Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis
Photo: Own work — Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Housed in the 18th-century Carrancas Palace, the museum showcases Portuguese art from the 19th and 20th centuries, including works by António Soares dos Reis.
Planning your visit
Portugal's first national museum, founded in 1833, occupies the Carrancas Palace — a house built by a Jewish family of textile merchants, later occupied by Marshal Soult during the French invasion and then by Wellington, who is said to have eaten the dinner Soult abandoned when the British crossed the Douro and took the city.
The collection covers Portuguese art from the medieval period to the twentieth century, with the sculpture of António Soares dos Reis at its centre. His O Desterrado, a seated marble nude of exile and longing, is regarded as the outstanding work of Portuguese nineteenth-century sculpture.
Painting, ceramics, glass, goldsmithing and decorative arts fill the rest, alongside the palace's own state rooms.
It sits near the Crystal Palace gardens, above the Douro.
Allow ninety minutes. The main booking is an e-ticket. Current availability is shown below.
Before you book
Where is Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis?
Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis is in Porto, Portugal. The map on this page marks its exact location.
How long should I allow for Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis?
Allow ninety minutes. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book Museu Nacional Soares dos Reis in advance?
Tickets can be bought on the door at quiet times, but booking ahead fixes the date and avoids the queue at busy ones. Live availability is shown on this page.
