Museu Medeiros de Almeida
A hidden gem in Lisbon worth a visit.
In November 2021, we joined a group called Lisbon Social & Cultural Club. The group consists of retired or semi-retired expats mostly from the UK and the US. Members of the group occasionally meet somewhere in the greater Lisbon area for social, cultural and food events. One such event was a visit to a hidden gem and amazing museum, the Medeiros de Almeida House-Museum.
This museum is not as well-known as many of the museum tourist attractions, but admission is inexpensive, it’s less crowded, and well worth the time to visit.
Just a couple of blocks off central Lisbon’s trendy boulevard Avenida da Liberdade, this museum is the former residence of successful businessman, Antonio Medeiros e Almeida. Medeiros e Almeida made his fortune in commercial aviation, English motor imports and the sugar industry in the Azores.
This 25-room late 1800’s mansion houses an eclectic collection of works of art collected over the years by Medeiros e Almeida and his wife, Margarida Pinto Basto.
There are over 2,000 pieces on permanent display. The house-museum is divided into two main parts: the Old Wing that was the former living space of the Medeiros e Almeida’s and the New Wing built over the garden. The rooms in the Old Wing look much as they did when the owners occupied the rooms including the private family chapel and a self-portrait of Rembrandt.
The New Wing has several display rooms including The Lake Room with baroque tile walls with a marble and bronze fountain in the center that originates from the gardens of the Palace of Versailles. Also on display is a tureen and plate from the Qing dynasty and a Portuguese silver coffee and tea service used by Napoleon Bonaparte while in exile. Medeiros e Almeida was also an extraordinary collector of clocks and timepieces.
The house-museum has a media room where visitors can sit and watch a video about the fascinating life of Antonio Medeiros e Almeida. There’s also a small gift shop, restrooms, and a cafeteria (closed during our visit due to construction). There are both free and paid guided tours. You can also roam the museum on your own. Allow at least 2 hours. Photographs are allowed.
If you visit:
Medeiros e Almeida House-Museum
Rua Rosa Araujo, 41, Lisbon 1250-194
Phone: +351 213 547 892
Wheelchair accessible only on the first floor. Restrooms available on the first floor.
Tickets:
€6 – General ticket (an additional €1 is added to the museum ticket price for the duration of temporary exhibitions)
€4 – Senior ticket (> 65 years old) / Student Card / Youth Card (12-29 years old) / Lisbon Card / People with disabilities
€50 – Annual ticket (free entry and access to temporary exhibitions for one year)
Free – Young ticket (< 18 years old, including) / Companions of individuals with disabilities or limited mobility; Visitors in wheelchairs (with access only to the ground floor of the Museum) and one accompanying person /Members of ICOM, APOM, APHA, SNBA, CNC, APH and AICP with proof / Teachers, Students and Researchers within the scope of study visits or research work, upon identification and prior appointment / Journalists and Tourism Professionals in the performance of their duties, upon identification and prior appointment / Institutional patron of the Foundation and the Medeiros e Almeida Museum
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Until next time…
Obrigada!
Carol.
What a beautiful museum! How nice to have found this group of expats to enjoy things with.