Day 4: Around central Lisbon

In the North of the city, in the residential and business areas, two museums are worth the trip:

• The Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

Address: 45A Avenida de Berna, 1067-001 LISBON

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30 am to 5:45 pm

Admission: €4 - Possibility to visit the Modern Art Centre for €3 more.

Access: Underground Blue Line – S. Sebastião ou Praça de Espanha Station

Bus: 716, 726, 756, 718, 742.

The Portuguese State inherited wealthy oil tycoon Calouste Gulbenkian’s whole collection and thus dedicated him a museum where you can admire many masterpieces acquired throughout the world. You will find many different things from Egyptian statuettes, impressionist paintings to Islamic art. If you only have time for one museum, this is the one.

https://gulbenkian.pt/cam/en/?langId=2

To reach the second museum, you have to cross a huge and wonderful verdant park dotted with statues and stretches of water where many locals meet.

• The Modern Art Centre

Address: Rua Dr. Nicolau de Bettencourt 1050-078, Lisbon

Opening Hours: They are the same as these of Gulbenkian Museum.

Admission: €4 - Possibility to visit the Gulbenkian Museum for €3 more.

Access: Underground Blue Line – S. Sebastião Station

Bus: 716, 718, 726, 742, 746, 756

The Modern Art Centre houses Portugal’s most important art collection of the 20th century. However the exhibition space is quite small, the works are exposed by turns: Impossible then to see everything at once.

Note: The Museum cafeteria offers a lot of good products at competitive prices. If you feel like having a snack, indulge yourself.

https://gulbenkian.pt/cam/en/?langId=2

In the district of Santa Apolonia

• National Tile Museum (Museu Nacional do Azulejo)

Address: 4 rua da Madre de Deus – 1900 LISBON

Opening Hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10:00 am to 6:00 pm. Sunday, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.

Admission: €5 - Free on Sunday.

Access: Bus 718, 742, 794, 203, 210. The Underground stops at Santa Apolonia Station, from which you have 20 minutes to walk.

The museum houses a former convent where you could also admire the cloister as well as the church.

The museum - the most important dedicated to azulejos - traces their history by era. There are also many biblical scenes.

Note: The relaxing ambiance of the cafeteria with its indoor patio decorated with azulejos. We have been a bit disappointed because the most beautiful azulejos that we have seen were on Lisbon’s façade of buildings and not in this very museum.

http://mnazulejo.imc-ip.pt/en-GB/Default.aspx