Updated Oct. 7, 2025
Lisbon used to be cheap, including its museums, and some were free every single day, for everyone.
That wonderful time has passed for most of us.
You can still visit some for free if you’re a member, under 12, or a student, and in some cases if you’re unemployed, or with the tourist-oriented Lisboa Card, which as of June 2025 started at €31 for a 24-hour pass for an adult.
But even without it, you can still see some very impressive collections without paying a centimo — during certain times. We’ve done the research on our favorite Lisbon museums for you, because ChatGPT and Google apparently can’t.
(Lisbon museums, we’ve found, enjoy regularly changing their prices as well as their free entry times, tricking the bots, so check with the museum before you go).
No affiliate links here — if you want to support our work, you can do so directly.
Free For Everyone
Museu Calouste Gulbenkian / CAM – Centro de Arte Moderna Gulbenkian
The main museum is closed for renovation until July 2026, but the recently renovated CAM has free admission every Sunday from 14h to 18h.
On Saturdays, CAM has free entry from 18h to 21h for those under 30 if they have the free Cartão Gulbenkian (during all other times, the card gets a discount of 50% for the under-30s, a 20% discount for the over-65s and a 10% discount for everyone else).
Entry is also free every day for anyone under 18 and those with the Cartão Gulbenkian Mais (which costs €65 a year).
Otherwise, €6 to €12, with various discount options, such as 25% for the under-30s and 10% for the over-65s.
https://gulbenkian.pt/en/useful-information/tickets/
MACAM – Museu de Arte Contemporânea Armando Martins
The new kid on the block, opened in 2025, MACAM has an impressive permanent collection and generous space for rotating exhibits and, from our visit, appears to have the budget to fill that space.
Including by charging steep entry fees: tickets are 6€ to €15, depending on the exhibits, with some discounts, and free for 12-and-unders.
But it’s free for everyone on the first Monday of each month from 10h to 14h.
https://macam.pt/en/visit/opening-hours-and-tickets
Free Only for Portuguese or Lisbon Residents
CCB/MAC – Centro Cultural de Belém/Museu de Arte Contemporânea
Portuguese residents get free entry every Sunday from 10h to 14h.
Tickets otherwise are €7 for Portuguese residents and €15 for everyone else, free for kids under 6, and with 50% discounts for the under-18s, students, and the over-65s.
Entry is always free if you have Cartão CCB — you can get one for free if you’re under 25, it’s otherwise €50 per year for a one-person card, or €70 for a “duplo,” or two-person card, and €30 for 65-and-overs.
If you like classical music, the card is a huge benefit, as it gets you 30% off on all concerts at the CCB (which hosts more modern fare as well).
https://www.ccb.pt/en/macccb/informacoes-2-museum
MAAT – Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia
Portuguese residents get free entry on the first Sunday of every month and only from 10h to 13h.
Otherwise, it’s €11 for residents, €15 for non-residents, with discounts for the 65-and-over and the unemployed, and free for 12-and-unders as well as MAAT Friends card holders (at €40 for a +1, the card is worth it if you plan to visit more than once a year with at least one other person).
https://www.maat.pt/en/plan-a-visit
MNAC – Museu Nacional de Arte Contemporânea do Chiado
Tuesday to Sunday, 10h-13h, 14h-18h
Free admission at any time of their choosing for Portuguese citizens and residents, as part of the program that includes 37 museums, monuments, and palaces across the country, 14 of them around Lisbon, belonging to the Ministry of Culture on the Continent, free of charge, any 52 days a year (you pick the day, all museums you visit in the program will only count against that one of the 52 days), any day of the week they’re open ( the full list is at https://www2.gov.pt/noticias/museus-monumentos-e-palacios-com-entrada-gratis-52-dias-por-ano).
Otherwise, €10, with various discount options such as 50% for the over-65s and under-25s who aren’t residents of Portugal, as well as students and Lisboa Card holders.
http://www.museuartecontemporanea.gov.pt/en/informacao/horarios-e-ingresso
MUDE – Museu do Design e da Moda
The museum was free for everyone before it started on its eight-year renovation in 2016. Must have been expensive: it’s now only free on Fridays 17h–21h (20h Oct. to March) and Sundays 10h-14h, and only for residents of the Lisbon municipality.
It’s still free on all days for Lisbon residents 25 and younger and 65 and older and children up to 12.
Otherwise, it’s €11 to €15 depending on the exhibits, with similar discounts as at MNAC.
Museu Nacional do Azulejo
This is one of the 37 museums that’s part of the government’s “52 free days program” for Portuguese residents mentioned above.
Otherwise, it’s €10, or €5 for seniors and those under 25 and free for children under 12, the unemployed, if you can prove it, and students.
https://www.museunacionaldoazulejo.pt/bilhetes
Museu do Fado
Free on Sundays and public holidays 10h to 14h for Lisbon residents.
Otherwise, €5, with various discount options, and free for anyone under 12, Lisbon residents under 23 and over 65, and Lisboa Card holders.
https://www.museudofado.pt/visitar
Museu de Marinha
Free on the first Sunday of every month from 10h to 14h for Lisbon residents.
Otherwise, it’s €8 for adults, half off for those 12 and under and 65 and older, and free for children under 3.
https://cultura.marinha.pt/pt/bilhetes
Note that most Lisbon museums are also free for everyone on International Museum Day, which is typically around May 18.
We frequently update our Events Calendar and list exhibits at some of these museums that we think are worth the time — and much more. Check it out in the menu above or via this link.
Note: Museu de Arte Antiga was closed Sept. 29, 2025, for renovation. It’s unclear how long that will take.
