Museu Nacional dos Coches

The Museu Nacional dos Coches (National Coach Museum) was founded in 1905 by Queen Amélia and says it holds the most important collection of ceremonial carriages in the world. More than 70 historic vehicles from four centuries and at least seven countries fill a white concrete and glass building by the Pritzker-winning architect Paulo Mendes da Rocha, opened in 2015. Many are covered in gold carving, painted panels and velvet, and they are big: Philip II’s coach, the oldest in the collection, is almost six metres long.

For children, the sheer size and sparkle does most of the work. A child who has seen coaches only in fairy-tale films can walk right up to the real thing and look at the painted sea gods, lions and cherubs. And because the collection runs from wheel-less litters to an early motor car, it doubles as a lesson in how people got around before engines.

A few vehicles tend to get the biggest reactions:

• Philip II’s coach, from the late 1500s or early 1600s, used by the king on his visit to Portugal in 1619. Under the seat cushions is a built-in toilet for long journeys, which is the fact most children remember. The front wheels are fixed so it was hard to steer, and there was no coachman: two men riding the horses drove it.
• The Coche dos Oceanos (Oceans Coach), one of the triumphal coaches King João V sent to Rome in 1716 to impress the Pope. On the back, two old men holding hands stand for the Atlantic and Indian oceans, joined when Portuguese ships sailed round the Cape of Good Hope. The four seasons hold up the coachman’s seat.
• The Berlinda da Cama, a travelling carriage whose seats fold down into a bed, also with a toilet hidden underneath.
• The children’s carriages: a small phaeton with room for two, used by Queen Maria II’s children in the palace gardens and pulled by ponies, plus several other little carts and a child-sized milord.
• The sedan chairs and litters. A litter has no wheels at all: it hung between two mules. A sedan chair (cadeirinha) was carried by people. Ask your child which they would rather ride in.
• The mail coach (mala-posta) from the 1800s, with eight seats on the roof and compartments for letters.
• The Landau do Regicídio, the open carriage in which the royal family was riding on 1 February 1908 when King Carlos and his heir, Prince Luís Filipe, were shot in Lisbon’s Terreiro do Paço. It still shows the bullet marks. Older children studying the end of the monarchy often find this the most powerful object in the museum; with younger ones you can simply walk past.
• A Panhard & Levassor, the model of the first car in Portugal (bought in 1895). It has a two-cylinder engine, is steered with a tiller rather than a wheel and had a top speed of 26 km/h.

Toddlers like the size, the gold and the horses painted everywhere, and the flat, step-free hall makes it easy with a buggy. Children of four to seven respond to the fairy-tale side: kings and queens, the royal children’s pony cart and the toilet under the seat. From about eight, children can follow how carriages changed: fixed wheels becoming steerable, leather straps giving way to metal springs, and finally the engine replacing the horse. Teenagers studying history have the 1716 embassy to Rome, the Philippine dynasty and the 1908 regicide, all told through objects.

Touching is not allowed and there are barriers around the vehicles, so this is a looking museum. For a child who needs to run, the riverside gardens of Belém are a short walk away.

On the 1st, 3rd and 4th Sunday of each month, classic car clubs park their cars in the square outside the museum in the morning. It is free and needs no booking, so a car fan can see old Citroëns or Datsuns outside and 18th-century coaches inside on the same trip. The clubs change each time; the museum’s agenda lists them.

On the 1st, 2nd and last Sunday of the month, volunteers from the education department lead a free guided visit of the permanent exhibition at 11:00 (in Portuguese, about an hour, up to 20 people, first come first served, with a normal ticket).

The education department also runs occasional family activities. When we checked, the agenda listed The Four Seasons on Wheels, a free one-hour trail for families with children aged 6 to 12, hunting for hidden animals, plants and figures in the carvings, with booking by email to se.mncoches@museudoscoches.pt. Check the agenda for the next one. The education pages also offer downloadable worksheets and guides for preparing a visit, which are useful for home educators.

Temporary exhibitions in the upstairs gallery change through the year. When we checked, one showed miniature coaches and sedan chairs built at about 1:10 scale by the model-maker José Cardoso Brito.

The museum opens Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:30, and is closed on Mondays. A full ticket was €15 when checked in September 2026. Children up to 12 go free, and families with at least one adult and one child pay half price (€7.50), as do visitors aged 13 to 24 and over 65. Portuguese citizens and residents of Portugal can also get in free under the national Voucher 52 scheme; ask at the desk how it applies. You can buy tickets online or at the desk, and there is no need to book for a normal visit.

The museum is on Avenida da Índia in Belém. Tram 15 and several buses stop nearby, Belém station on the Cascais line is close, and so is the Belém river-boat station. A car park on Avenida da Índia is reserved for museum visitors.

Access is good: ramps and lifts reach every public area, there are adapted toilets and reception lends six wheelchairs free. Food and drink are not allowed in the exhibition rooms and the museum does not list a café, so plan a snack stop outside. The museum’s old home, the 18th-century Royal Riding School (Picadeiro Real) nearby, is being restored, and its most important pieces have been moved into the main building.

Belém is full of family options within walking distance. Queue for custard tarts at Pastéis de Belém, then pick one of the riverside museums: ships and seaplanes at the Museu de Marinha, the star shows at the Planetário de Marinha, or the old power station at Central Tejo. A child who loves the horses here may also want to see the Portuguese School of Equestrian Art. For a vehicle-themed day, the Museu da Carris tram museum in Alcântara is a short trip away.

Is the Museu dos Coches good for kids?

Yes, for most ages. The carriages are huge and gilded, children’s pony carts and a coach with a toilet under the seat go down well, and the visit is short enough for young children. There is nothing to touch, so very active children may tire quickly.

How much are tickets for children?

Children up to 12 go free. Families with at least one adult and one child pay the half-price rate of €7.50 each, when checked in September 2026.

How long does a visit take?

About an hour to ninety minutes. Add time on Sunday mornings for the car meet outside.

Can you take a buggy?

Yes. The museum has ramps and lifts to every public area and adapted toilets.

Is it open on Mondays?

No. It opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00.