Museums in LisbonMuseu do Oriente: Hours, Tickets and the Free Friday Evening
The Museu do Oriente is the Lisbon museum of the Portuguese presence in Asia, set on the Alcântara docks in a refurbished industrial building. It opened in May 2008 and holds two permanent collections, the Presença Portuguesa na Ásia exhibition and the Kwok On collection of puppets and masks, with more than 15,000 objects. This page gives the opening hours, the Monday closure, every ticket price, the free Friday evening, how to get a 20% discount with the Lisboa Card and what the one-ticket entry covers. It also links to the other museums in Lisbon. Short facts first, then the details.
A costume display at the Museu do Oriente, Lisbon. Photo: Vitor Oliveira from Torres Vedras, PORTUGAL, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Quick answer Museu do Oriente in brief
The Museu do Oriente in Alcântara costs €10 ($11.15) per person and opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00-18:00, with Friday until 20:00. It closes on Mondays, 1 January and 25 December. Friday from 18:00 to 20:00 is free for everyone, with last access at 19:30.
Key takeaways
- Entry to all exhibitions, permanent and temporary, is €10 ($11.15) with the entry ticket, valid 1 day and free to cancel up to 24 hours before.
- The museum is closed on Mondays, so switch to the Gulbenkian Museum or MAAT, which close on Tuesdays instead.
- Friday 18:00-20:00 is free for everybody, so it appears on our page on free museums in Lisbon.
- The Lisboa Card gives 20% off the Museu do Oriente.
Key Facts for Visitors
Open.
Tuesday to Thursday and Saturday to Sunday 10:00-18:00, Friday 10:00-20:00. Last access to exhibitions 30 minutes before closing.
Monday, 1 January and 25 December.
€10 ($11.15) per person with the entry ticket, covering the permanent exhibition and all temporary exhibitions. Reduced rates start at €3 ($3.35).
Friday 18:00-20:00 for everyone, last access 19:30. Children up to 5 always free.
Av. Brasília, Doca de Alcântara (Norte), 1350-352 Lisboa, on the riverside in Alcântara.
20% discount with the Lisboa Card.
Tickets for the Museu do Oriente
Our entry ticket covers the permanent Presença Portuguesa na Ásia exhibition and every temporary exhibition on display, including Japão: Festas e Rituais. The listing states no transport, audio guide or hotel pick-up, and it is not a skip-the-line ticket. Bags, backpacks, umbrellas, selfie sticks and flash photography are not allowed inside. Bring a passport or ID card.
from €10
Two collections
Museu do Oriente Entry Ticket to All Exhibitions
All exhibitions at the Museu do Oriente for €10, covering the Portuguese Presence in Asia and Kwok On collections. Bags and backpacks are not allowed inside.
Check AvailabilityMuseu do Oriente at a Glance
A Fundação Oriente museum on the Alcântara docks, in a refurbished industrial building.
What It Is and Where It Stands
The Museu do Oriente opened in May 2008 and is run by Fundação Oriente. It stands on the Alcântara docks, on the Avenida Brasília beside the Tagus, in a refurbished industrial building. The exhibition space covers 7,000 square meters and a 355-seat auditorium sits inside the same complex.
One ticket of €10 ($11.15) covers the permanent exhibition and all temporary exhibitions. The museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00, closing at 18:00 except on Friday, when it stays open to 20:00. Monday is the closed day.
Who It Suits
The museum holds up to 1,600 objects on the Portuguese presence in Asia, spanning 3000 BC to the mid-20th century, plus more than 15,000 objects in the Kwok On collection of performing arts. The range runs from Namban art made for Portuguese traders in Japan to shadow puppets and masks from across the continent. Anyone planning a free visit should aim at the Friday 18:00-20:00 window, when entry costs nothing.
Source: Fundação Oriente.
Opening Hours and Closed Days
These are the hours on the museum's own information page.
The Official Weekly Timetable
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday the museum opens 10:00-18:00. Friday it opens 10:00-20:00. Access to the exhibition rooms stops 30 minutes before closing time on every open day.
The museum closes on Mondays, on 1 January and on 25 December. The late evening is Friday, when the museum stays open to 20:00.
- Tuesday to Thursday and Saturday to Sunday: 10:00-18:00
- Friday: 10:00-20:00, free for everyone from 18:00
- Last access to exhibitions: 30 minutes before closing
- Closed: Monday, 1 January, 25 December
Planning Around the Monday Closure
Monday closures are the norm across the city. Museu do Oriente, the Fado Museum, the Puppet Museum, MAC/CCB and Museu de Lisboa all follow it. If your Monday plan falls through, the Gulbenkian Museum and MAAT are the opposite case, closing Tuesdays and opening Mondays.
