Belém
Belém’s undisputed heart-stealer is this Unesco-listed monastery. The mosteiro is the stuff of pure fantasy: a fusion of Diogo de Boitaca’s creative…
Must-see attractions in Lisbon
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
Towering dramatically above Lisbon, these mid-11th-century hilltop fortifications sneak into almost every snapshot. Roam its snaking ramparts and pine…
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
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…
Palácio dos Marqueses de Fronteira
Lisbon
This 17th-century former hunting pavilion is in the Benfica neighbourhood. Italian Renaissance influences are blended with Portuguese-inspired blue-and…
Lisbon
Set in a lemon-fronted, 17th-century palace, the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga is Lapa’s biggest draw. It presents a star-studded collection of European…
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
The curvaceous, sugar-white dome and twin belfries of Basílica da Estrela are visible from afar. The echoing interior is awash with pink-and-black marble,…
Lisbon
Housed in a sublime 16th-century convent, Lisbon's Museu Nacional do Azulejo covers the entire azulejo (hand-painted tile) spectrum. Star exhibits feature…
Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré
The plain facade of 16th-century Jesuit Igreja de São Roque belies its dazzling interior of gold, marble and Florentine azulejos – bankrolled by Brazilian…
Belém
Cinderella wannabes delight in Portugal's most visited museum, which dazzles with its world-class collection of 70 17th- to 19th-century coaches in an…
Belém
Culture fiends can get their contemporary-art fix at Museu Coleção Berardo, the star of the Centro Cultural de Belém. The ultrawhite, minimalist gallery…
Convento do Carmo & Museu Arqueológico
Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré
Soaring above Lisbon, the skeletal Convento do Carmo was all but devoured by the 1755 earthquake, and that's precisely what makes it so captivating. Its…
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
Don't leave the city without riding popular tram 28E from Largo Martim Moniz. This rickety, screechy, gloriously old-fashioned ride from Praça Martim…
Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara
Bairro Alto, Chiado & Cais do Sodré
Hitch a ride on vintage Ascensor da Glória from Praça dos Restauradores, or huff your way up steep Calçada da Glória to this terrific hilltop viewpoint…
Miradouro Panorâmico de Monsanto
Lisbon
Lisbon’s beloved secret viewpoint is a graffiti- and art-plastered building that was once an exclusive high-society restaurant in the late 1960s. A series…
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…
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
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…
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…
Belém
Jutting out onto the Rio Tejo, this Unesco World Heritage–listed fortress epitomises the Age of Discoveries. You'll need to breathe in to climb the narrow…
Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
Discover your inner child at the surprisingly enchanting Museu da Marioneta, a veritable Geppetto’s workshop housed in the 17th-century Convento das…
Lisbon
The beautifully designed Museu do Oriente highlights Portugal’s ties with Asia, from colonial baby steps in Macau to ancestor worship. The cavernous…
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…
Lisbon
This cultural centre is in a restored 19th-century palace in the Benfica quarter, a semi-suburban, residential area of Lisbon, full of boutique-sized…
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…
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
A much-loved summertime hang-out of lisboêtas, this miradouro (lookout) sidles up to the baroque Igreja da Graça. It has an incredible view of the castle…
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
Lisbon spreads out before you at Graça’s highest of the high, Miradouro da Senhora do Monte. Come for the relaxed vibe and the best views of the castle on…
Belém
This museum is set in one of the remaining buildings from the 1940s Exhibition of the Portuguese World, part of the city's architectural heritage…
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Belém
The salmon-slabbed 16th-century Belém Palace is Portugal's official presidential residence and office (though the country's previous president, Cavaco…
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Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
Graça’s Mosteiro de São Vicente de Fora was founded in 1147 and revamped by Italian architect Felipe Terzi in the late 16th century. Since the adjacent…
Alfama, Castelo & Graça
From bougainvillea-clad Miradouro de Santa Luzia, your gaze drifts over a mosaic of rooftops and spires to the river below.
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Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia
Belém
Lisbon's latest riverfront star is this low-rise, glazed-tiled structure that intriguingly hips and sways into ground-level exhibition halls. Visitors can…
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Lisbon
This red-brick, neo-Moorish building built in 1892 hosts big concerts and other events, including bullfighting, and houses a museum. Below the stadium is…
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Alfama, Castelo & Graça
Both poignant and haunting, this new and highly important museum has turned the former Portuguese dictatorship's political prison of choice into a museum…
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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…
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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…
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Príncipe Real, Santos & Estrela
Most folks walk right past one of Lisbon's only surviving public laundromats – there's no sign other than 'CML' inscripted across the doorframe – and this…
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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,…
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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…
