Presidency Museum

Museum of the Presidency of the Republic

The Museum of the Presidency of the Republic tells the story of the Portuguese Republic and its Presidents from the Belém Palace, the official residence of the Head of State since 1910. The palace dates back to the mid-16th century, when D. Manuel de Portugal built the core of the building, and was bought by King João V in 1726 as a summer estate. The museum grew out of a small exhibition of 84 state gifts, opened in 1986 in one of the palace rooms; on 5 October 2004, President Jorge Sampaio inaugurated the current building, set in the palace's former coach houses and storerooms and designed by the architects Rui Barreiros Duarte and Ana Paula Pinheiro. In 2008 it received the Europa Nostra Award. The collection holds thousands of pieces – personal belongings, portraits, state gifts and decorations – and the route covers the founding of the Republic and the national symbols, the portrait gallery of the Presidents, the powers of the President and the honorary orders. On Saturdays, the museum's guides also take visitors inside the palace, from the Golden Room to the Ambassadors' Room and the President's Official Office, and around its gardens.

Located at: Palácio Nacional de Belém
Address: Praça Afonso de Albuquerque, 1349-022 Lisboa
Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday 10:00-18:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00-13:00 and 14:00-18:00 (closed on Mondays); guided tours of the palace on Saturdays only
Phone: +351 213 614 660
Coordinates: 38.6976701, -9.2016154
Buses: 727, 728, 729, 751, 714, 79B
Tram: 15E
Train: Cascais Line, Belém Station
Boat: Belém River Station
Opened: 2004 (22 years)