Lisbon, Portugal has many wonderful museums, but my two personal favorites are the National Coach Museum (Museu National dos Coches) and the Maritime Museum (Museu de Marinha).
First, let’s talk about the coach museum. It has an extraordinary collection of royal coaches and carriages (a la Cinderella) that were built in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries.
The ornate artistry of these vehicles is enough to transport you back in time and envision yourself dressed in brocades, lace, and wigs. I had a wonderful time walking through the vast collection.
The Maritime Museum is my other favorite in Lisbon. It contains more than 23,000 pieces that have to do with naval history, both military and commercial. There are many intricate models and maritime instruments.
But what I loved the most was the building that housed the royal barges. Just like the carriages/coaches, these barges were sometimes quite ornate. There aren’t as many of these as there are coaches in the other museum, but the barges they have are beautiful and worth seeing. Plus, they also have seaplanes on display.
Rather than describe them, I’ll let some of my photographs from both museums do the talking.
Melanie Votaw is the Publisher and Executive Travel Writer of LuxuryWeb Magazine. She has visited more than 50 countries on 6 continents and written for such magazines as Executive Travel, Just Luxe, Business Insider, South China Morning Post, Travel Mindset, and more. She is a member of the International Food, Wine & Travel Writers Association, New York Travel Writers Association, and International Travel Writers Alliance. Melanie's photography has won awards, and she has also written 43 nonfiction books as either the author or ghostwriter.
Looks like Lisbon has great museums.
What a luxurious way to travel back in time – in incredibly brocaded coaches and in ships no less richly decorated.
Thank you for this great post + pictures. Love how a writer uses photos for the talking haha.
Maritime Museum is also my favorite museum in Lisbon. It was so enlightening and inspiring at the same time.
The little statue of São Raphael is so incredible too.