Three must-visit museums in Lisbon

Lisbon has many museums, and today I'm going to tell you about three of them: Museu Arqueológico do Carmo (Carmo Archaeological Museum), Museu Nacional do Azulejo (National Tile Museum) and Museu Militar de Lisboa (Lisbon Army Museum). All three are excellent.


First up, the Carmo Archaeological Museum which is located inside the ruins of the Carmo Convent. As always when it comes to Lisbon and ruins, the great earthquake of 1755 was to blame, but be prepared to be amazed when you head round the corner from the ticket office into the convent and first see said ruins. I'd seen pictures whilst I was researching Lisbon but it's quite something to see them in real life. Pretty incredible, in fact. 

      

Entry is a mere €5 and whilst you can spot the top of the ruins from outside, it doesn't compare to the impact inside. It's worth going in to see this, and to poke around the small museum inside the ruined church. You'll find tombs, stained glass windows, mummies(!) and more, plus a pretty nifty video explaining the history of the convent. 

Next up is the National Tile Museum which, be warned, isn't located very centrally. We grabbed an Uber there from where we were staying in Alfama but walked back from there to the Lisbon Army Museum (which took around 20-25 minutes). It is worth making the trek over though to the world's largest collection of ceramics (or so the internet claims). 

We bought a joint ticket at the National Pantheon a few days prior for €7 - make sure you keep it safe - but if you just want to visit the National Tile Museum, an adult ticket costs €5. Now, you might be wondering what the allure is because tiles to you may not sound that exciting. You would be wrong. In Portugal, a tile - or azulejo - is a thing of wonder. 

Azulejos can date back to the 13th century, though it was in the 16th and 17th century that they really began to make their mark in Portugal. This is when they began to be used more and more for storytelling  - and there are plenty of examples of this in the National Tile Museum. Tiles are arranged in the museum in chronological order so it's easy to see how they developed over the centuries. 

      

Located in the former Convent of Madre Deus, the National Tile Museum still has some rather impressive nods to its former life, which are worth a peek. And if you're wondering why it stopped being a convent and became this museum... damaged after the great earthquake of 1755, of course. 

Finally, the Museu Militar de Lisboa - known as the Lisbon Army Museum to those of us who are not Portuguese speakers! Now, this one threw me. Definitely wasn't on my radar because I have zero interest in armies. But, I read that this museum is a bit of a hidden gem because of the building it is in. Apparently it's stunning - they were right. 

      

Costing only €3 for adult entry, which you'll have to pay in cash - this is the only place in Lisbon that wouldn't take cards! - this is, as mentioned above, is an overlooked gem. We were the only people there during our visit, which I would have attributed to a COVID-19 thing, but a lot of reviews I read on Tripadvisor also said the same (and those reviews were dated before the pandemic). 

So, do take a look at the swords, guns, cannons and whatnot, but do also look up and around to admire the ceilings and walls of the building which have an intricate beauty. We only spent about 30 minutes in there, but it was 30 minutes well spent.

Three museums definitely worth visiting if you ever find yourself in Lisbon. x