111 Best Sights in Lisbon, Portugal

Portugal's oldest botanical garden—laid out in 1768 by the Italian botanist Domenico Vandelli (1735–1816)—is a relaxing place to spend an hour or so. Baroque fountains and stairways, Renaissance-style terraced slopes, and meandering peacocks create a sense of splendor, and the Scented Garden adds aromatic appeal.

Lisbon's main botanical garden was first laid out in 1873 to teach students about botany, and it is still part of the University of Lisbon. Hidden behind the small Museu de História Natural, about 2 km (1 mile) north of Bairro Alto, the garden has 10 acres of paths through myriad species of subtropical plants. It's a pleasant place for a shaded stroll.

Steps from Belém’s Manueline monastery, this tropical botanical garden offers shady respite from the heat and the crowds outside. Towering palm trees provide a grand entrance to a flower-filled space that was created in 1906 as the Colonial Garden, housing some 600 species from Portugal’s tropical and subtropical former colonies. There are some grand colonial-style buildings, although most are closed to the public, and resident peacocks stroll amid the flowers and plants. Entrance is free on Sunday from 10 am to 1 pm.

Across the street from Basílica da Estrela is this romantic park dating back to 1852 and filled with exotic plants and trees. Although officially named after poet Abílio Manuel Guerra Junqueiro, everyone knows it as Jardim da Estrela. It’s one of Lisbon’s loveliest green spaces, where families take their kids to see ducks on the ponds and to run around on the playground as others jog and do their daily workout. At the center is a 19th-century wrought-iron bandstand that once stood in the Passeio Público, now Avenida da Liberdade. There’s a kiosk serving refreshments and a café with outdoor seating for light meals.

Also known as Miradouro do Torel, this garden-viewpoint is accessed through a gate at the top of a hill above Avenida da Liberdade. Unlike the other famous viewpoints in the city, it gets very few visitors, except for young couples and older folks from the neighborhood, who sit in the shade admiring the view, walk their dogs, or stop for coffee. The café is found down a few steps that lead to an 18th-century fountain and a terrace. That fountain often becomes a pool used by local children in the summer, when the terrace becomes a small “urban beach.”

It takes a full day to explore this deservedly popular and well-maintained zoo, which is home to more than 3,000 animals from more than 330 species. The grounds are huge, but you can leap aboard a cable car to whiz from one attraction to another. If you don't have a head for heights, a miniature train (extra fee) trundles around the gardens. You'll also find a petting zoo; twice-daily animal shows featuring parrots, pelicans, dolphins, sea lions, reptiles, or lemurs; and a few cafés and picnic areas.

This large square at the heart of Intendente is one of the most striking in the city. Neglected for many years, it became a major hipster hub starting in the 2010s. Now gentrification is pushing out some of the trendy cafés and creative spaces, but parts of that edginess remain. It also has some notable architecture, including the beautiful tile-covered facade of the former showroom for the historic ceramics company Viúva Lamego, and Lisbon's answer to New York's Flatiron Building, which is now a fashionable hotel.

One of the most beautiful old mansions on Marvila's main square has become a combination of artists' open studios and exhibition spaces. The rooms of the house serve as individual gallery spaces for Portuguese and international artists, and sometimes you can watch some of them at work.

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.

Even higher than Miradouro Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen, this viewpoint has, of course, spectacular views. There's no permanent café, but there are generally trucks serving coffee, adult beverages, and the occasional snacks.

Also known as Miradouro do Adamastor due to a rock on the site with a sculpted image of the mythical giant from the seas in national poet Luís de Camões's epic The Lusiads, this hilltop spot boasts fine river views. Here bohemian young locals get together at sunset, drinking and smoking to the sounds of street musicians. It’s a place for chilling out, and if you want to enjoy a drink or a meal, there are several surrounding spots with outdoor seating.

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.

The Italianate facade of the twin-towered St. Vincent's Monastery heralds an airy church with a barrel-vault ceiling. It's the work of three architects including Spaniard Juan de Herrera (1530–1597) and Italian Filippo Terzi (1520–97) and was completed in 1629. Its superbly tiled cloister depicts the fall of Lisbon to the Moors. The monastery also serves as the pantheon of the Bragança dynasty, which ruled Portugal from the restoration of independence from Spain in 1640 to the declaration of the republic in 1910. It's worth the admission fee to climb up to the rooftop terrace for a look over Alfama, the dome of the nearby Santa Engrácia, and the river. Guided tours of around 90 minutes are available for a modest extra charge, but must be booked in advance.

