Museums in LisbonCarmo Convent and the Carmo Archaeological Museum in Chiado
The Carmo Convent is the roofless Gothic church on Largo do Carmo in Chiado, left without its roof when the 1755 earthquake brought it down during Mass. Today the nave stands open to the sky and the attached Carmo Archaeological Museum fills the old sacristy with tombs, sarcophagi and mummies. This page gives the price, the hours, the closed Sunday and the discounts, and shows how the visit fits a Chiado day built around the Santa Justa Elevator. Entry costs €7 ($7.81) at the desk, with reductions for students, seniors and Lisboa Card holders. For the city's other collections, start with the overview of museums in Lisbon.
The roofless nave of the Carmo Convent, Lisbon. Photo: Bex Walton from London, England, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quick answer Carmo Convent in brief
The Carmo Convent is open Monday to Saturday, 10:00-18:00 from November to April and 10:00-19:00 from May to October, and it closes every Sunday. Adult entry is €7 ($7.81), or €5 ($5.58) with student, senior or Lisboa Card proof, and children 14 and under go free. Tickets are sold only at the museum desk.
Key takeaways
- Open Monday to Saturday only, so plan around the closed Sunday.
- Adult entry €7 ($7.81), reduced €5 ($5.58), children 0-14 free, as set out in tickets and discounts.
- The 1755 earthquake destroyed the roof during Mass, and the nave was never rebuilt, see what happened in 1755.
- Continue through Largo do Carmo and Chiado or book the Lisboa Story Centre ticket down in Baixa.
Key Facts for Visitors
Open, Monday to Saturday. Closed every Sunday and on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.
November to April 10:00-18:00, last entry 17:40. May to October 10:00-19:00, last entry 18:40. Easter week and 26 December to 6 January the site stays open to 19:00.
Sunday.
€7 ($7.81) adult. €5 ($5.58) for students, over-65s, Portuguese residents, groups over 30 and Lisboa Card holders with proof. Children 0-14 free with an adult. ICOM members free.
The museum states no visit time. The projection runs 15 minutes.
Baixa-Chiado metro, Chiado exit, then Largo do Carmo. The top gate of the Santa Justa Elevator lands a short walk away.
The museum's own page gives Lisboa Card holders the €5 ($5.58) rate with documentary confirmation, not free entry.
Carmo Convent: Hours, Price and Closed Days
The Carmo Convent keeps short, fixed hours and one closed day that catches visitors out.
Opening Hours All Year
The site opens Monday to Saturday. From November to April it runs 10:00-18:00 with last entry at 17:40. From May to October it runs 10:00-19:00 with last entry at 18:40.
Two seasonal extensions apply: Easter week and the stretch from 26 December to 6 January, when the site keeps the longer 10:00-19:00 schedule.
- Monday to Saturday, all year
- November to April: 10:00-18:00, last entry 17:40
- May to October: 10:00-19:00, last entry 18:40
- Easter week and 26 December to 6 January: 10:00-19:00
The Sunday Closure and Holiday Closures
The Carmo Archaeological Museum closes every Sunday, plus 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Plan around the Sunday closure. If your only free day is a Sunday, swap Carmo for a site that opens daily and read the weekly closure pattern across museums in Lisbon.
The combination with the Santa Justa Elevator works Monday to Saturday only.
Can You Go Inside Carmo Convent?
Yes. The roofless nave is entered through the Carmo Archaeological Museum, and one ticket covers both.
Buying the Ticket at the Desk
You go inside through the museum desk on Largo do Carmo. Tickets are sold at the desk, and the ruins and the museum are one €7 ($7.81) admission. Buy at the desk, walk into the nave, then continue into the sacristy museum where the collections hang and stand.
Groups over 30 pay the reduced €5 ($5.58) rate.
Last Entry Times
Last entry is 17:40 from November to April and 18:40 from May to October. Come earlier if you want to see the tombs and watch the 15-minute projection in Portuguese and English.
Carmo Convent Lisbon
A look inside on video. Third-party video by Where To Go!. This site did not shoot it and has no relationship with the creator.
