Skip to content

Visiting the National Tile Museum Lisbon

Sometimes, there are certain items you identify with a city. For us, it was decorative ceramic tiles in Lisbon, Portugal. They were everywhere! The building facades were decorated with them and even the sidewalks were paved with tiles. They were very much a part of many murals and interior decor too. It was wonderful to walk around this city and see these tiles. So, it was no surprise to find out there was a Tile Museum here. This unique museum is its only kind in the world and well worth a visit.

Lisbon Tile Museum with kids

The Museu Nacional do Azulejo or National Tile Museum became an independent and national museum in 1980. It was created to preserve and present the history and culture of decorative tiles spanning five centuries. It has an amazing collection of mostly pieces from before the 19th century.

Azulejo (Portuguese pronunciation: ah-zoo-le-zhoo; Spanish version: ah-soo-le-haw) or painted ceramic tiles arrived in Portugal during the 15th century by way of the Moors who ruled this area. The word is derived from Arabic meaning “polished stone“.

Lisbon with kids Tile Museum

The museum is located in the former 16th century Convent of Madre de Deus (Mother of God) just a few minutes outside of the city center. It wasn’t located anywhere near other attractions and was in a very quiet neighborhood. There was a small garden in the front and the entrance led to the gift shop and a well-decorated lobby.

The exhibits were laid out well showing how a tile was first made but didn’t dwell too much on it. It was interesting to see how they were created from raw clay and how it was transformed with various cutting and glazing techniques. The process and techniques have evolved over the years. There was a bit more emphasis on how they put the tiles together to create colorful art pieces. The exhibits had English descriptions which were helpful to follow along.

Tile Museum with kids Lisbon

It was interesting how they incorporated paintings on the ceramic tiles. We didn’t really think of tiles as an art form before our visit here but this museum changed that perspective. I don’t think I’ve ever seen that many tiles in one area and some were quite unique and colorful and all handcrafted.

Tile Museum Lisbon

It felt like visiting an art museum or art gallery. Some museums are a hit or a miss with kids especially when there’s nothing interactive. My kids actually enjoyed walking around here. My teen daughter loved examining the details on pieces that caught her attention.

We liked how they made some attempts to put some whimsy in the exhibits. It included some of these cutouts which my kids particularly liked. We do our best to add to our tacky tourist photo collection.

Tile Museum cutouts Lisbon

It wasn’t just classic, mythological or religious scenes portrayed in the tile art though. We found an area full of contemporary art pieces too. Tile art is very much alive in Portugal and preserved for future generations.

Tile Museum Lisbon contemporary art

Of course, it was no surprise to find the stairway walls were decorated here.

Lisbon Tile Museum decorated stairway

The museum’s highlight piece was set in a large room and was hard to miss. The “Great View of Lisbon” was lined against a long wall made up of 1,300 tiles and 75 ft (23 m) long. This was a panoramic shot of Lisbon in blue and white tiles that was made in 1738. It was made before the Great Earthquake in 1755 that changed Lisbon’s landscape. This was considered Portugal’s longest tile piece. This was part of the piece.

Great View of Lisbon tile art Tile Museum

It was impressive and amazing to think how they painstakingly put this piece together. The details were incredible.The display provided a great overview of Lisbon and was a fun way to see places we’ve already visited. There wasn’t much else in the room but some places to sit.

Great View of Lisbon detail Tile Museum

The Church

Our favorite place in the Tile Museum turned out surprisingly to be the small, baroque-style Madere de Deus church. It was a convent long before it became a museum and glad they kept the chapel. It looked very well preserved.

This opulent chapel was dedicated to St. Anthony (who was born in Lisbon). This was one of the most beautiful churches we’ve visited and if you’ve followed our trips, you know I’ve dragged my family to enough European churches. The gilded decorations along the walls and ceilings were incredible. It was almost gleaming in here.

Madere de Deus church Tile Museum

The colorful frescoes on the upper part of the walls were stunning. There were also two stories of original oil paintings. It was hard to pick a favorite.

Tile Museum Madere de Deus church

We loved the beautiful tile decorations and panels along the walls which were mostly in white and blue tiles. I think I would have a hard time concentrating going to a mass here. There were too many things to admire.

