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There is a wealth of museums all over Portugal as most towns have a municipal museum displaying local artefacts and archaeological finds as well as items from the traditional way of life of the town. Many of the museums in the north and centre of Portugal are linked to traditional industries like the woollen museum at Covilha or the Glass Making museums around Marinha Grande.
Art plays an important role in Portuguese culture and there are some impressive museums across the regions like the one at Viseu that is a tribute to their famous artist son, The Great Vasco. The pinnacle of art museums has to the be the contemporary art museum in the suburbs of Porto, Museu de Arte Contemporanea de Serralves.
Between the two cathedrals in Coimbra, on the corner of Rua Sao Joao and Rua Borges Carneiro, is the former Bishop's Palace. This now houses one of Portugal's most important collections of 14th-16th century sculpture as the Museu Nacional Machado de Castro.
Underneath the foundations is a Roman Cryptoportico which is a series of underground galleries thought to be used by the Romans as a granary. Unfortunately these are not open to the public. The museum has been undergoing renovations but is due to reopen in 2007.
Included in the price of the entrance ticket to the fantastic Roman ruins at Conimbriga is entry to the excellent museum in which a vast array of finds from the site is displayed. They illustrate the historic evolution of the site from daily life through to spiritual beliefs and ceremonies. You can see the terracotta lanterns that would have been filled with oil to light houses, farming tools, medical tools and even a cockerel very much like the Portuguese national emblem. Don't miss the phallic vases and talismans! There is also a scale model of the Forum to give you a better idea of what it would have looked like. There is a good 3D interpretation of the forum on the Panoramic Pictures of Conimbriga - weblink right.
Items are now labelled in English and this is a very clear and well presented display, good to visit either before you venture out to the ruins themselves or to add detail once you come back. There is also a gift and book shop in between the museum displays.
Attached to the Museum is a self-service restaurant with fabulous views over the gorge below that serves Roman and medieval recipes such as quail with grapes as well as more everyday fayre.
The wines from the Bairrada region are nationally and internationally renowned. Wine has been produced here since the 12th century. In 1979 the Bairrada region received its apellation designation. Sparkling wines are of particular note such as "Conde de Cantanhede" and "Marques de Marialva", two of the best quality sparkling wines of the region. Red and white table wines are also produced.
The Bairrada Wine Museum is in Anadia. At the museum find out all about the winemaking history of the region before embarking on the Bairrada Wine Route. Museu do Vinho da Bairrada, Avenida Eng. Tavares da Silva, 3780 - 203 Anadia. Tel: 231 51 97 80. Fax: 231 51 97 81. Email: museuvinhobairrada@mail.telepac.pt. Open Tues-Fri 10 am-1 pm and 2-6 pm. Sat-Sun and Hollidays 11 am-7 pm.
The town has a small museum, Museu da Pedra on Largo Candido dos Reis, 4, 3060-174 Cantanhede. Tel: 351 231 423 730. Fax: 351 231 423 732. Email: museudapedra@cm-cantanhede.pt.
Open Tues-Fri 10 am 1 pm and 2 pm 6 pm. Sat-Sun 2 pm 7 pm. Closed Mondays and Holidays.
The National Bread Museum at Seia near the Serra da Estrela Natural Park details the history of Portuguese bread making and the whole process from flour milling to baking in a re-creation of a traditional bakery. You and the kids can have a go at making bread and biscuits and take them home with you. The museum even looks into the symbolism of bread that has played an important political, social and religious role in human history.
The Museum of Bread, Museo Nacional do Pao is at Quinta Fonte do Marrao, 6270-909 Seia. Tel: 351 238 310 760/61/62. Fax: 351 238 310 769. Email: museu@museudopao.pt. Check the weblink right.
The Museum of Guarda is on Rua General Alves Rocadas in the 17th century former Episcopal Seminary. This was built on the orders of Bishop of Guarda, Nuno de Noronha, in 1601. The museum's collection includes archaeological finds, 16th-18th century paintings, armoury from the 16th to 19th centuries, regional ethnography, 19th and 20th century paintings including those by Columbano, Antonio Carneiro, Veloso Salgado, Carlos Reis, Joao Vaz among others and designs by Alves Cardoso and Jose Tagarro. Worthy of special attention is the 16th century Altar of Annunciation by the Coimbra Renaissance School. Museu da Guarda, Rua General Alves Rocadas, 6300-663 Guarda. Tel: 351 271 213 460. Fax: 351 271 223 221. Email: mguarda@ipmuseus.pt. Open Tues-Sun 10 am-12.30pm and 2 pm-5.30 pm. Closed: Mondays, 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 December.
