One of the largest museums dedicated to Military memorabilia in the world, the Lisbon Museu Militar tells the story of the exploits by the Portuguese armed forces. It has a large collection of artillery, arms, uniforms and military art.
The Military Museum is located on the site of a 16th century shipyard. It has the largest artillery collection in the world and was founded in 1851 by General Jose Baptista da Silva as an artillery museum. Other exhibits with military themes were added and from 1926, it was called the Military Museum. Until the early 20th century, the building was also a manufacturing unit for weaponry.
The Museu Militar has a large collection of guns, pistols and swords. Notable among them is a sword belonging to Vasco da Gama and a 14th century cannon. Many of the rooms have magnificent Baroque interiors, tiled mosaics portraying various exploits of the Portuguese military forces through the ages from the Christian defeat of the Moorish rulers till World War I and murals showing the historical voyage and discovery of the sea route to India. The first floor has many exhibits showing the services of the Portuguese armed forces as part of the allied forces in World War I.

The Fado Museum is dedicated to the soulful songs called Fado that evolved in the City of Lisbon. It has a range of exhibits and displays that showcase a form of music that is unique to the city.
Fado evolved as a form of music unique to Lisbon in 1840. Although another form is sung in the city of Coimbra, the Lisbon version is the earliest and most popular. It evolved from songs sung by sailors that soon became a musical genre loved by the common man and sung by many famous Fado singers from Lisbon.
The Fado Museum is dedicated to the evolution of the form of music and the passion it evokes in Lisbon. It has audiovisual shows, multilingual information panels and a large archive of Fado music. The permanent collection is a journey through the history of the form of music including recordings of famous singers and instruments that accompany them. There is also a model Portuguese guitar workshop where a film shows visitors how a Portuguese guitar is made. A wax figure of a guitar maker and his tools is also found here. Visitors can also enjoy live performances at the small café at the museum or purchase a recording from the museum shop.

The Decorative Arts Museum housed in an aristocratic home showcases the life of wealthy citizens of Lisbon in the 18th and 19th centuries. The building is a 17th century palace that was the city residence of the Count of Azurara.
The Decorative Arts Museum was purchased by Portuguese Banker, Ricardo do Espirito Santo Silva whose family was one of the wealthiest in the country in 1947. He then converted it into a museum to house his vast collection. He donated the museum to the city in 1953. The interiors still have their original 17th century wooden floors, painted ceilings and mosaics of Azulejos, a typical Portuguese painted tin glazed form of tile work. Some Azulejos formed part of the palace while others were added while restoring the building to house the banker’s art and decorative objects collection.
The Decorative Arts Museum has tastefully arranged collections of Indo Portuguese, Portuguese, English and French furniture, a large collection of silver objects, faience tin glazed pottery, original Chinese porcelain, Flemish tapestry from the 16th and 18th centuries, an ancient grandfather clock and a horse drawn carriage. There are unique objects from almost every country ruled by the Portuguese when they were a colonial power.

The Roman Theatre Museum has objects unearthed from a 1st century Roman Theatre built by the Emperor Augustus. Admission is free and visitors can get an insight about Lisbon under the Romans.
The Roman Theatre Museum was first built as a small theater and was expanded in 57 AD. At this time it could seat 5000 spectators. During the middle ages it disappeared beneath the ground because of neglect and wind and soil erosion. After the 1755 earthquake, parts of the theater resurfaced resulting in renewed interest in the Roman past of Lisbon. Archeological excavations were undertaken and objects unearthed that form the permanent exhibits at the Museum.
The Museum has few exhibits including many columns, stone statues and a small collection of archeological finds. There is a statue of Silenus, the Greek God of wine making and drunkenness and an inscription probably created during its expansion in 57 AD about the dedication of the theater to the Roman Emperor Nero. The most interesting part for visitors is the installation of multilingual video and touch screens that tell the story of Lisbon under the Romans. Although the museum is small and the collection is minimal compared to many other Roman Archeological museums in Europe, it is well arranged and explained through multimedia displays.

