiners, lottery-ticket sellers, hash-peddlers and office workers drift across…
Museu Calouste Gulbenkian – Coleção Moderna
Marquês de Pombal & Around
Situated in a sculpture-dotted garden, the Coleção Moderna reveals a stellar collection of 20th-century Portuguese and international art. Admission…
Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea do Chiado
Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré
Art fans flock to Museu do Chiado, housed in the strikingly converted Convento de São Francisco. While the gallery’s permanent collection of 19th- and…
Baixa & Rossio
Pop into Banco do Portugal's money museum to see the stunning €34-million interior renovation of the once-mighty São Julião church (closed in 1933); and…
Parque das Nações
No, that's not Dubai! Shaped like the sail of explorer Vasco da Gama’s mighty caravel, this 145m-high, concrete-and-steel skyscraper was designed by…
Parque das Nações
Bristling with exotic foliage from Portugal’s former colonies, the Garcia de Orta Garden is named after a 16th-century Portuguese naturalist and pioneer…
Belém
Far from the madding crowd, these botanical gardens bristle with hundreds of species, from date palms to monkey-puzzle trees. Spread across 7 hectares, it…
Belém
The Museu de Marinha is a nautical flashback to the Age of Discoveries, with its armadas of model ships, cannonballs and shipwreck booty. Dig for buried…
Casa Museu de Amália Rodrigues
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
A pilgrimage site for fado fans, this is where the Rainha do Fado (Queen of Fado) Amália Rodrigues (1920-99) lived; note the calçada portuguesa …
Marquês de Pombal & Around
The king laid the Aqueduto das Águas Livres’ final stone at Mãe d’Água, the city’s massive 5500-cu-metre main reservoir. Completed in 1834, the reservoir…
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
Seeking green respite? Opposite the Basílica da Estrela, this 1852 green space is perfect for a stroll, with paths weaving past pine, monkey-puzzle and…
Baixa & Rossio
This riverfront promenade between Praça do Comércio and Cais do Sodré is a focal point along Lisbon's continually regenerating waterfront. With broad…
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
Shaded by a giant cedar tree, this is a relaxing shady plaza with an al fresco cafe for watching the world go slowly by. The surrounding district is…
Belém
Housed in the western wing of Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, the intriguing stash here contains mesolithic flint stones, Egyptian mummies inside elaborately…
Baixa & Rossio
Praça da Figueira is framed by whizzing traffic, Pombaline town houses and alfresco cafes with stellar views of hilltop Castelo de São Jorge. At its…
Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré
Igreja de Santa Catarina is a gilded baroque masterpiece, originally part of a convent built in 1647. Pay particular attention to the stucco rococo…
