In 2024, the Minister of Culture, Dalila Rodrigues, announced a measure that is completely changing access to culture in the country: from now on, all residents in Portugal will be able to enter 46 cultural spaces, including museums, monuments, palaces, churches and libraries under the management of the company Museus e Monumentos de Portugal, free of charge and every day of the week.
Until now it was possible to visit these cultural spaces on Sundays and public holidays, so this measure considerably increases this possibility. However, there are some restrictions.
How will these free visits take place?
This innovative measure was taken on International Museum Day, at the Grão Vasco National Museum in Viseu, where it was also revealed that free visits to these 46 spaces will be subject to restrictions.
Each resident in Portugal will have free access to 52 entrances per year, the equivalent of one entrance per week, any day of the week.
This count should be carried out via a mobile app (which is not yet available), making these visits simpler and more efficient, both for citizens and for registering in these spaces.
However, until then, all you have to do is show your Citizen’s Card at the ticket offices of these cultural spaces to get your free entry.
The 18 cultural spaces in Lisbon
In Lisbon, which is the city with the largest number of publicly-run cultural facilities, 18 venues will be covered by this measure:
- Picadeiro Real
- Ajuda Library
- Royal Treasure Museum
- Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves House-Museum
- Jerónimos Monastery
- National Pantheon
- Ajuda National Palace
- National Tile Museum
- National Museum of Ancient Art
- National Museum of Contemporary Art in Chiado
- National Archaeological Museum
- National Coach Museum
- National Museum of Ethnology
- Dr. Anastácio Gonçalves House-Museum
- Museum of Popular Art
- National Costume Museum
@museunacionaldotraje - National Museum of Theater and Dance
- Tower of Belém
If you’ve already visited all of these in Lisbon, there are other very interesting possibilities throughout the country, many of them very close to the city:
- Church of São Miguel do Castelo, Guimarães
- Church of Santo Amaro, Visigothic Center of the Rainha D. Leonor Museum, Beja
- Guimarães Castle, Guimarães
- Rainha D. Leonor Museum, Beja
- Miranda Land Museum, Miranda do Douro
- Paço dos Duques, Guimarães
- National Music Museum, Mafra
- National Palace of Mafra, Mafra
- José Malhoa Museum, Caldas da Rainha
- Guarda Museum, Guarda
- National Museum of Resistance and Freedom, Peniche
- Grão Vasco National Museum, Viseu
- Soares dos Reis National Museum, Porto
- Frei Manuel do Cenáculo National Museum, Évora
- Machado de Castro National Museum, Coimbra
- Dr. Joaquim Manso Museum, Nazaré
- D. Diogo de Sousa Archaeology Museum, Braga Diogo de Sousa Archaeology Museum, Braga
- Lamego Museum, Lamego
- National Museum of Conímbriga, Condeixa-a-Velha
- Ceramics Museum, Caldas da Rainha
- Biscainhos Museum, Braga
- Alberto Sampaio Museum, Guimarães
- Abada de Baçal Museum, Bragança
- Alcobaça Monastery, Alcobaça
@Mosteiro de Alcobaça - Fernando de Castro House-Museum, Porto
- Sagres Fortress, Sagres
- Convent of Christ, Tomar
- Batalha Monastery, Batalha
The importance of this measure
This ease of access to these sites will have a huge impact on cultural inclusion, allowing more people to explore and discover our historical, cultural and artistic heritage.
Portugal is thus taking another important step towards democratizing access to culture, which will benefit not only residents but also domestic tourists.