What Happened to Carmo Convent in 1755
The Carmo Convent is the church whose roof fell in the 1755 earthquake.
The Roof Fell During Mass on All Saints' Day
On 1 November 1755, All Saints' Day, the Great Lisbon earthquake struck during Mass. The roof of the Carmo church collapsed onto the congregation. After the earthquake the church was never rebuilt.
The walls and the Gothic arches survived, and the arches still stand today holding up nothing but sky. The Lisboa Story Centre on Praça do Comércio tells the wider story of the earthquake and the rebuilding of Baixa.
A 14th-Century Gothic Church
The church and convent go back to the 14th century, and most of the surviving architecture is Gothic work from that period. The pointed arches of the nave still stand free against the sky. The convent order left the site long ago, and since the 19th century the ruined church has housed the archaeological collection now shown in the attached museum.
Carved stonework displayed in the Carmo Archaeological Museum, Lisbon. Photo: Simon Burchell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What the Archaeological Museum Holds
The Carmo Archaeological Museum occupies the old sacristy beside the ruined nave. It is a small archaeological museum.
The Highlights
The Sarcophagus of the Muses is a Roman sarcophagus carved with figures of the Muses, and it sits in the sacristy museum along with the Gothic tomb of King Ferdinand I. The tomb of Queen Maria Anna is also in the collection, and so are an Egyptian mummy and Peruvian mummies.
- Sarcophagus of the Muses, Roman
- Tomb of Ferdinand I
- Tomb of Queen Maria Anna
- Egyptian and Peruvian mummies
The 15-Minute Projection
A 15-minute video projection runs in Portuguese and English and covers the six centuries of the convent's history. Watch it early in the visit, before walking the nave, so the ruined arches make sense. The four sites of the Museu de Lisboa cover more of the city's history.
Tickets and Discounts
One ticket covers the ruins and the museum. Prices below are from the museum's own information page.
Every Ticket Category and Price
The adult ticket is €7 ($7.81). Five categories pay the reduced €5 ($5.58) rate, and two groups enter free. Bring proof for every reduction, because the desk checks ID for students, over-65s, Portuguese residents and ICOM members, and the Lisboa Card itself counts as the documentary confirmation.
Children 14 and under enter free only when accompanied by an adult. Payment is cash in euros, card, or MB Way, the Portuguese mobile payment app.
| Category | Price | Proof needed |
|---|---|---|
| Adult | €7 | None |
| Student with ID | €5 | Student card |
| Visitor 65 and over | €5 | Photo ID |
| Portuguese residents | €5 | Residence proof |
| Lisboa Card holder | €5 | The card |
| Group over 30 | €5 | Group booking |
| Children 0-14 | Free | With an adult |
| ICOM member | Free | ICOM card |
The Lisboa Card Detail Most Guides Get Wrong
The Lisboa Card does not get you into the Carmo free. The museum's own page gives card holders a €5 ($5.58) ticket with documentary confirmation, a €2 ($2.23) reduction from the €7 ($7.81) door price. Some card lists describe Carmo as a 20 percent discount site, but the museum's own figure is the one that counts at the desk.
If you are weighing whether the card pays off for the museums you plan, compare it in the guide to the Lisboa Card for museums, and note that card holders also get 20 percent off sites like the Gulbenkian Museum and MAC/CCB.
Is Carmo Convent Worth Visiting?
For most visitors, yes, with one warning: check the day, because the museum is closed on Sundays.
A Short Visit That Pays Off
The ticket costs €7 ($7.81). What you get for that is Gothic arches standing against the sky, the tombs of Ferdinand I and Queen Maria Anna, a Roman sarcophagus and the mummies in the museum. It does not compete with the big collections, so judge it for what it is, a ruin with a small museum attached.
If you want a full-size museum, the National Coach Museum is in Belém.
How It Pairs With Chiado
The visit pairs naturally with the Santa Justa Elevator and the Igreja de São Roque nearby, both reachable on foot from Largo do Carmo. The pairing works Monday to Saturday only, because Carmo shuts on Sunday. Build the day as lift, Carmo, São Roque, then continue down toward Baixa, where the Lisboa Story Centre adds the 1755 earthquake story in about an hour.
