The National Coach Museum

Located in the heart of the tourist centre of Belém, Lisbon’s magnificent National Coach Museum (Museu Nacional dos Coches) provides visitors with a memorable portrayal of all the pomp and splendour Portugal exuded during its heyday.

Housing one of the finest collections of its kind in Europe, perhaps the world, this stunning assortment of mostly horse-drawn vehicles ranges from large, sumptuous coaches built for ceremonial use to the more robust carriages designed for long, cross-country journeys on rough tracks.

Spanning four centuries of local and European history, some of these impressive vehicles are intricately carved, expertly sculpted and extravagantly gilded right down to the very wheel-spokes.

For decades, the museum resided in the old Royal Riding School attached to the presidential palace situated close by, while its new purpose-built and very modern edifice was officially opened to the public on the 23rd of May, 2015.

Today, the museum offers tourists a wonderful visitor experience with numerous stately coaches lined up for inspection, complete with several well-preserved gilt carriages dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, including some fine Peninsular War examples.

The collection also features an extensive array of royal litters, sedan chairs, harnesses, historic photographs, items of equestrian attire and even an ecclesiastical throne.

Arguably the museum’s star attraction (although there are many of them) is the very rare 16th-century travelling coach that once belonged to King Filipe II (Filipe III of Spain). This, the oldest exhibit in the entire collection and one of immense interest, was used for his monumental visit to Portugal in 1619 during the country’s 60-year dynastic union with Spain.



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Another firm favourite is the elaborately-carved and very well-preserved Ambassador’s Coach, a triumphal carriage that formed part of a convoy of five coaches and ten accompanying coaches included in the Embassy procession to Pope Clemente XI sent to Rome by King João V in 1716. This epic journey took two years to complete with the main purpose of bringing home the precious papal honour of a Cardinal Patriarchate for Lisbon.

Also on display is a more modest coach that is very sadly related to a tragic episode in Portugal’s long and chequered history when King Carlos I (the country’s penultimate monarch) and his son, Prince Luís Filipe (heir to the throne) were both tragically assassinated in Lisbon’s Praça do Comércio on the 1st of February, 1908, with traces of the bullets still easily visible.

A small but equally fascinating part of this magnificent collection is still housed in the old Royal Riding School building right next door to Belém Palace, the official residence of the Portuguese president.

A key feature of Lisbon’s historic square-mile, the National Coach Museum (indicated on the Google map below) is located on a large, impressive square – Praça Afonso de Albuquerque – just a stone’s throw from several other key attractions in the heart of the tourist centre of Belém, including the nearby presidential palace and its museum.

A short walk to the west lies Jerónimos Monastery with its stunning Manueline cloister and the tombs of Vasco da Gama and Luís de Camões, followed by the National Archaeology Museum, Maritime Museum and the adjacent Lisbon Planetarium.

Beside the River Tagus (but still in very close proximity to the museum) stands the Tower of Belém, Lisbon’s most loveable landmark which was originally built right in the middle of the river early in the 16th century.

But one of the most appealing places near the Museu Nacional dos Coches is the Antiga Confeitaria de Belém where the world-famous (and totally mouthwatering) pastel de Belém has been baked according to a rich concoction of very closely-guarded ingredients since 1837.



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