5 Best Sights in Lisbon, Portugal

Housed in a former warehouse not far from the Museu Nacional do Azulejo in Marvila, a once run down part of the city that's emerged as a creative hub, this vast space is named for one of Europe’s leading female art dealers, Filomena Soares. The gallery represents leading Portuguese and international artists like Sara Bichão and the late Dan Graham. An immersive rooftop installation by Graham of two-way mirror glass and steel remains in place, but isn’t regularly open to the public.

One of Lisbon's most important contemporary art galleries, Underdogs, founded in 2010, works with some of the most renowned urban-inspired contemporary artists from around the world. Not only are there several solo and group shows in the warehouse-type space, but the founders formed a partnership with the city to give local, international, well-known, and up-and-coming artists spaces to create street art. They had a hand in some of the city's most iconic murals, including pieces by local hero Vhils and American artist Shepard Fairey; a map of pieces they commissioned is on their website.

This gallery is one of the few dating back to before the 1974 revolution, presenting some of the best contemporary Portuguese artists from the 20th and 21st centuries. You may find works by big names like Paula Rego and Maria Helena Vieira da Silva together with pieces by emerging artists.

After five years as a nomadic gallery, presenting exhibitions in other museums and commercial establishments, this art space opened in its permanent home in Marvila in 2017. It continues to show the work of artists such as Helena Almeida, Diogo Evangelista, and Tris Vonna-Michell, among many others. Their genres range from video art to sculpture installations, meaning there's always something thought-provoking to see.

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.