Lisbon isn’t immune from the occasional wet and rainy day, especially during the winter months. Don’t let that put you off though, as there is actually a wide range of indoor things to see and do within the city.

These activities include many fascinating museums, such as the Museu Calouste Gulbenkian, the Tile museum, the Museu dos Coches and Nacional de Arte Antiga. This is as well as historic monuments including the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos and Mosteiro de São Vicente. For a more exciting wet day in Lisbon, you’ll find many excellent escape rooms (such as Game Over and Escape Hunt), or the trendy LxFactory and Marvila 8, both packed with artisanal stalls.

Families with children will find plenty to explore at the world-class Oceanário de Lisboa, Europe's largest indoor aquarium, or the interactive Ciência Viva-Agência science museum. While for a quintessential Lisbon experience, hop aboard the historic number 28 tram as it winds through the city's most picturesque neighbourhoods.

A wet day is ideal for a cooking or Pastel de Nata making class, or simply tasting Portuguese cuisines in the lively TimeOut food market.

This article will detail the best sights and activities for a wet or cold day in Lisbon, helping you get the most from your holiday here.

 

 

The best activities and sights for a wet day include:
• The Oceanário de Lisboa (ideal for families)
• A ride on the number 28 tram (ideal for families)
• The Museu Calouste Gulbenkian (art museum)
• The Timeout food market
• A performance of Fado music
• Game Over and Escape Hunt (escape rooms - group activity)
• Quake - Centro Do Terramoto De Lisboa (1755 earth quake museum)
• Pavilhão do Conhecimento (family science museum)
• The Mosteiro dos Jerónimos (historic monument)
• Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga (museum)
• The LxFactory (artisan area)
• Museu Nacional do Azulejo (tile museum, surprisingly interesting)
• Museu Nacional dos Coches (unique collection of horse-drawn carriages)
• Stadium tour of Sporting or Benfica

The map below shows the location of each of these activities and sights for a wet day in Lisbon. Note: zoom in or out to see all of the points.

Legend: 1) Oceanário de Lisboa 2) Mosteiro dos Jerónimos 3) The Museu Calouste Gulbenkian 4) Museu Nacional do Azulejo 5) Museu Nacional dos Coches 6) Quake 7) Escape Rooms Game Over 8) Escape Hunt 9) Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga 10) Ciência Viva-Agência 11) Timeout food market 12) LxFactory 13) Sporting stadium 14) Benfica stadium 15) Colombo shopping centre

The following section will delve into each of these sights and activities, explaining why you should visit them and providing links to relevant websites.

Stepping into the Oceanário de Lisboa, you're greeted by five enormous tanks, each reflecting a different ocean climate from around the world.

The magic of the Oceanarium is viewing the marine life from both above and below the water level. On the surface, playful penguins and charming sea otters frolic, while below the water line, sharks prowl and stingrays gracefully glide by.

A visit to the Oceanário appeals to both adults and children, providing the perfect escape on a rainy Lisbon day. The ticket prices are expensive at €25/€15 (adult/child aged 3 to 12), but it is well worth the admission fee, with a typical visit lasting 2 to 3 hours. Be warned, on a wet day the Oceanário can get very busy, so it is advisable to pre-purchase your tickets to avoid the long ticket queues.

The Oceanário de Lisboa is located to the northeast of Lisbon in the Parque das Nações district. This district also contains the Ciência Viva-Agência science museum and the Vasco da Gama shopping centre, making it an ideal area to visit when the weather is poorer.
Tickets: Skip the queue tickets with allocated time slots
Official website: https://www.oceanario.pt/
Related articles: The Parque das Nações district

The massive central tank contains over 5 million litres of water and is simply mesmerising.

A wet day offers the ideal opportunity to ride the number 28 tram. The cheery yellow tram dates from the 1930s and is great fun to ride as it rattles and screeches through the narrow streets of the Alfama, Baixa and Estrella districts - passing many of Lisbon's iconic sights on the way. The 28 tram route is one the best ways to see the city, and on a wet day the tram will be significantly less busy than when the sun is shining.

