Best Attractions in Lisbon (2026)

Lisbon's main sights fall into three clusters, and planning by area saves a lot of climbing. Belém, about twenty minutes west of the centre by tram 15E or train, holds the Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower, both UNESCO-listed monuments of the age of discoveries, along with the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, MAAT and the National Coach Museum. Many of these close on Mondays, and Belém Tower now works on pre-booked time slots, so reserve ahead and give Belém a full day from Tuesday to Sunday.

The historic centre combines Praça do Comércio and the Baixa with the hills of Alfama and Castelo. Start early at São Jorge Castle to beat the midday queues, walk down past the viewpoints to Lisbon Cathedral, with its Roman remains in the cloister, and finish at the riverside square. North of the centre, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum deserves at least half a day for its collection and garden, and it is closed on Tuesdays. To the east, the Oceanário de Lisboa in Parque das Nações is a good choice for families and wet weather, and it is open every day. Buying tickets online is worthwhile for the busiest sights, and the Lisboa Card, which includes public transport, can make sense if you plan several museums in a short stay.

10 places · Updated October 23, 2026

Attraction

1. Jerónimos Monastery

Monastery and UNESCO World Heritage SiteBelém

Begun in 1501 for King Manuel I, this Manueline monastery in Belém holds the tombs of Vasco da Gama and Luís de Camões and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

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Attraction

2. Belém Tower

Fortified tower and UNESCO World Heritage SiteBelém

Built between about 1514 and 1519 to guard the mouth of the Tagus, Belém Tower is a Manueline fortress that reopened in May 2026 after restoration.

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Attraction

3. São Jorge Castle

Medieval castle and viewpointCastelo

The hilltop castle above Alfama, taken from the Moors in 1147 and later a royal palace, has wall walks, a camera obscura and wide views of the Tagus.

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Attraction

4. Calouste Gulbenkian Museum

Art museumAvenidas Novas

Oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian's art collection, from ancient Egypt to Lalique jewellery, set in a landscaped garden alongside the Kengo Kuma-redesigned modern art centre.

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5. Oceanário de Lisboa

Public aquariumParque das Nações

Built for Expo '98 on a pier in Parque das Nações, Lisbon's aquarium centres on a five-million-litre tank holding sharks, rays and an ocean sunfish.

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Attraction

6. Praça do Comércio

Historic squareBaixa

The great riverside square laid out after the 1755 earthquake on the site of the Ribeira Palace, framed by arcades and the Rua Augusta Arch.

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Attraction

7. Lisbon Cathedral (Sé de Lisboa)

CathedralAlfama

Lisbon's oldest church, begun in 1147 after the Christian conquest, mixes Romanesque towers with Gothic and Baroque work and has Roman remains in its cloister.

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8. Padrão dos Descobrimentos

Monument and viewpointBelém

A 56-metre riverside monument to the Age of Discoveries, inaugurated in 1960, with a rooftop viewpoint and a giant compass rose and world map in front.

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Attraction

9. MAAT (Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology)

Contemporary art museumBelém

The EDP Foundation's riverside museum pairs Amanda Levete's curved 2016 building with the red-brick Tejo Power Station for exhibitions of art, architecture and technology.

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Attraction

10. National Coach Museum

Museum of royal carriagesBelém

Founded by Queen Amélie in 1905, the Coach Museum displays royal and ceremonial carriages from the seventeenth to the nineteenth centuries in a modern Belém building.

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