The Royal Treasure Museum and the National Palace of Ajuda also work on a Monday, since the palace closes on Wednesdays. Inside the free Friday window, last access is 19:30.
Source: Fundação Oriente.
Museum of the Orient • Lisbon • Portugal
A look inside on video. Third-party video by BeSisluxe. This site did not shoot it and has no relationship with the creator.
Ticket Prices and Reductions
One ticket covers the permanent exhibition and all temporary exhibitions. The figures below come from the museum's own information page.
What You Pay and What It Includes
The full adult ticket is €10 ($11.15), and the entry ticket is valid 1 day with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The single ticket opens the permanent Presença Portuguesa na Ásia exhibition plus every temporary exhibition, so there is no separate charge for Japão: Festas e Rituais. Reduced rates apply at the museum's own box office and cover children, students, seniors and visitors with reduced mobility.
Families of two adults and up to three under-18s pay a set family rate. Groups of 15 or more pay lower rates again, listed with the reductions in the table.
| Category | Price |
|---|---|
| Adult (all exhibitions) | €10 |
| Child 6-12 | €3 |
| Student | €3.50 |
| Over 65 | €4.50 |
| Reduced mobility | €5 |
| Family (2 adults + 3 under-18) | €22 |
| Group 15+, adult | €6 |
| Group 15+, student | €2 |
| Group 15+, over 65 | €4 |
Children and Age Rules
Children up to 5 enter free at all times. Children from 6 to 12 pay €3 ($3.35). Unaccompanied minors are not allowed on the entry ticket listing, so a young visitor needs an adult with them.
The family ticket at €22 ($24.53) covers two adults with up to three children under 18. Reduced and free categories are listed on the museum's information page. Students pay €3.50 ($3.90), and visitors with reduced mobility pay €5 ($5.58).
Source: Fundação Oriente.
A blue-and-white porcelain basin in the Museu do Oriente, Lisbon. Photo: tomislav medak, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Free Friday Evening and Other Free Entry
The museum is free for everyone on Friday evenings.
The Friday 18:00-20:00 Free Window
Every Friday from 18:00 to 20:00 entry is free for everyone. Last access is 19:30. The museum closes at 20:00 on Fridays, two hours later than the 18:00 close on other open days.
This rule comes from the museum's own information page, and it is the reason the Museu do Oriente features on our page about free museums in Lisbon. No booking is stated for the free window.
Who Enters Free at Any Time
Children up to 5 are always free. ICOM and APOM members enter free with their membership proof, as do working press and certified tourist guides with identification. Holders of the Lisboa Card are not free here, they get a 20% discount, which is covered below.
Source: Fundação Oriente.
Buying a Ticket and the Lisboa Card
You can buy at the box office or online, and one prepaid option covers everything on display.
Where to Buy
Tickets are sold at the official box office and online. The entry ticket costs €10 ($11.15) and includes the permanent exhibition and all current exhibitions. It is valid for 1 day and carries free cancellation up to 24 hours before. The listing requires a passport or ID card at entry, and access to exhibitions closes 30 minutes before the museum closes.
Check availability to see the starting times before you commit.
The Lisboa Card Discount
The Lisboa Card gives 20% off admission at the Museu do Oriente. It is not on the card's free-entry list, unlike the National Coach Museum. The card also stacks awkwardly against the free Friday evening, since a discount on €10 ($11.15) saves less than a slot that costs nothing.
The practical play is simple. Use the card during the day and save your Friday evening for the free window, or skip the card here entirely if the Friday slot fits your itinerary. The card itself starts at €31 ($34.57) for 24 hours and covers unlimited public transport, which helps on the ride out to Alcântara.
Source: the booking platform.
What Is Inside
Two permanent collections under one roof, plus a rolling programme of temporary shows.
Presença Portuguesa Na Ásia
The permanent exhibition on the Portuguese presence in Asia gathers up to 1,600 objects covering 3000 BC to the mid-20th century. The displays follow the trade routes through Macau, Goa and Japan, and include Namban art, the Japanese screens painted for Portuguese merchants, Chinese and Japanese folding screens, porcelain from the Company of the Indies and pieces from Timor. An Asian Gods collection sits alongside.
