Astronomical Observatory
At the top of the Tapada da Ajuda, King Pedro V’s 1861 observatory, with its great dome and Repsold telescope; free visits one Wednesday a month.
Lisbon Astronomical Observatory
The Lisbon Astronomical Observatory stands at the top of the Tapada da Ajuda, among palm and dragon trees, and is Portugal's national observatory. It was commissioned by King Pedro V, but the foundation stone was only laid on 11 March 1861, in the reign of King Luís. The design, by the architect Jean Colson, is thought to have been based on the drawings of the Pulkovo Observatory in Russia, and the year 1861 is carved on the portico beneath the great dome. Regular astronomical observations began in 1867, and the Royal Astronomical Observatory of Lisbon was created by law in 1878. Inside, the great equatorial refracting telescope made by Repsold in 1863, with a 38-centimetre objective, is kept in its original place among some two hundred scientific instruments. Part of the Faculty of Sciences since 1995 and of the National Museum of Natural History and Science since 2012, it opens to the public on one Wednesday a month for free guided visits, with no booking needed and a maximum of thirty people. The entrance is on Calçada da Tapada, followed by an uphill walk of about fifteen minutes.
Located at: University of Lisbon
Address: Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-018 Lisboa
Opening hours: guided visits on one Wednesday a month, 15:00-16:00 (free, no booking; dates in the museum's calendar)
Phone: +351 213 921 808
Coordinates: 38.7105184, -9.1874341
Buses: 760, 720, 742, 738
Tram: 18E
Train: Cascais Line, Alcântara-Mar Station
Opened: 1861 (165 years)
