From all those brilliant art galleries in Lisbon to Porto’s unique collection of museums, Portugal is jam-packed with endless cultural sites to absorb – and excitingly, a whole load of them are about to become free to enter.
At a ceremony at the Grão Vasco National Museum in Viseu on May 18, celebrating International Museum Day, Dalila Rodrigues, Portugal’s minister for culture announced that entry to these 38 sites would be free every day of the week. But, sadly, not for tourists – you have to be a resident or national of Portugal.
If you are a Portuguese resident, you’ll be entitled to make up to 52 entries (the equivalent of one each week) into any site managed by Museus e Monumentos de Portugal. In Rodrigues’ announcement, she said the scheme would be ‘implemented soon’, and people will be able to apply on their phones.
In Lisbon alone, there’ll be 16 national heritage sites included in the scheme – here they are:
- Jerónimos Monastery
- National Pantheon
- Ajuda National Palace
- Help Library
- Royal Treasury Museum
- National Costume Museum
- Royal Riding Ground
- Belém Tower
- National Theater and Dance Museum
- National Tile Museum
- Museum of Popular Art
- National Museum of Ancient Art
- National Museum of Archeology
- Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves House-Museum
- National Museum of Ethnology
- National Coach Museum
For more info on the best things to do in Portugal, you can check out our list here.
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