The Verdict
Worth it on any day except Sunday. Go Monday to Saturday, arrive before 17:40 in winter or 18:40 in summer, bring €7 ($7.81) or proof for the €5 ($5.58) rate, and you will see the Gothic ruin plus a compact archaeological collection.
How to Get to Largo do Carmo
The Carmo Convent sits on Largo do Carmo at the top of the Chiado hill, and there are two easy ways up.
By Metro and on Foot
Take the metro to Baixa-Chiado and leave by the Chiado exit. From there it is a short walk up to Largo do Carmo, address Largo do Carmo, 1200-092 Lisboa. The square is jacaranda-filled.
By the Santa Justa Elevator
A gate to the right of the convent leads to the Santa Justa Elevator and the Terraços do Carmo. From the lift's upper gate it is a short walk to the museum entrance. The Terraços do Carmo are terraces with an open-air café and bar and a view of the castle and over Rossio Square.
The combination only works Monday to Saturday, as the Carmo closes on Sunday.
Rules and Accessibility
The museum keeps visitor rules short and the site is workable for wheelchair users.
Photography and Behaviour
No flash and no tripod. A phone or a standard camera without flash is enough. Standard museum behaviour applies in the sacristy rooms, where the sarcophagi, tombs and mummies sit close to the visitor path.
Wheelchair Access
The museum is wheelchair accessible, per the museum's own information page.
Tips for Visiting the Carmo Convent
Five things to do and four to avoid.
Do
- Do go Monday to Saturday, because the Sunday closure means the doors stay shut on the day Chiado is busiest.
- Do arrive before 17:40 in winter or 18:40 in summer, because that is the last entry.
- Do bring proof of student status, age or Lisboa Card, because every €5 ($5.58) reduction is checked at the desk.
- Do watch the 15-minute projection in Portuguese and English early, because it explains the 1755 collapse you are about to walk through.
- Do pair the visit with the Santa Justa Elevator and São Roque, because they are close by.
Don't
- Don't expect free entry with the Lisboa Card, because the card gets you the €5 ($5.58) ticket, not free admission.
- Don't bring a tripod or use flash, because both are prohibited in the museum.
- Don't come on 1 January, 1 May or 25 December, because the museum closes on those dates as well as Sundays.
- Don't count on buying a Carmo ticket online, because tickets are sold at the desk.
Carmo Convent Questions
What happened to the Carmo Convent in Lisbon?
The roof collapsed onto the congregation during Mass on All Saints' Day, 1 November 1755, in the Great Lisbon earthquake, and the church was never rebuilt. The 14th-century Gothic arches still stand open to the sky, and the full story of the disaster is told at the Lisboa Story Centre on Praça do Comércio.
Can you go inside the Carmo Convent?
Yes. You enter through the Carmo Archaeological Museum desk on Largo do Carmo, and one ticket covers the roofless nave and the museum rooms. Buy at the desk, as explained in the section on going inside.
Is the Carmo Convent free?
No. Adults pay €7 ($7.81), though children 0-14 and ICOM members enter free, and five categories pay the reduced €5 ($5.58) rate. If you are hunting for no-cost visits, the roundup of free museums in Lisbon lists the sites that charge nothing.
Is the Carmo Convent included in the Lisboa Card?
It is on the card as a discount site, not a free one. The museum's own page gives Lisboa Card holders a €5 ($5.58) ticket with documentary confirmation, so the card saves you €2 ($2.23) per adult. The full arithmetic is in the guide to the Lisboa Card for museums.
What are the Carmo Convent opening hours?
Monday to Saturday, 10:00-18:00 from November to April with last entry 17:40, and 10:00-19:00 from May to October with last entry 18:40. Easter week and 26 December to 6 January run to 19:00. The full table is in the hours section.
Is the Carmo Convent worth visiting?
Yes on any day except Sunday, when it closes. For €7 ($7.81) you get the Gothic ruin plus a compact museum with the Sarcophagus of the Muses, the tomb of Ferdinand I and the mummies, and the verdict above weighs it against museums in Lisbon.