Next door is the Paco da Cultura which houses changing art exhibitions. Admission is free. Open Mon-Sat 2-8 pm.
Covilha built its reputation as the centre of one of Europe's biggest wool producing areas that began in the time of Dom Sancho I. It was further developed by the Jewish community that settled in Covilha at that time and where they remained until the 15th century. Covilha was made a city in 1870 due to its importance and economic growth. However, the textile industry here declined thanks to the neglect of the Salazar regime and cheap foreign imports.
Just outside of town the mills now stand empty except for the site of the former Royal Textile Factory founded by the Marques de Pombal in 1764 which now houses the Museu de Lanificios - the Museum of Wool-Making. Rua Marques d'Avila e Bolama, 6200-001 Covilha. Tel: 351 275 319 712 or 351 275 319 700 (ext. 3126). Fax: 351 275 319 712. Email: muslan@ubi.pt. Open Tues-Sun 9 am-12 pm and 2.30 pm-6 pm. Closed Mondays, 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. The exhibition takes you through the history of the textile industry in the area and is organised into three sections: the Pombaline Dye-Works of the Royal Cloth Factory, the wool industry in the Covilha region in the 19th and 20th centuries and the Woollen Cloths.
Next to the cathedral in Viseu is the rated art museum housing works of the Great Vasco, Vasco Fernandes (1480-1543), a Viseu born artist credited as being one of Portugal's seminal Renaissance painters. Works include paintings, sculptures, gold and silver work and ivory, from the Romanesque to the Baroque periods by Vasco and his peers including collaborator and rival Gaspar Vaz. Museu Grao Vasco, Paco dos Tres Escaloes, Adro da Se, 3500-195 Santa Maria, Viseu. Tel: 351 232 422 049. Fax: 351 232 421 241. Email: mgv@ipmuseus.pt. The building in which the museum is housed is the former Seminary known as the Paco dos Tres Escaloes. This is connected to the Cathedral and began construction the end of the 16th century.
Museu Tesouro de Arte Sacra, Catedral de Viseu, 3500 Santa Maria Viseu. A collection of religious art and artefacts. Open: 9 am-12 pm and 2-5 pm. Closed Saturday mornings and holidays.
Museu de Silgueiros, Calada Albertina Moreira, 2, 3500 - 541 Viseu. An eclectic collection of bits and bobs including gloves, parasols, umbrellas, handkerchiefs, buttons, displays on dressmaking and traditional children s games. Tel: 351 351 232 952 001. Fax: 351 232 952 003. Email: info@assops.pt. Open daily 9 am-12 pm and 2-5 pm.
In nearby Torredeita (12 kilometres west of Viseu) is the Eco-Museu de Torredeita. This is part of an initiative to benefit the community by providing a range of resources including modern secondary schools and nurseries. The museum is housed in an old oil producing plant dating from 1837 and details different aspects of the rural culture of the area with displays on agricultural history and the products that have been derived from the land, with displays of the old carts that used to be drawn by oxen as well as stills used in aguardente making (a Portuguese brandy). On the complex there is also a planetarium open to the public but specifically aimed at younger children to pique their interest in science. The museum is at Fundao Joaquim dos Santos, Escola Profissional de Torredeita, 3511-903 Torredeita Viseu. Tel: 351 232 990 200 (ext.240). Fax 351 232 990 202. Email: info@ep-torredeita.rcts.pt. Open Tues-Sat 9 am-6 pm. Book in advance on weekends.
The Bishop's Palace, Palacio Episcopal, in Castelo Branco is an 18th century building that now houses Museu de Francisco Tavares Proenca Junior that tells the story of the history of the episcopacy with 16th century paintings and 18th century portraits of popes, kings and cardinals.
There's also an exhibition of Castelo Branco's colchas - elaborately embroidered linen - that includes some 17th century examples made in India and China. Museu de Francisco Tavares Proenca Junior, Largo Dr Jose Lopes Dias, 6000-462 Castelo Branco. Tel: 351 272 344 277. Fax: 351 272 347 880. Email: mftpj@ipmuseus.pt. You can see them being made at the Loga da Villa on Rua da Misericaordia although you won't see one being finished in front of your eyes as they can take up to a year to complete! Prices are extraordinary too starting at 1,000 Euros for a small item and 7,500 Euros for a bedspread sized colcha.
