Museu Nacional da Música
Museum with about five hundred musical instruments from the 12th to the 21st century, housed since 2025 in the Real Edifício de Mafra.
Have only individual sections read aloud
About the museum
The idea of a music museum open to the public became a reality in 1905, when the instrument collection of the composer Alfredo Keil could be visited. In 1916 the Museu Instrumental de Lisboa was created, bringing together that collection with the one assembled by the musicologist Michel'angelo Lambertini, with the support of António Augusto de Carvalho Monteiro. Later, the collection was largely incorporated into the Instrument Museum of the Conservatório Nacional.
In the 1970s, for lack of space, the collection left the Conservatório and went through several temporary premises, among them the Palácio Pimenta, the National Library and the Palácio-Convento de Mafra. In 1994 it was housed in the Alto dos Moinhos metro station in Lisbon, where it remained until the opening of the new premises in the Real Edifício de Mafra in 2025.
The museum holds one of the country's most important collections of musical instruments, with about five hundred pieces on display and more than a thousand in storage, as well as construction tools, audio equipment, scores, sound recordings and documentation. Some instruments are classified as “national treasures”.
Highlights
- About 500 instruments from the 12th to the 21st century
- Harpsichord by Pascal Taskin, built in 1782 for the court of Louis XVI
- Piano by Boisselot & Fils, brought to Lisbon by Franz Liszt in 1844-1845
- Stradivarius cello of 1725 that belonged to King D. Luís
- Interactive experiences and multimedia
- Concert programme and activities
- Founded
- 1916
- Operated by
- Museus e Monumentos de Portugal
Admission & discounts
| Adults | €10 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €5Adults over 65 and young people aged 13 to 24 (50% discount). |
| Children & teens | freefree up to age 12 · Free admission up to and including age 12. |
| Seniors | €550% discount for adults over 65. |
| Visitors with disabilities | freecompanion free · Free admission with a proven disability of 60% or more, with one companion. |
| Students & apprentices | €5Young people aged 13 to 24. |
Free admission: Portuguese citizens and residents of Portugal have free admission on any day of the year, under the “Voucher 52” initiative.
Free admission also for, among others, unemployed people resident in the European Union, museum and heritage professionals on duty, members of ICOM, ICOMOS and APOM, teachers and higher-education students on documented study visits, and former combatants.
Accessibility
- Wheelchair accessible
- Elevator
- Accessible restroom
- Accessible parking: no information
- Service dogs welcome: no information
- Tactile models & exhibits: no information
- Sign language tours: no information
- Easy-to-read materials: no information
- Audio description: no information
The museum has a lift and toilets suitable for visitors with reduced mobility. Solutions are being developed for blind or partially sighted people, deaf people, people with autism spectrum disorder or with hypersensitivity.
Kids & families
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Carris Metropolitana from Lisbon (Campo Grande): lines 2802 (Mafra) and 2803 (Ericeira) stop near the museum; lines 2740, 2804 and 2805 are slower alternatives. Mafra railway station, on the Linha do Oeste, is 8 km from the building, with a local bus connection.
By car, from Lisbon take the A8, exit 5 (Malveira/Mafra, A21), or the IC19 towards Sintra and Ericeira.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
Events & venue rental
- Spaces for rent
Space hire through Museus e Monumentos de Portugal.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes |
|---|---|
| Good to know | The range of guided tours and other activities is described in a document available on the museum's page. |
