Free national museums and monuments for young people on Wednesday

A initiative covers MMP network equipment that are open to the public at a time when several national museums and monuments are closed for rehabilitation and conservation works financed by the Recovery and Resilience Plan (PRR).

Among the open spaces covered are monuments such as the Jerónimos Monastery, the Torre de Belém, the National Pantheon and the National Ajuda Palace in Lisbon, the Mafra National Palace, the Convent of Christ in Tomar, the monasteries of the Battle and Alcobaça and the Fortress of Sagres.

Although included in the network, among the spaces temporarily closed for the works are the National Museum of Archaeology, the National Museum of the Costume, the National Museum of Ancient Art, the National Museum of Tiles, the National Museum of Theatre and Dance, all in Lisbon, the Museum of Lamego and the Queen D. Leonor Museum in Beja.

The National Museum of Music, which was closed since October 2023, reopened in the new location in Mafra in November last year, while the Tower of Belém also returned to visitors in May, after the completion of the works of the PRR.

MMP manages 37 national museums, monuments and palaces across 21 cities and villages, including spaces classified as UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The gratuitousness of 12 August joins the regime Access 52, which allows Portuguese citizens and residents in Portugal to enjoy 52 days of free entry per year in museums, monuments and palaces covered by the regime whose continuity is under evaluation by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sport.

In order to benefit from this scheme, residents in Portugal must present the Citizen's Card in a ticket office, with free access registered in the account of 52 days per year.

The measure Access 52 represented 892,637 free visits to national museums and monuments in 2025, corresponding to 18% of the total entries registered that year, according to data released by MMP in April this year.