Founded in 1993 with the aim of fostering cultural exchange between artists in Portugal and Portuguese-speaking countries such as Brazil, Angola, and Mozambique, this gallery displays contemporary paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and jewelry.

Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro was the older brother of one of Portugal’s greatest artists, Columbano, and was himself a prominent artist but much more multifaceted. Born in Lisbon in 1846, he excelled not just as a painter but above all as an outrageous caricaturist and ceramist. He satirized Portugal’s political and social climate and put great wit into everything he did. He invented the iconic peasant figure Zé Povinho, who had the habit of bluntly saying exactly what he thought and who came to be represented in newspaper cartoons and ceramics. At this museum, housed in the former home of an admirer of the artist, there are drawings, paintings, and fantastically designed ceramics, often featuring animals and plants. There’s also a library with some of Bordalo Pinheiro’s original publications and a video explaining the art and times of the artist.

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.

The Money Museum is much more than a collection of coins and banknotes from Portugal and around the world, beautifully presented; its fascinating interactive displays cover topics ranging from pre-monetary conventions and the origins of money, through the manufacture of coins and notes, to the tasks of central banks today. You'll also get the chance to try to lift a gold bar. Housed in a deconsecrated church long used as the garage of the neighboring Bank of Portugal, it's a beautifully adapted space. Don't miss the basement, with the only known remnant of Lisbon's 13th-century city wall.

Visitors intrigued by the haunting sounds of fado can learn about the celebrated Portuguese music at this small but carefully curated museum. A permanent exhibition outlines the emergence of the style and its key artists, while occasional live performances provide a chance to hear modern day stars.

Housed in a former bacalhau (salt cod) warehouse with impressive bas-reliefs on its facade, the Museum of the Orient is one of Lisbon's most important cultural institutions. Funded by the Fundação Oriente (a legacy of colonial Macau and its gaming revenues), this dockside giant seeks to tell the story of the centuries-long Portuguese presence in Asia and to provide a showcase for Asian cultures. Highlights of the permanent collection include unique maps and charts from the golden age of Portuguese maritime exploration and stunning Chinese and Japanese painted screens. The museum hosts excellent inexpensive concerts in its cozy auditorium.

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.

One of Lisbon’s lesser-known but most extraordinary museums, this is the former residence of collector António de Medeiros e Almeida. Every room of his late-19th-century mansion is filled with works of art ranging from paintings to ceramics, sculptures to furnishings. Highlights include paintings by Rubens and Tiepolo, a Rembrandt portrait, a silver tea set used by Napoléon, fountains originally from the Palace of Versailles, and what's said to be the world's most notable private collection of clocks. There are free hour-long guided tours each Saturday at 10:30 and 11:30 am.

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.

Portugal's National Museum of Ancient Art is housed in an opulent 17th-century palace, built at the behest of the Count of Alvor and later occupied by the brother of the Marquês de Pombal. Try not to spend too much time gaping at the dramatic painted ceilings, stucco detailing, and baroque doorways or you'll miss the collection of more than 40,000 works, including the unsettling circa-1500 triptych Temptations of Saint Anthony by Hieronymous Bosch, one of the most important pieces in the country. A cafeteria with seating in lovely gardens is the perfect place for a post-viewing drink or meal.

Also known as the Museu do Chiado, this museum housed in a former convent specializes in Portuguese art from 1850 to the present day but is currently only staging temporary exhibitions of contemporary paintings, sculpture, and multimedia installations. In the summer, there are jazz concerts on Friday evenings in its small walled garden.

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.

Olho de Boi ("Bull's Eye") is the local name for the riverfront area at the foot of Almada's Panoramic Elevator. From here enjoy incredible views over the Ponte 25 de Abril and across the shimmering river to Lisbon. Stroll through the pleasant green space at Jardim do Rio and past a rather ramshackle collection of warehouses to reach the area's Naval Museum in one direction and the famous Ponto Final riverfront restaurant in the other. Watch your step after dark.

The jewel in the crown of this winery set in a late-16th-century mansion is its box-hedged garden and striking azulejos. Visitors can tour the building, gardens, and wine cellars (advance bookings are advised). Among the highlights is the so-called Casa do Fresco, which houses the country's oldest azulejo panel. Dating to 1565, it depicts the story of Susanna and the Elders. Scattered elsewhere are dramatic bright blue sculptures, Moorish-influenced panels, fragrant groves of fruit trees, and enough restful spots to while away an afternoon.