Ponte Romana is the incredible Roman bridge built in 104 AD that still takes traffic into Chaves itself. Its sixteen arches cross the River Tamega and in the middle are two engraved Roman milestones.
Chaves town has an atmospheric medieval centre with a 14th century castle keep, Torre de Menagem, that houses a collection of military paraphernalia as the Museu Militar.
Admission to the Museu da Regiao Flaviense, Praca de Luis Camoes, open Tue-Fri 9 am-12.30 pm and 2-5.30 pm which is the regional museum exhibiting various archaeological and ethnographic displays, includes admission to the Museu Militar.
In Braganca town is the highbrow Museu do Abade de Bacal on Rua Conselheiro Abilio Beca, no 27, 5301-903 Bragana. Tel: 351 273 33 15 95 / 273 33 28 02. Fax: 351 273 32 32 42. Email: mabacal@ipmuseus.pt. Open: Tues-Fri 10 am-5 p.m. Sat-Sun 10 am-6 pm. Closed on Mondays.
Housed in the former Bishop's Palace, it is named after the scholar who carried out extensive research in to the region's history and customs including its jewish connections. The museum's exhibits include an unsigned 16th century painting called The Martyrdom of St Ignatius and collections of ancient pottery, tools and jewellery and, in the gardens, the famous porcas or berroes and a collection of Celtic inspired medieval tombstones.
Near Arca da Porta Nova is the town's museum Museu dos Biscainhos, a Baroque aristocrat's house and garden on Rua dos Biscainhos. This has a collection of Roman artefacts and 17th-19th pottery and furnishings. The building itself has some 18th century azulejos depicting hunting scenes, painted and chestnut-panelled ceilings and deeply worn paved flags on the ground floor where carriages would once have passed through to the stables. The gardens are also of historic interest in that they originate from the eighteenth century and are largely in the style of the period.
The distinctly modern Regional Museum Dom Diogo de Sousa on Rua Bombeiros Voluntarios, 4700-025 Braga. Tel: 351 253 273 706. Email: mdds@um.geira.pt houses a collection of archaeological finds from the Northern Portugal region but particularly from Braga dating from the Palaeolithic period to medieval times. This has been undergoing refurbishment in recent years but is due to reopen in June 2007.
Near the bridge are the ruins of the Dukes of Barcelos' Palace. These are all that remain of the early 15th century building after the great earthquake of 1755 destroyed it. Today it is an open air archaeological museum which features a 15th-century cross depicting the story of the Barcelos cockerel. You can roam around Roman columns and medieval caskets with the most famous being the 14th century stone cross, the Crucifix O Senhor do Galo, depicting the story of the cockerel said to have been commissioned by the reprieved pilgrim of the story. Open daily. Summer: 9 am-7 pm. Winter: 9 am-5.30 pm.
The Museo de Olaria is the other good museum in Barcelos worth a visit exhibiting about 7000 pieces including ceramics in different Portuguese regional styles. Although the bulk of the exhibits are typical of Barclos other areas are represented including pottery from the Azores. Open Tues-Fri 10 am-5.30 pm; Sat-Sun: 10 am-12.30 am and 2 pm- 5.30 pm. Closed: Mondays, 1 January, Easter Sunday, 15 August, 1st November, 24 and 25th December. Rua Cnego Joaquim Gaiolas, 4750-306 Barcelos. Tel: 351 253 824 741. Fax: 351 253 809 661. Email: museuolaria@cm-barcelos.pt
Several of the historic buildings house museums and historical artefacts. Within the Romanesque cloister of the former convent of Igreja de Nossa de Senhora da Oliveira is the Alberto Sampaio museum housing a collection of ecclesiastical art and paintings, sculpture, ceramics and azulejos. Some of the highlights includes a 14th century silver-gilded triptych, a tunic said to have been worn by Joao I in 1385 at the Battle of Aljubarrots and a 16th century silver Manueline cross. English language notes are available in each room. Admission is free. Tues-Sun 10 am-12.30 pm and 2-5.30 pm. Tel: 351 253 423 910.
The Antigos Pacos do Concelho is the 14th century building on legs facing Largo da Oliveira that houses the avant-garde displays of the Museum of Modern Primitive Art. Admission free. Open Mon-Fri 9 am-12.30 pm and 2-5.30 pm. Sat-Sun 10 am-12.30 pm and 3-6 pm. Tel: 351 253 414 186.