Madere de Deus church Tile Museum Lisbon

The details were astounding and the pictures can’t really do them any justice. The craftsmanship involved was unbelievable. I highly recommend sitting on one of the pews for a few minutes to admire the details and all the beauty this church has to offer. We got lucky and we were the only ones in here for a few minutes. Take the time to also walk around and the see the tile work closely.

Madere de Deus church Tile Museum

Lisbon has many great museums. But, the National Tile Museum shouldn’t be missed despite its secluded location. We enjoyed learning about the tile’s history and seeing various ways they could turn tiles into remarkable works of art. If you’re a fan of stunning places of worship, then the chapel is worth a visit alone. We spent about two hours here and it was enough to fully appreciate this unique museum. The museum was a pleasant surprise. We looked at Lisbon’s tiled buildings a little differently after this visit. Who knew tiles could be so interesting?

Basics and Tips for visiting the National Tile Museum

  • Getting There: Visitors can take Bus 794 from Comercio Square or Bus 742. We took the taxi from Comercio Square and it was about 5 euros for a fast and convenient way to get there.
  • Price: 5 € Adults – (as of June 2016); 50% off for Seniors (62+), Students and Youth.
  • Free admission with the Lisboa Card.
  • Entrance is free during the first Sunday of the month.
  • Hours: 10AM-6PM (Wed.-Sun.), 2PM-6PM (Tuesday) It is closed on Monday.
  • Free audioguides in English and Portuguese.
  • There was a café, a gift shop and a small outdoor garden.

*Have you visited this Tile Museum? What other unique museums have you seen?

[stextbox id=”black” bgcolor=”b0c4de”]  If you liked this post, please get the latest posts and updates free.  Follow me on TwitterGoogle+, or Facebook.  Thanks! [/stextbox]

Pin it now, Read later!

Tile Museum Lisbon with kids

16 thoughts on “Visiting the National Tile Museum Lisbon”

  1. We didn’t visit this museum but I think I would have really liked it. I didn’t realize the displays would be so large. It’s amazing that they are still around so many years later.

  2. That is indeed unique! A museum dedicated to just tiles!
    I missed this during my trip to Lisbon. Loved seeing the pics, very creative. The fun captures are great too.

  3. I’ve been in Portugal but not to Lisbon. I didn’t realized the significance of tile in Portugal so the souvenir tile I picked up in Alcobaça has more meaning now.

  4. Wow. I missed this museum when I was in Lisbon which is a real shame as I loved the tiles on the buildings. It adds so much to an already characterful city. I’ll definitely book mark for the next time I visit. Thanks for sharing #wkendtravelinspiration

  5. My husband is not that into museums but I think he with like this one. And, that would be great because I love azulejos. This would be a must for me. I saw a lot of azulejos work in Madrid but I am pretty sure Lisboa surpasses it.

  6. Ah, the tile museum seems gorgeous! I’d love to visit Lisbon and by all means this museum. Such an impressive display of art! I love to photograph tiles everywhere I travel, so this museum will definitely keep me shooting.

  7. Those are some amazing artwork on tiles. I have added the museum to my list of places to visit in Lisbon. Thanks for sharing this at #TheWeeklyPostcard

  8. we didn’t visit this museum either, but it really does look worthwhile. I brought ceramics back from my trip to Portugal (and they survived) and i still love them. they have some of the same patterns you see on the tiles.

  9. Damn!!!
    Seriously I missed this place, this is really so lovely but literally I dint get to know about this place nor anyone suggested about it, missed this place :-(

  10. I’ve not been to Lisbon Mary but I did see lots of these beautiful tiles in Porto earlier this month and had no idea there was a whole museum dedicated to them in the capital. I’m the same in that I had never thought of them as an art form but Portugal had me rethink that completely and this is a museum I would definitely want to visit if I make it to Libon!

  11. There’s a lot of places to visit where white beaches and etc. could be found but I can’t help myself to be amazed by this amazing historical architectures. I hope for the kids to enjoy Lisbon National Tile Museum more and more.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.