With the end of the year approaching, it’s time to look back and remember special moments. After exploring the best restaurants and listing memorable photographs, it’ s time to (re)discover the most incredible places in and around Lisbon.
From cultural venues to historic monuments, stunning palaces and surprising gardens, this list promises to inspire you to explore Lisbon with a new eye. Ready to start 2025 in the best way?
Table Of Contents
Gulbenkian Modern Art Center (CAM)
If you like contemporary art, then we recommend a visit to the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation’s CAM. Open since September, the building has been extensively renovated by architect Kengo Kuma.
With more than 900 square meters of exhibition space and a harmonious garden, one of the highlights is the Engawa – a 100-meter-long structure inspired by Japanese architecture.
Address: Rua Marquês de Fronteira 2
Royal Treasury Museum
This year, we had the opportunity to visit the Royal Treasury Museum, housed in the iconic Ajuda National Palace. It is an impressive gilded vault that houses more than a thousand pieces that belonged to the former Portuguese Royal House.
Organized into 11 themed sections, you can find Crown jewels , coins, medals and the famous Germain tableware. This is a must-see for anyone fascinated by the history and splendor of the Portuguese monarchy.
Address: Ajuda National Palace, Calçada da Ajuda
Bordallo Pinheiro Garden
There are many advantages to living in a city like Lisbon, especially when it comes to access to free attractions. If you like visiting unusual places without emptying your wallet, then you have to stop by the Bordallo Pinheiro Garden, in the Campo Grande area.
It’s a different kind of green space, where you can find a real art exhibition in a leisure area. What does this mean? There is a synchronous fusion between ceramic art pieces and nature, in a tribute to one of Portugal’s greatest artists.
Address: Campo Grande, 245
Loreto Galleries
Visiting the Galeria do Loreto is one of the most exciting and mysterious walks you can take underground in Lisbon. In fact, we think it’s a must-do in the city, and we’re sure we’ll repeat the adventure, which ends in an incredible live fado session.
Address: the tour starts at Rua das Amoreiras, next to Largo do Rato, and ends at the Patriarcal Reservoir, in the Príncipe Real garden.
Lisbon’s Roman Galleries
We used to visit the very popular Roman Galleries of Lisbon, with an entrance in the middle of the road on Rua da Conceição, in downtown Lisbon. In 2025, we hope to return!
Discovered in 1771, after the terrible earthquake of 1755, these Roman Galleries are part of a cryptoporticus, an architectural solution that created, in a sloping area with little geological stability, a stable platform for the construction of large buildings, usually open to the public.
Address: entrance on Rua da Conceição (Baixa)
Biester Palace
One of the most incredible places we know in Sintra is the Biester Palace, and we even went to its inauguration.
Very close to Quinta da Regaleira, which is right next door, or to Pena Palace, this Sintra attraction may well be the most fantastic palace we’ve ever had the chance to visit.
Address: Avenida Almeida Garrett 1A (Sintra)
Security Pavilion
The Security Pavilion is a unique site in Lisbon and one of the only panoptic buildings in the world.
The Rilhafoles Hospital was the first psychiatric hospital in the country, but it has long since been closed down. However, you can still visit the old premises of the Security Pavilion, which has a distinctive circular architecture that sets it apart from any other building you might see in Lisbon.
Address: Rua Dr. Almeida Amaral 1 (Between Campo de Santana and Rua Gomes Freire)
D. Fernando II and Glória
The D. Fernando II e Glória is the 4th oldest frigate in the world, which in itself deserves all our attention.
And if you haven’t seen it yet, know that it’s one of the best places to visit in 2025.
After its restoration, the last ship to sail to India has been transformed into a ship-museum that now has a new life, which is to show you what it was like to be on board a 19th century frigate, an authentic journey into our past as Portuguese navigators.
Address: Largo Alfredo Dinis (Almada)
Lisbon Roman Theatre
We love history. That’s why Lisbon’s Roman Theatre is one of our priorities every year.
Lisbon’s Roman Theatre is a symbol of 2,000 years of history and is located in the historic area, in a museum that will allow you to travel back to the time when Lisbon was known as Felicitas Iulia Olisipo, through a testimony of the city of other times.
Address: Rua de São Mamede 3A (near Lisbon Cathedral)
Alto São João Cemetery
We know that a guide to Lisbon’s cemeteries isn’t something that will appeal to everyone, but the truth is that we like to appeal to everyone.
So we decided to take this trip to a little-known underworld with an incredible wealth of cultural and artistic heritage.
One of our stops on this guide to Lisbon’s cemeteries was Alto de São João, one of the best known, which you can find out more about in the video below.
Address: Parada do Alto de São João (Arroios)
Chalet of the Countess of Edla
The Chalet of the Countess of Edla is another of the memorable places we visited in 2022, and it’s just one of many places you can visit in Sintra, the most romantic village in the country.
The Chalet da Condessa d’Edla is a space that represents the romantic style, typical of the 19th century, in all its splendor, in a building that clearly stands out from anything you’ve seen in the Greater Lisbon area.
Address: Estrada da Pena (Sintra)
Casa da Cerca
Casa da Cerca is a space dedicated to contemporary art. It was created in 1993 with the aim of promoting the research and dissemination of this art through regular exhibitions and parallel activities.
Casa da Cerca is also dedicated to promoting the visual arts, with an emphasis on drawing. And this stands out in the activities it maintains, which ultimately contribute to establishing Almada as an important cultural center, with events and cultural happenings of growing national and international importance.
Another area we love at Casa da Cerca is its garden and huge terrace, with one of the most incredible views of Lisbon we’ve ever seen.
Address: Rua da Cerca (Almada)