The Museu Arqueologico Martins Sarmento displays a collection of Celtiberian artefacts in the Sao Domingos Church, a former convent. The museum is named after the archaeologist who in 1875 excavated Citania de Briteiros (see our webpage for more info).
Fifteen kilometres north west of Guimaraes is the excellent Citania de Briteiros archaeological site. This is a 3.8 hectare Celtic hill settlement that dates back an incredible 2,500 years. The site is believed to have been inhabited from 300 BC to 300 AD and was the Celtiberians last stronghold against the invading Romans.
Dr Martins Saramento excavated the site in 1875 and several artefacts are on display at the Museu da Cultural Castreja nearby and the Museu Arqueologico Martins Sarmento in Guimaraes. But the best way to discover more about pre-Roman history is to look round the foundations and ruins of more than the 150 rectangular, circular and elliptical stone huts all linked by paved paths and a water distribution system. The settlement was protected by protective walls to shield it from the mountain weather. Some huts have been reconstructed to give you an idea of what they would have looked like.
Entrance fee includes a ticket for Museu da Cultural Castreja, S. Salvador de Briteiros, Guimaraes. Open: 9.30 am-12.00 pm and 2-5 pm. Tel: 351 255 478 952. Closed Mondays and holidays. A detailed map of the site is also available for a small cost that will help to interpret the site and is available in English.
The town has three museums:
the Museu Regional do Automovel with exhibits of classic cars on Edifcio Nun'Alvares, cave, R. Guerra Junqueiro, Fafe Portugal. Open: Tues-Sun 10 am-12 pm and 2-6 pm;
Museu da Imprensa de Fafe, Printing Museum on Rua Jos Cardoso Vieira de Castro, Fafe. This houses exhibits from the 19th and 20th centuries relating to the printing industry. Admission free, open Tues-Sun.
Museu Hidroelectrico da Santa Rita, Santa Rita, Fornelos, Fafe is a museum detailing the history of the hydroelectric power station that was opened in 1914 to provide electric to Fafe and surrounding villages. Open Tues-Sun.
The town has a multitude of museums ranging from trains to former writers houses displaying items from the 19th century.
Camilo Castelo Branco, one of the most prolific nineteenth-century Portuguese writers, lived in the village of So Miguel de Seide near Familiciao. His work included novels, plays, verse, and essays. His house has now been converted into a museum: Casa-Museu Camilo Castelo Branco, Ceide-S.Miguel, 4760 Vila Nova de Famalicao. Tel: 351 252 327 186. Fax: 351 252 311 004. Email: cmcamilo@um.geira.pt
Museu Bernardino Machado, Rua Adriano Pinto Basto, 75, 4760-114 Vila Nova de Famalicao. Tel: 351 252 377733. Email: bernardinomachado@vilanovadefamalicao.org
Casa-Museu Soledade Malvar, Avenida 25 de Abril, 104, 4760-101 Vila Nova de Famalicao. Tel: 351 252 318091. Email: soledademalvar@vilanovadefamalicao.org Admission free. Tues-Fri 10 am-1 pm and 2-5.30pm. First weekend of each month: 2.30-5.30 pm.
Museu Do Caminho-De-Ferro De Lousado (Railway Museum). Largo da Estacao - Lousado, 4760-623 Vila Nova de Famalicao. Tel: 351 221 052403. Open Sun-Fri 2-5pm.
Museu Da Fundacao Cupertino De Miranda, Praca D. Maria II, 4760-111 Vila Nova de Famalicao. Tel: 351 252 301650. Email: geral@fcm.org.pt. Admission free. Open Mon-Fri 10 am-12.30 pm and 2-6pm, Sat 2-6 pm. Closed Sundays.
Museu Da Guerra Colonial, Centro Coordenador de Transportes, Sala 1, Rua Henriques Nogueira, 4760-038 Vila Nova de Famalicao. Tel. 351 252 322848 and 351 252 376323. Email: info@adfa-famalicao.rcts.pt. Admission free. Mon-Fri 9.30 am-12.00 pm and 2-6pm, Sat 2-7 pm.
Museu De Arte Sacra, Capela da Lapa - Largo Tinoco de Sousa, 4760-108 Vila Nova de Famalicao. Tel: 351 252 314279. Admission free. Saturdays 2-5 pm. Check notices for additional opening hours for the rest of the week.
Obidos was also home to one of the very few celebrated women artists, Josefa de Obidos (1630-1684). Her real name was Josefa de Ayala Figueira but was given the nickname Josefa de Obidos as she spent most of her life in the town.
