Museu da Marioneta (Museum of Puppetry)

Enter this grand old building, a convent built in the 1600s by permission of King John IV of Portugal, and slip behind the curtain into Lisbon’s only museum dedicated to the history of puppetry. 

Visitors are transported across the world and throughout the ages while traversing this building’s dark corridors. The lights illuminate the tableaus of puppets, their expressions formed from every conceivable material. Even without puppeteers, they appear life-like, their faces full of action and intention.

Along the way, pause at the theatre, as visitors can put on their own show. Move through to the end, and the curtain falls away. A courtyard awaits, filled with bright Lisbon light. It’s a great place to sit and come back to reality.