Lisbon Museum - An Insiders Guide
The Gulbenkian is the most outstanding Lisbon Museum. This piece is part of the exquisite Lalique jewelery collection.
The Gulbenkian
Our favourite Lisbon Museum is The Gulbenkian. Situated North of Marques de Pombal in affluent modern Lisbon. A Park, Exhibition Space, Concert Hall, Educational Resource, Restaurant. Gulbenkian himself a rich Armenian Financier based himself in Portugal to get away from conflict during the Second World War. In gratitude he left a clause in his will for an Arts and Education Foundation. The main Museum, opened in 1969, displays his own personal collection.The range is amazing - Classical Greece, Egypt, Islamic Art Medieval and Renaissance, Exquisite Furniture, Modern Jewelery.It needs a whole day to really appreciate.The Arabic art is exceptional, there are marvelous Renaissance Pictures and surprises, note the Turner and Burne Jones.
Museu Do OrientAnother great Lisbon Museum. In the newly developed Alcantara Area, near the Train Station. An impressive building houses several floors of exhibitions revealing the close connection of Lisbon to the Orient.Particularly impressive is the style of the Exhibits, which has no overtones of Imperialism. The Cultures are given a chance to express themselves on their own terms and not just part of a Scientific study. The Wonderful recreations of Hindu and Buddhists Ritual are stunning. And you can discover the strangeness of Timorese devotional practice and marvel at symbolic masks from all over the east. The temporary exhibitions here are usually fascinating and there are workshops for kids. 
Berardo Collection - Centro Cultural de BelemThe collection of Modern Art of José Manuel Rodrigues Berardo in the Belem Cultural Center is wonderful. The "Independent" called it "one of the best private collections in Europe". Approximately 1000 works - A retrospective of 20th and 21st Century Art, organised in a fresh and open minded style with educational events and temporary exhibits complimenting the extensive main collection. It invites you to look at 20th Century art with a fresh eye and to notice just how strange and magical the experience of modern Art can be. There are impressive works by all the famous names including Picasso, Duchamp and Bacon but also strange works by lesser known artists and rooms with constant showings of thought-provoking videos.A great Lisbon-Museum and a great addition to Portuguese CultureThere is also a beautiful complimentary Museum showing part of the collection in Sintra, a stunning location just outside Lisbon. Musem of Ancient Art
Lisbon Museum of Ancient Art. High above the Port of Lisbon in the elegant Western suburb of Lapa ia the Museu do Arte Antigua. It covers the periods from Prehistory to the 19th Century in a series of impressive galleries. It is big and can be tiring, almost impossible to do it all in a morning. Better to concentrate on either the truly impressive collections from the Portuguese colonies or the Galleries of Fine Art from Western Europe. There are many great paintings here. The strange frightening tryptich by Hieronymous Bosch Temptation of Saint Anthony is the centerpiece of the Collection. Equally impressive are Dutch masters, works bt Rembrandt and Velazquez and the early Portuguese Masterworks on display.The rooms of Oriental Art have become our favourite places to spend concentrated viewing time.
Museu de Azulejos
East of the city in an ancient convent in the area where the seminal Lisbon Music group Madredeus rehearsed music in portugal Lisbon Museum of Azulejos A beautiful building and a cornucopia of decorative art. Portugal has specialised in decorative tiles for centuries. Here you can see the origins of the art in Iberia from Moorish models and you can trace the development of the art to the present day. The highlight is the unmissable panorama of Lisbon before the earthquake, showing what a magnificent city it was in the early 18th century. The 20th century exhibits are also interesting, illustrating the styles favoured by the political right and the more challenging artistically vibrant styles of the post-revolution period. The whole building is a gem and the church is overwhelming with paintings and tiles organized like a vast kaleidescope. The cafe is also very attractive and a good place for lunch. Lisbon-Restaurants The Coach Museum
Belem is the area of Lisbon Monuments and Lisbon Museums. In part of the Presidents Palace there is a really unmissable Lisbon Museum dedicated to Ceremonial Coaches from the 16th to 19th Centuries. The collection is truly amazing and gives an insight into the opulence of life for the Aristocracy in previous centuries. The traveling Coach of Phillip II of Spain is the rarest item as it is one of the very first coaches of it's kind. You can't visit this Museum without being amazed at the beauty of the ornamental detail and the combination of strength and delicacy in each design.The Museum is free to enter on Sunday mornings as are many Lisbon Museums. Another insider tip, there are Classical music concerts in the coach museum on Sunday afternoons. There is no better way to go back in time than to hear beautiful music in these surroundings.
The Fado Museum.
The Museum of Fado is in one of the liveliest areas of the city at the bottom of the Alfama - East of the City Center
The Lisbon Museum of Fado - Museu do Fado at the bottom of the Alfama near the river opposite Tabaco Dock is a gem for music lovers. There are photos, films, exhibits, but best of all is the computerized listening section. Here you can hear hundreds of singers from the earliest recordings to recent arrivals on the scene. You need to spend several hours if you really want to uncover the secrets of this wonderful Lisbon Music. A great place to spend a morning. there are also concerts here so check out the programme of events. Many great singers perform here in regular Fado evenings. Lisbon Fado Histroy and Modern Fado The Maritime Museum and D. Fernando II e GloriaLisbon is a maritime City and there is inevitably a Lisbon Museum dedicated to this aspect of its History. The Maritime Museum in Belem is a little old fashioned but impressive, full of models and examples of vessels that sailed the seas in search of new territories and wealth. The Museum is near Jeronimus and the Cultural Center, and is interesting for children especially if they like History. Over the river at Cacilhas is a fantastic little known Exhibition on the Frigate Dom Fernando and Glory. A sailing ship, built in portuguese India in 1843, brought to its former glory with exhibits showing everyday life on a ship at that time. It stimulates the imagination and brings to life the realities of sea voyages in a way that scale models can't. Take the boat from Cais Sodre to Cacilhas and it is just to the left of the quay. Cacilhas is also famous for it's seafood restaurants and the views from here to Lisbon are also magnificent.
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