The tram departs from Martim Moniz plaza and takes around 40 minutes to reach the end of the line at Campo de Ourique. Close to the final stop is the Mercado de Campo de Ourique, a traditional covered food market that is also well worth a visit on a wet day.
Insight: The best value way to ride the tram is to purchase a 24-hour public transport ticket from any metro station. The ticket costs €6.80 and provides unlimited use of the trams, metro and buses.
Related articles: Number 28 tram guide

The tram passing the Se Cathedral

The number 28 tram at the end of the line at Campo de Ourique

The Mercado de Campo de Ourique is a calmer version of the overly tourist TimeOut food market

The Museu Calouste Gulbenkian is a veritable treasure chest of art and culture, and is a must-visit destination for all art enthusiasts and history buffs.

The museum exhibits a vast and diverse collection of over 6,000 pieces spanning multiple eras and civilisations, including fine examples of Egyptian, Greco-Roman, Islamic, Asian and European art. This exquisite assortment of priceless masterpieces includes works by Rembrandt, Monet and Renoir, ensuring that the museum holds a prominent position on the global art stage. Included in the visit is a secondary museum that displays contemporary and modern art created by prominent Portuguese artists.

The Calouste Gulbenkian is regarded as the finest museum of Lisbon, and an enjoyable half day can be easily spent here.
Note: The museum is closed on Tuesdays.
Admission: €10 entry tickets
Official Website: gulbenkian.pt

The Museu dos Coches is a unique and fascinating museum that exhibits the world's largest collection of horse-drawn carriages. Many of these elegant and stately carriages were constructed for the Portuguese nobility, but the collection also includes carriages from other European royal households. The highlight of the Museu dos Coches is a spectacular carriage used by King Philip II in 1619.

The surprisingly large collection spans two buildings: a modern, purpose-built museum and the characterful Royal Riding School. This building was originally the events arena of the 18th century Palácio Nacional de Belém, where horse events would be watched by the royal family from the upper balconies.

The Museu dos Coches is located in the Belem district and could be combined with a visit to the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.
Note: The museum is closed on Mondays
Official website: http://museudoscoches.gov.pt/pt/

The Royal Riding School has a smaller collection but is a much more atmospheric setting

The modern building of the Museu dos Coches

The Time Out Market is a vibrant food market located in the bustling Mercado da Ribeira at Cais do Sodré. Opened in 2014, it transformed a wing of the traditional Mercado da Ribeira into a modern food hall, where some of Portugal's most talented chefs and restaurateurs showcase their culinary creations.

Featuring over 40 spaces, including kiosks, bars, and shops, the market presents a diverse range of options, from traditional Portuguese dishes to contemporary global cuisine. Today, it has become very tourist-focused, with prices being comparatively expensive, and it can be a scramble to find a seat at peak times. However, it is a very social setting, enjoyable for lunch or dinner, and it’s also a great place to meet fellow visitors.
Related articles: Lisbon’s best markets

Before the lunch time rush in the Timeout market

The Mosteiro dos Jerónimos is an extravagant monastery situated at the heart of the Belem district. This magnificent religious building is Portugal's finest example of Manueline architecture, incorporating ornate stone carving and elaborate architectural features.

The monastery was funded by the 16th-century spice trade, and its construction took over 100 years to complete. If you visit only one religious building during your stay in Lisbon, the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos should be it.

Being one of Lisbon's most famous attractions, there can be very long queues to visit, especially on an inclement day. However, the adjoining church (the Igreja de Santa María de Belem) has shorter queues and is free to enter.
Note: The Mosteiro dos Jerónimos is closed on Mondays, and the church has restricted hours on Sundays and important religious feast days.
Entrance fee: €10
Official website: www.patrimoniocultural.gov.pt

Lxfactory is the vibrant centre for Lisbon's blossoming artisan scene, and has transformed an abandoned factory into one of the trendiest areas of Lisbon. Contained within Lxfactory are artists’ studios, specialist gift shops and alternative restaurants, along with thought-provoking street art.

The Pavilhão do Conhecimento is a family-focused science museum that is one of the best activities for children in Lisbon.