Mude which means change in Portuguese is the name given to the Design and Fashion Museum in Lisbon. It has an impressive collection of design and fashion classics from the 1930s to the present.
Mude is located in the Palacio Verride, an eighteenth century palace that later became a bank. The old vault of the bank that was installed nearly 80 years ago is still located in the basement. It became the Design and Fashion Museum in 2009. In keeping with its name exhibits at Mude keep changing with new themes and new design displays at different times.
The collection consists of works of over 230 designers from all over the world. A notable collection is that of Portuguese businessman, Francisco Capelo that includes 1200 dresses including the Jean Desses gown worn by Renee Zelweger to the 2001 Oscars and the 1947 New Look gown by Christian Dior. There is all an impressive collection of furnishings, jewelry and glass in addition to clothes. The underground vault and second floor host temporary changing exhibitions while the ground floor has displays of experimental and iconic clothing, furnishings and household objects. Visitors can view the creations of some of the best known names in the fashion business including Vivienne Westwood, Yves Saint Laurent and Jean Paul Gaultier.

The Chiado Museum is the National Gallery of Contemporary Art with a large permanent collection of works by modern Portuguese and international artists. It has exhibits from the middle of the 19th century to the present.
The Chiado Museum was first established in the building that was once the Convent of Saint Francis in 1911. It was closed in 1988 and redesigned by French architect Jean Michel Wilmotte so that objects could be placed in thematic order from the Romantic Age to the Modern. Most of the works are by 19th, 20th century and contemporary Portuguese artists and international pieces include 19th century French sculpture and works by Rodin. Notable works in the permanent collection are Rodin’s masterpiece called the Bronze Age, a self portrait by Portuguese artist, Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro and art deco pieces by Almada Negreiros. Temporary exhibitions are held at the museum frequently including a recent one dedicated to politics and poetry in art with works from artists from around the world. The exhibition was accompanied by an art video presentation to help visitors understand the meaning behind the works displayed.
Chiado Museum has a small café that overlooks a serene garden and terrace with spectacular views over the city. The specialty of the café is Sunday brunch.

The Marionette Museum gives visitors a comprehensive view of the world of puppets and puppetry. It is an enjoyable museum for visitors of all ages and has an impressive collection of Portuguese and international puppets.
The Marionette Museum is housed in an eighteenth century building that was once the St. Bernardas Convent. The building was constructed after the 1755 earthquake in 1758. In 1834, religious orders were banned and the convent was closed. It was used as a school, cinema and concert hall. Later it the convent was converted into apartments for a short time. From 1998 it has housed the Marionette Museum, retail space and one of Lisbon’s famous restaurants.
The Marionette Museum has a large collection of Portuguese puppets. It also has exhibits relevant to Portuguese puppetry and puppet theaters. Visitors can see the different types of puppetry including shadow, oriental and mask puppetry. Figures of knights, princesses and devils that are typically used in Portuguese puppetry are on display. The museum also has a collection of marionettes and masks from all over the world especially from Indonesia, India, Italy, New Zealand and China. Puppet shows are frequently held to entertain young visitors and puppetry classes are also held at the museum.

The Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga is the most important art museum in Portugal, as well as Europe. The museum is known as MNAA (in English, the National Museum of Ancient Art) and is popularly known as the Museu das Janelas Verdes (Green Windows Museum) due to the color of its windows. It is located in the Palácio de Alvor-Pombal, a former palace of the Count of Alvor later purchased by the Marquis of Pombal. It is the best museum in which to learn about the development of Portuguese art prior to the early nineteenth century. Founded in 1884, the National Museum of Ancient Art is located near the Tagus River. In addition to once being the palace of the Counts of Alvor, the museum's building once housed the old convent of Santo Alberto. The chapel of the convent is a fine example of 18th-century Portuguese Baroque architecture, and the structure is incorporated into the exhibits.

The Oriental Museum is dedicated to displaying Asian art and artifacts with a particular emphasis on Portugal as a colonial power in Asia. It houses the collection of the Oriental Foundation with objects brought by Portuguese ships from their many voyages to Asia.
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to make commercial and cultural contact with Asia. Besides establishing colonies in India and China, they were also the first Europeans to sail to Japan. The Portuguese took with them plants and weapons to trade with Asians and members of the Society of Jesus who accompanied the fleet attempted to convert Asians to Christianity. They returned with spices, silks and artifacts.
The oriental museum displays exhibits on two floors of a seven storey building that was once a warehouse. It was opened to the public in 2006. The rest of the building is used for research, seminars and conferences. There is also a 360 seat auditorium where Asian music recitals are held and a café serving Asian cuisine. The first floor has items and paintings brought back by Portuguese fleets. The second floor has an exhibition of idols of Gods worshipped in different parts of Asia. There is also a large collection of Japanese Samurai weaponry displayed at the museum.