49 Best Sights in Lisbon, Portugal

Vila Nogueira de Azeitão's agricultural traditions are trumpeted on the first Sunday of every month, when a country market is held near the center of town. Here you can buy wine, produce, clothing, kitchen goods, olive oil, and the renowned local queijo de Azeitão, a buttery sheep's cheese.

Notable for its pretty terrace with blue-and-yellow azulejo tiles, the Miradouro de Santa Luzia has great views of the rooftops of Alfama and the boats along the Tagus River. Street musicians draw crowds with jazz and samba performances, and artists sell reasonably priced etchings of the scene. A pleasant kiosk serves coffee, cocktails, and snacks.

This museum celebrating Lisbon's public transport past and present is next to the creative hub Village Underground and donated the distinctive double-decker buses that now house that attraction's café. It's worth taking the opportunity to climb aboard a classic tram that trundles from one converted warehouse to another, allowing visitors to admire vintage buses, streetcars, uniforms, and other artifacts from Lisbon's public transport history. A gift shop sells cute miniature buses and trams.

Portugal has a rich history of using puppets—from cute to creepy—to tell stories, and this fascinating museum is an opportunity to see the marionettes and masks up close. The only one of its kind in Portugal, the Puppet Museum includes an impressive collection of African and Asian puppets alongside the Portuguese exhibits. The location, inside a former convent, adds an extra dash of drama to the proceedings, and there's a chance to get hands-on with some of the puppets.

Founded in 1853, the Maritime Museum is one of Lisbon's oldest and it showcases Portugal's important seafaring traditions. With its thousands of maps and maritime codes, navigational equipment, model ships, uniforms, and weapons, the museum appeals to visitors young and old.

This small museum near the cathedral showcases the remains of a 1st-century theatre built during the reign of Emperor Augustus with space for around 4,000 spectators. Abandoned in the Middle Ages and buried for centuries, it was uncovered during 18th-century reconstruction work. You can view original columns and architectural fragments; multilingual touch-screen kiosks provide historical context.

The spirit of heroism is palpable in the sprawling barracks and arsenal complex of the Lisbon Military Museum, which houses one of the largest artillery collections in the world. You can ogle a 20-ton bronze cannon and admire Vasco da Gama's sword in a room dedicated to the explorer and his voyages. As you clatter through endless echoing rooms of weapons, uniforms, and armor, you may be lucky enough to be followed—at a respectful distance—by a guide who can convey exactly how that bayonet was jabbed or that gruesome flail swung. In this ornate building there is also a collection of 18th- to 20th-century art.

Designed by Brazilian Pritzker Prize winner Paulo Mendes da Rocha, this very popular museum has a dazzling collection of gloriously gilded horse-drawn conveyances. The oldest on display was made for Philip II of Spain in the late 1500s; the most stunning are three created in Rome for King John V in 1716. The museum was originally located at the nearby Royal Riding School, which still has exhibitions. It's right next door to the official residence of the president of the republic, whose Museu da Presidência tells the story of the presidency, profiles the officeholders, and displays gifts that have been received on state visits.

If Willy Wonka turned his attention to canned fish, it would probably look something like this flamboyant shop on Rossio square, part of a fast-growing chain that even recently opened a branch in Times Square. A riot of color, complete with a miniature sardine-themed Ferris wheel, the Fantastic World of Portuguese Sardines is a gift shop and sightseeing experience all in one, dreamed up by long-established fish processor Comur. The decorative personalized (by birth year) tins make for uniquely Portuguese keepsakes.

Way off the beaten path and far from the city center, this palace by the modern district of Benfica and on the edge of Parque Florestal de Monsanto is one of Lisbon’s most beautiful buildings. Built in 1670, it’s known for some of the finest examples of Portuguese tile panels, both inside the palace and outside around the garden. It's tricky to reach by public transportation, but a taxi from the Jardim Zoológico metro stop, about a mile away, will be quick and inexpensive.

A palace built in the 1700s for a nun, who just so happened to be one of the king’s mistresses, is now the main branch of the Museu de Lisbon. The king spent summers at the palace, so a formal garden was laid out behind the building. There are peacocks roaming around, as well as a few ceramic animals created by the great 19th-century sculptor and satirist Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro. The museum houses a collection of archaeological finds, historic tile panels, paintings, and sculptures, all related to the history of Lisbon. A highlight is a model of the city, showing it as it was before it was laid to ruins in the 1755 earthquake.

At this innovative interactive attraction you'll be whisked up to a glass-floored viewing platform alongside the beautiful Ponte 25 de Abril. You'll learn how this engineering marvel was constructed, get a glimpse inside one of the massive pillars, and take a virtual-reality tour of parts that nobody can otherwise reach.

The Navy Planetarium is an immersive space that presents astronomical films with various themes several times per day. Headphones can be used to translate the presentations into English, and there are special sessions designed for kids.

Sesimbra's beachfront stretches the entire length of the historic downtown area, divided in the middle by a whitewashed fort jutting out to sea. The eastern side, known as Praia da California, is rocky at the far end, with some currents and small waves. During the summer it's packed with sun loungers, pedal boats, and splashing families, but it's blissfully quiet from mid-October through June. Amenities: food and drink; lifeguards (summer); showers (summer); toilets (summer). Best for: snorkeling; swimming; walking.

Still under the radar even among Lisboetas, Cova do Vapor is a fishing hamlet perched at the point where the Tagus meets the Atlantic. The soft-sand beach is Caparica's closest point to Lisbon, and while there are glorious views over the city, the rustic beach shacks make it feel like another world. While crowds of surfers pack most of the Costa da Caparica, there are still vast swaths of space on the sands and gentle dunes here. Amenities: food and drink; parking (no fee). Best for: solitude; swimming; walking.

Mammoth white sand dunes separate the calm lake at Lagoa de Albufeira from the crashing Atlantic waves on the other side. Kite surfers whiz by, families splash in the waters, and locals wade through the shallows, harvesting shellfish. It's a fascinating scene that gets very busy in summer, but the sunbathing and people-watching opportunities are unparalleled. Amenities: food and drink; parking (fee); water sports. Best for: walking.

One of the most celebrated of the famous Arrábida beaches, Portinho is a photogenic crescent of golden sand and turquoise waters, flanked on all sides by pine-covered hills. A high-season car ban makes access tough in the summer months, but it's a joy to visit at any other time of year. Amenities: food and drink. Best for: snorkeling; swimming; walking.

In 1755 a catastrophic earthquake changed the face of Lisbon forever. This modern immersive museum aims to take visitors back in time to experience some of the horrors. Wander through a series of themed rooms that explore the quake, fires, and tsunami that rippled across Lisbon, and learn about the history and science of the event. Tickets are timed and the experience takes around 90 minutes.

Your eyes do not deceive you—there really is an ornate gilded Thai pavilion beneath the jacaranda trees in Belém's Jardim Vasco da Gama. Built to celebrate 500 years of diplomatic relations between Thailand and Portugal, the structure was opened by Thai princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.