The Kwok On Collection and the Temporary Programme
The Kwok On collection holds more than 15,000 objects of Asian performing arts, chiefly puppets and masks gathered from across the continent. The current temporary exhibition is Japão: Festas e Rituais, and your single €10 ($11.15) ticket includes it. The Fado Museum and the Puppet Museum are also closed on Mondays.
Source: Google Arts & Culture.
The Building and the Alcântara Docks
A converted industrial hall on the Tagus waterfront, opened as a museum in 2008.
Size and Facilities
The museum opened in May 2008 inside a refurbished industrial building on the Alcântara waterfront. The exhibition space covers 7,000 square meters. A 355-seat auditorium operates inside the same complex for talks and performances.
Entry tickets note that the museum is wheelchair accessible, and visitors with reduced mobility pay a reduced €5 ($5.58) rate.
Practical Rules Inside
Bags and backpacks are not allowed in the exhibition areas, and neither are umbrellas, selfie sticks or flash photography. Leave large items at your accommodation or in your car, because the ticket listing does not state locker provision. Bring a passport or ID card, which the entry ticket requires.
MAC/CCB also bans backpacks, so if you are doing several museums in a day, travel light from the start. The listing states no photography policy beyond the flash ban.
Source: Fundação Oriente.
Getting There and How Long to Stay
The museum sits on the Avenida Brasília at Doca de Alcântara (Norte), on the river side of the road.
The Address
The full address is Avenida Brasília, Doca de Alcântara (Norte), 1350-352 Lisboa, in the Alcântara district. The museum's phone number is +351 213 585 200 and its email is [email protected]. Specific bus, tram and train details for the Alcântara docks are not stated in the museum's published visitor information, so confirm your route on a journey planner before setting out.
The Lisboa Card includes unlimited public transport.
How Long to Spend
A recommended visit length is not stated by the museum. The permanent exhibition counts up to 1,600 objects and the Kwok On collection more than 15,000. On a free Friday last access is 19:30 and the museum closes at 20:00.
Source: Fundação Oriente.
Tips for Visiting
Do
- Do come on Friday after 18:00, because entry is free for everyone from 18:00 to 20:00 and the museum stays open until 20:00, two hours later than the rest of the week.
- Do arrive before 19:30 on a free Friday, because last access to the exhibitions is 30 minutes before closing.
- Do bring a passport or ID card, because the entry ticket listing requires one at admission.
- Do pick the Gulbenkian Museum or MAAT for a Monday, because they open on Mondays and close on Tuesdays.
- Do bring proof if you qualify for free entry, because ICOM and APOM members, press and tourist guides enter free with identification.
Don't
- Don't carry a backpack or large bag, because bags, backpacks, umbrellas and selfie sticks are not allowed inside.
- Don't plan a Monday visit, because Monday is the museum's closed day along with 1 January and 25 December.
- Don't count on the Lisboa Card for free entry here, because the card gives 20% off and the museum sits on the discount list, not the free list.
- Don't use flash photography, because the ticket listing bans it along with selfie sticks inside the galleries.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the Museu do Oriente ticket?
The full ticket is €10 ($11.15) and covers the permanent exhibition plus all temporary exhibitions. Reduced rates run from €3 ($3.35) for children aged 6-12 to €22 ($24.53) for a family ticket. The entry ticket is €10 ($11.15) with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Is the Museu do Oriente free on Friday evening?
Yes. Entry is free for everyone on Fridays from 18:00 to 20:00, with last access at 19:30, which is why the museum appears on our free museums in Lisbon page.
Which day is the Museu do Oriente closed?
The museum closes every Monday, plus 1 January and 25 December. On a Monday, switch to a museum that opens, such as the Gulbenkian Museum, which closes on Tuesdays instead.
What does the ticket include?
One ticket includes the permanent Presença Portuguesa na Ásia exhibition and all temporary exhibitions on display, currently Japão: Festas e Rituais. The listing states no transport or guide. Read what the entry ticket covers before booking.
Do I get a Lisboa Card discount at the Museu do Oriente?
Yes, the Lisboa Card gives 20% off admission. The museum is on the card's discount list, not its free-entry list, so the Friday free window is still the better deal.
How do I get to the Museu do Oriente in Alcântara?
The address is Avenida Brasília, Doca de Alcântara (Norte), 1350-352 Lisboa, on the riverside in Alcântara. The museum publishes no transport routes. The Lisboa Card includes unlimited public transport.