Museu do Oriente, Lisbon: Is It Worth Visiting?

The Museu do Oriente is Lisbon’s museum of Asia, in a huge former cod warehouse on the Alcântara docks. It tells the story of the Portuguese in India, China, Japan and Timor, and makes an easy indoor stop on the way to Belém.

Quick answer: yes, if you like Asian art or need a rainy-day plan. Tickets are €10 (20% off with the Lisboa Card), and entry is free on Fridays from 6pm to 8pm. It’s open Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm (8pm on Fridays) and closed on Mondays. Allow about two hours.

What the Museu do Oriente is

The museum belongs to the Fundação Oriente, a foundation that builds links between Portugal and Asia, and opened in May 2008. Its home, the Edifício Pedro Álvares Cabral, was built in the early 1940s as a cold store for bacalhau (salt cod), a stern Estado Novo block by the architect João Simões Antunes. One ticket covers every exhibition on show.

What you see

Portuguese Presence in Asia

The main permanent exhibition fills the first floor, with sections for India, Sri Lanka, China, Macau, Japan, Korea and Timor-Leste. Look for 17th and 18th-century Chinese and Japanese folding screens, rare Namban art made in Japan after the Portuguese arrived, Chinese porcelain painted with Portuguese coats of arms, and ivories and church silver made in India for European buyers. Smaller displays cover Goa ivories and Chinese fans.

The Kwok On collection

The museum’s second great collection came from the Kwok On museum in Paris in 1999: more than 15,000 puppets, masks, costumes, instruments and ritual objects from Turkey to Japan. It isn’t among the permanent displays listed in October 2026, so what you see of it depends on the temporary shows.

Temporary exhibitions in 2026

• Japan: Festivals and Rituals: second floor, until 3 January 2027. More than 1,500 pieces on Shinto and Buddhist festivals, with altars, statues, prints and video.
• Invoking Silence (Invocar o Silêncio): Indonesian traditions of silence and balance with nature, until 13 December 2026.
• You, Me, Us: 34 works by the Timorese artist Maria Madeira, until 13 December 2026.

Programmes change, so check before you go.

Tickets and opening hours (2026)

• Hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm; Fridays until 8pm. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing.
• Closed: Mondays, 1 January and 25 December.
• Tickets: €10 adults, €4.50 over-65s, €3.50 students, €3 children aged 6 to 12, €22 for a family (two adults and three under-18s).
• Free: everyone on Fridays from 6pm to 8pm, and children aged 5 and under.
• Lisboa Card: 20% off, not free. See is the Lisboa Card worth it?

On a free Friday, last entry is 7:30pm, so arrive at 6pm and head straight to the first floor.

The restaurant

The restaurant and café is on the fifth floor, open 10am to 6pm and closed on Mondays, with drinks, snacks and a set lunch (meat, fish or vegetarian). A combined museum and lunch ticket costs €27, sold only at the ticket desk on the day when there’s space.

How long to allow

About two hours: one for Portuguese Presence in Asia, one for the temporary shows. Add an hour for lunch upstairs.

Getting there

The museum is on Avenida Brasília, by the Doca de Alcântara.

• By train: the Cascais line from Cais do Sodré to Alcântara-Mar, then a short walk.
• By tram: tram 15E from Praça da Figueira or Cais do Sodré towards Belém. Get off on Avenida 24 de Julho in Alcântara and take the footbridge over the railway. See the Lisbon trams guide.
• On foot: roughly 10 to 15 minutes from LX Factory or Pillar 7.

Is it worth visiting?

On a short first trip, Belém and the old town come first. But it earns a slot if you like Asian art, or if the weather turns. In 2026 it’s also the best place to see Namban screens in Lisbon, as the National Museum of Ancient Art has been closed for works since 29 September 2025. At €10, it’s good value.

• Rainy days: it’s all indoors, close to the train. See Lisbon on a rainy day.
• Asia lovers: the screens, porcelain and Japan show are the draw.
• Less suited: anyone with only a day or two in Lisbon.

Combine it with

• LX Factory: free, with shops, the Ler Devagar bookshop and lunch. See the LX Factory guide.
• Pillar 7: the 25 de Abril Bridge visitor centre, €3 or free with the Lisboa Card, last entry 5pm. The lift is broken, so it’s 372 steps. See our Pillar 7 guide.
• Belém: a few minutes on tram 15E or the train. See Belém.

A good half day: the museum at 10am, lunch at LX Factory, then Pillar 7. Avoid Mondays, when the museum, Jerónimos and Belém Tower are all closed.

FAQ

Is the Museu do Oriente free on Fridays?

Yes, for everyone from 6pm to 8pm. Last entry is 7:30pm.

How much does the Museu do Oriente cost?

€10 for adults in 2026, with lower prices for students, over-65s and children aged 6 to 12. Lisboa Card holders get 20% off.

Is the Museu do Oriente open on Mondays?

No. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, and also closes on 1 January and 25 December.

How do I get to the Museu do Oriente?

Take the Cascais line train from Cais do Sodré to Alcântara-Mar, then walk a few minutes. Tram 15E also stops nearby.

Tickets: buy Museu do Oriente tickets at the desk or on its own website. For Belém and other Lisbon sights, book ahead on Tiqets.

More: Lisbon’s best museums and things to do in Lisbon.

See also: unusual things to do in Lisbon, the MAAT and Lisbon public transport.

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