She was a painter in the 17th century who had studied at a convent but didn't take her vows. She remained chaste and religious throughout her life and much of her work was richly coloured still lifes and detailed religious work. Her interpretation of religious subjects was unique in that her work ignored established iconography and encapsulated a personal and sympathetic style that evoked a sense of innocence.
Some of her paintings are hung in to the right of the altar in the Igreja de Santa Maria. The town museum, Museu Municipal, houses one of her paintings, Faustino das Neves (1670) as well as other artefacts including an 18th century roulette wheel made out of paper and wood! The Museum is open daily 10 am-12.30 pm and 2-6 pm).
As you head for the coast from Obidos you pass through the former royal spa town of Caldas da Rainha.
The town houses several good art museums containing the works of the town's famous ceramicists and sculptors. Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro is one of the most prolific potters and ceramicists of the town who took his inspiration from wild flora and fauna. Museums include: Museu de Ceramica, Quinta do Visconde de Santarem, Rua Dr. Ildio Amado, 2500-217 Caldas da Rainha. Tel: 351 262 840 280. Fax: 351 262 840 281. Email: mceramica@ipmuseus.pt. Website link right.
Museu de Jose Malhoa is a huge museum built in 1940 to house the works of Jose Malhoa (1855-1933), a painter born in the town, whose subjects included local scenes and portraits of his townsfolk. Works by other artists are housed here including Sousa Lopes, Silva Porto, Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro and sculptures by Manuel Teixeira. The museum is located at Parque D. Carlos I, 2500 Caldas da Rainha. Tel: 351 262 831 984. Fax: 351 262 843 420. Email: mjm@ipmuseus.pt. Open Tues-Sun 10 am-12.30 pm and 2-5 pm. Website link right.
Museu Sao Rafael (Rua Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro 53) which is part of the original 1884 ceramics factory which is still in production. The museum has displays of the imaginative Pinheiro works (Open 10 am-12.30 pm and 2.30-4.30 pm).
The whole area around Marinha Grande is famed for its intricate glassware using traditional methods. There are various museums and factories that can be visited as part of the "Glass Route" including Museu do Vidro da Marinha Grande which houses glassware from the 17th-20th centuries in the former palacial home of William Stephens. Palacio Stephens, Praca Guilherme Stephens, 2430-960 Marinha Grande. Tel: 351 244 560 209. Fax: 351 244 561 710. Email: museu.vidro@cm-mgrande.pt. Open Tuesday to Sunday, October-May: 10 am 6 pm, June-September 10 am 7 pm. Closed Mondays.
Attractions at Figueira include the Dr Santos Rocha Municipal Museum that has a good archaeological collection including palaeolithic flint tools, religious sculptures, ceramics, Indo-Portuguese furniture, weapons, coin collections and African and Oriental costumes. Rua Calouste Gulbenkian, 3080-084 Figueira da Foz. Tel: 351 233 402840. Fax 351 233 402846. Open daily 9.15 am-17.15 pm except Sundays. Between 1 Oct-31 May weekends 14.15-17.15 pm.
At the northern end of the bay is the 16th century triangular fortress that was built into the sea defences along with Buarcos Fort. This is another point where the Duke of Wellington stopped off in his efforts to run out the French. At Santana, north east of the town is Castro Santa Olaia, a site of roman ruins of rectangular houses from which some of the finds at the museum have been found. At Serra das Alhadas over to the north east but slightly closer to town is a fine example of Neolithic burial graves.
The lace made at Vila do Conde is a local speciality and in July/August Vila do Conde hosts the National Handicraft Fair, one of the most important craft events in Portugal. The museum, Museu de Rendas de Bilros, displays examples of Vila do Conde's lacework and embroidery. The Museum is open Mon-Fri 9 am-12 noon and 2-6 pm. Sat-Sun 3-6 pm. Admission is free. Check their website for some fantastic old photographs of lady lacemakers and examples of the lace on display.
As it's also renowned for being home to the oldest shipbuilding industry in Europe, it's no wonder there is a museum dedicated to it. Museu de Construcao Naval is housed in the former royal customs house, Alfandega Regia, displaying replicas of old ships and artefacts from the golden age of Portuguese Discoveries. Alfandega Regia de Vila do Conde, Rua do Cais da Alfndega. Tel: 351 252 240740. Fax: 351 252 240741. Admission is free.
