25 of the best · Lisbon, Portugal
The Gulbenkian and its Centre for Modern Art, the MNAA, the tile museum’s Open Azulejo, MAAT and MAC/CCB, opera at São Carlos and the story of fado.
Our 25 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026
Browse by type
Three Lisbon addresses we return to, chosen from this list by people who know the city well.
A collector’s museum
Calouste Gulbenkian’s collection, from Egypt and the Islamic world to Lalique and the French 18th century, in a garden setting.
Lisbon’s opera house
The national opera house in Chiado, facing the Largo de São Carlos.
Lisbon’s song
The museum of fado in Alfama, with the story of the song and its singers.
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The Gulbenkian, the azulejo and fado: the arts that make Lisbon.
The back story
Calouste Gulbenkian’s collection and Kengo Kuma’s new garden canopy, old masters at the Janelas Verdes, the tiles of the Madre de Deus, opera at São Carlos and fado in Alfama.
Visual arts
From Calouste Gulbenkian’s treasures to the national tile collection.
A collector’s museum
Calouste Gulbenkian’s collection, from Egypt and the Islamic world to Lalique and the French 18th century, in a garden setting.
On the riverfront
Art, architecture and technology on the river at Belém, in a curving new building and the old Tejo power station.
Reopens 21 November 2026
The national museum of old masters, in a palace on the Rua das Janelas Verdes above the river.
Rua das Janelas Verdes, 1249-017 LisboaExplore View on map
Closed for works
The national tile museum in the Convento da Madre de Deus, closed for works; its exhibition Open Azulejo is at the Palácio da Calheta.
Founded by Queen Amélia in 1905
Royal and ceremonial coaches from the 16th to the 19th centuries, in a museum founded in 1905.
Avenida da Índia 136, 1300-300 LisboaExplore View on map
The Gulbenkian’s CAM, MAC/CCB at Belém and Culturgest.
Modern and contemporary art
The Gulbenkian’s modern and contemporary art centre, at the south end of its garden.
At the Centro Cultural de Belém
The museum of modern and contemporary art at the Centro Cultural de Belém.
The Manueline monastery and tower, the roofless Carmo and the riverside square.
Open to the sky since 1755
The roofless Gothic church of the Carmo, left as the earthquake of 1755 found it, with an archaeological museum.
UNESCO, 1983
The Manueline monastery of the Hieronymites, founded by King Manuel I, with its great cloister.
The riverside square
The great arcaded square on the Tagus, with the Rua Augusta Arch at its head.
UNESCO, 1983
The tower dedicated to St Vincent, designed by Francisco de Arruda to guard the mouth of the Tagus.
Avenida Brasília, 1400-038 LisboaExplore View on map
Performing arts
The song of Lisbon, the Gulbenkian Orchestra and the city’s concert halls.
Stages by the river
Concerts, dance and theatre at the cultural centre opposite the Jerónimos Monastery.
Under the great dome
The domed concert hall on the Rua das Portas de Santo Antão.
The Gulbenkian Orchestra and Choir
Concerts by the Gulbenkian Orchestra and Choir, in the Foundation’s Grand Auditorium.
Lisbon’s song
The museum of fado in Alfama, with the story of the song and its singers.
The national theatre on the Rossio.
The national opera house in Chiado.
Lisbon’s opera house
The national opera house in Chiado, facing the Largo de São Carlos.
The historic cinema on the Avenida and the national film archive.
On the Avenida
The city’s historic cinema on the Avenida da Liberdade, home to Lisbon’s film festivals.
Avenida da Liberdade 175, LisboaExplore View on map
The national film archive
Portugal’s film archive and museum, with daily screenings from its collection.
Folk & cultural traditions
Soaps, ceramics, gloves and design that last.
Portuguese classics
Portuguese soaps, ceramics, tins and stationery from long-established makers.
In a neo-Arab palace
Portuguese designers and makers in the 19th-century neo-Arab Palácio Ribeiro da Cunha.
Lisbon’s documentary film festival, each autumn.
