The National Museum of Ancient Art, known in Portuguese as the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (MNAA), stands on Rua das Janelas Verdes in Lisbon, in the Lisbon District of Portugal. It is the country's leading museum of older art, and it brings together paintings, sculptures and decorative arts from the Middle Ages to the early 19th century.
What you will see
The collection spans many centuries and many workshops, so a visit can move from religious panels and carved figures to furniture, ceramics and metalwork. Alongside works by Portuguese artists, the museum holds pieces by European masters, among them Hieronymus Bosch and Albrecht Dürer. For anyone interested in how art developed in Portugal and in the wider European tradition, the range makes the museum a rewarding place to spend time.
Planning your visit
- Address: Rua das Janelas Verdes, 1249-017 Lisboa, Portugal
- Telephone: +351 21 391 2800
- Good for: slow looking, art history, and a long, unhurried afternoon
The area around it
The museum sits in a quiet part of the city, and its surroundings reward a stroll. Lisbon as a whole offers a mix of old streets, viewpoints and cafés, so a visit here can easily be paired with time spent exploring other neighbourhoods of the capital. Checking the museum's current opening times and any changes to its displays before you set out is a sensible step, as these can change.
If you enjoy older European painting and decorative arts, this museum is a strong reason to include Lisbon in your plans.