The Museu Municipal in the Palacete Barbosa Maciel has an excellent collection of 17th and 18th century Portuguese ceramics, azulejos and furniture (particularly the traditional blue and white china). On Largo de Sao Domingos, open Tues-Sun 9-12 noon and 2-5 pm. Tel: 351 820 377.
Further out west of Porto and well worth the visit is the contemporary art museum and park: Museu de Arte Contemporanea de Serralves and Parque de Serralves. This is a fantastic site in which contemporary art is housed in building designed by Alvaro Siza in the early 1990s specifically to house contemporary art but that also reflected its surrounding environment within the Serralves Estate. The mission of the Serralves Foundation is to help raise the public awareness of contemporary art and the environment through its art museum and multi-disciplinary cultural centre. It has a strong Portuguese bias but also includes work from artists all over Europe. It has been very well received and is well respected for having made significant in-roads into this aim.
This is set within the 18 hectare park which is the only known private garden built in Portugal in the first half of the 20th century by architect Jacques Greber who was commissioned by Cabral in 1932. The award winning gardens have undergone restoration works in recent years and throughout the importance of the need to conserve landscape heritage has been promoted to a wider audience. These now contain formal gardens and farmland and provide a beautiful contemporary setting for the wonderful buildings on site that reinforces the awareness of the environment in terms of contemporary art and design. There are several exhibitions on display at the museum and villa at any one time including works from crowd-pleasers like Warhol and Rothke alongside less well-known artists and in particular Portuguese artists. There is also a cinema showing films associated with different themes. You can take guided tours of the architecture, exhibitions and the park and they also run courses and workshops. There are restaurants and cafes on site and events are also held in the gardens throughout the year, check the website for the latest events and exhibitions.
The site is closed on Mondays. The Museum is open Tues-Fri 10am-7pm, Sat-Sun and public holidays 10am-8pm. Check their website for full details on opening times for all attractions and entrance fees.
Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis is the other contemporary art museum worth a visit while you're in Porto. Housed in the Neoclassical Palacio das Carancas are great examples of fine and decorative arts including sculpture by Antonio Soares dos Reis and Antonio Teixeira Lopes and the naturalistic paintings of Henrique Pousao and Antonio Silva Porto.
Rua D Manuel II, 4050-342 Porto. Tel: 351 223 393 770. Fax: 351 222 082 851. Email: mnsr@ipmuseus.pt. Open Tue 2-6 pm. Weds-Sun 10 am-6 pm.
The former 16th century prison, Cadeia da Relacao, now houses the Portuguese Centre for Photography (Centro Portugues de Fotografia). This has both permanent and temporary photographic exhibitions including work of Frederick William Flower a Scotsman who spent much of his life (1815-1889) in Porto and is considered a pioneer of Portuguese photography.
Open Tues-Sat 9 am-12.30 pm and 2-5.30 pm. Admission is free.
Naturally enough you'd expect Porto to have a museum dedicated to its famous tipple. The museum goes through the history of port wine making and as it only opened in 2004 it's full of modern multilingual interpretation including touch-screen computer displays linked to port websites all over the world.
Rua de Monchique, 45 52 Porto. Tel: 351 222 076 300. Fax: 222 076 309. Email: museuvinhoporto@cm-porto.pt. Free admission on Saturdays and Sundays.
Open Tues-Sat 10 am-12.30 pm and 2-5.30 pm. Sunday 2-5.30 pm. Closed Mondays and holidays
For something a little less highbrow and a good family tourist attraction try the Electric Tramcar Museum. The trams around Porto used to be commonplace but only two are running at present. Porto now has the new underground trams so the old trams' days could well be numbered. The museum houses several restored old trams in what is a former switching house.
Open Mon-Fri 9.30 am-1 pm and 2.30-6 pm. Alameda Baslio Teles, 51, 4150-127 Porto. Tel: 351 226158185/2. Fax: 351 22 507 1150. Email: hdias@stcp.pt
Over the water from Porto in Gaia itself is the Teixeira Lopes Museum that exhibits Lopes' artistic work. Lopes was at the centre of an important artistic and intellectual set that lived in Gaia at the end of the 19th century. His masterpiece is "A Inglesa" an enigmatic portrait of an Englishwoman. Along with the Diogo de Macedo Gallery attached to the museum, a wide range of art including paintings and sculpture are on display from a long list of Portuguese artists.
The museum is on Rua Candido dos Reis uphill from the waterfront and is fee to enter. Open Tues-Sat 9am-12.30pm and 2-5.30pm.
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