The museum is part of the Ciência Viva organisation, which promotes science and technology to children through the use of interactive and engaging exhibits. This is its largest and arguably best site, with hundreds of exhibits, and offers a great activity for a wet day in Lisbon.
The Pavilhão do Conhecimento is located in the Parque das Nações district and is close to the Oceanário de Lisboa.
Official website: https://www.cienciaviva.pt

The up-side-down world at the entrance to the Ciência Viva-Agência

Parque das Nações is a great area for families

Fado is a traditional and emotional style of Portuguese music, sung by a lone female singer accompanied by a classical Portuguese guitar.

Originating in the Alfama district, the story behind this haunting genre of music is the sorrow felt by a sailor's wife whose husband is out at sea. Attending a performance of this powerful music is a great activity for a rainy day. If you wish to learn more about the history of Fado, consider visiting the Fado museum: http://www.museudofado.pt/

The Museu Nacional do Azulejo is another unique and interesting museum in Lisbon, which is dedicated to the classical tile painting known as Azulejo.

The museum boasts an extensive range of pieces, from the oldest displays of Moorish-influenced geometric patterns to the striking blue and white panels seen throughout Portugal that were inspired by Chinese art. The highlight of the Museu Nacional do Azulejo is the Grande Panorama de Lisboa, a 23-metre-long panel depicting Lisbon before the 1755 earthquake.

The Museu Nacional do Azulejo is housed in a 16th-century convent, and included in the visit is the beautiful Igreja da Madre de Deus.
Note: The museum is closed on Mondays
Entrance fee: €5
Official website: http://www.museudoazulejo.pt/

The stunning Igreja da Madre de Deus

The Grande Panorama de Lisboa

Interactive display of the Grande Panorama de Lisboa - artsandculture.google.com

Escape rooms are a fantastic activity for groups on a wet day, and Lisbon has some very creative and atmospheric rooms to choose from. The best locations are Game Over (with its ‘Aladdin’, ‘Walking-Death’ and scary ‘Saw’ rooms) and Escape Hunt (with ‘Great Fair’ and ‘Fernando Pessoa’ rooms).

Groups of 3 to 6 players can enjoy the challenge of escaping the room within 60 minutes by solving complex puzzles and mysteries. These games are great fun and surprisingly inexpensive at from €17 per player.
Game Over - lisbon.escapegameover.pt/
Escape Hunt - escapehunt.com/pt/lisbon/

Quake is an interactive museum that depicts and simulates the 1755 earthquake that struck Lisbon. During your visit you will wander replicas of the era’s streets, experiencing the horrors that the residents faced via state-of-the-art simulators and actors. This is a wonderful museum, but tickets are expensive at €28/€19.50 (adult/child)
Official website: https://lisbonquake.com

The Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga is the national art gallery of Portugal and exhibits the country's most important collection of early European, Asian, and African art. The collection was established in 1884 to preserve important religious artworks following the dissolution of religious orders in Portugal in 1834.

The museum's vast collection includes a rich array of paintings, sculptures, and textiles, ranging from the Middle Ages to the early 19th century. Among its most renowned pieces is the "Panels of Saint Vincent" by Nuno Gonçalves, a masterpiece of Portuguese Renaissance art.

The museum's setting is equally impressive, housed in the Palácio Alvor-Pombal, a former royal palace. This is one of the finest museums in Lisbon, and the extensive collection can easily fill half a day.
Official website: museudearteantiga.pt

The "Temptations of Saint Antony" is such an involved painting it needs time to sit and admire

The magnificent Palacio de Ajuda is one of the most overlooked sights of Lisbon.
This Neoclassical palace was the official royal residency of the Portuguese monarchy from the mid-19th century until the end of the nobility in 1910. The building reflects the opulence of the final years of the Portuguese monarchy, funded by the riches from Brazilian.

Ajuda is one of the most impressive palaces in Lisbon, but is barely known by foreign tourists. This makes it ideal to visit on a wet day when the more famous sights (such as the Mosteiro dos Jeronimos) are packed. The Palacio de Ajuda is only 1.2km north of Belem and the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos.

The Throne Room where King Carlos I would host court ceremonies.

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