Portugal's public museums record 1.7 million free entries

From 1 June 2025 to 31 May 2026, the public enterprise Museus e Monumentos de Portugal (MMP) reported 1,697,223 free admissions to its 38 museums, monuments and palaces. Of these, 306,654 (18.07%) were used by foreign visitors, while 1,390,569 (81.93%) were by Portuguese residents. The total number of admissions, paid and free, reached 3,951,639.

Culture Minister Margarida Balseiro Lopes told a parliamentary hearing that the free‑entry schemes resulted in an associated revenue loss of €10 million. The government announced a review of the Acesso 52 programme, launched in August 2024, which detached free entry from the exclusive Sunday rule – a rule that had been used by only about 4 % of the population. Under Acesso 52, the Convento de Cristo in Tomar and the Palácio Nacional da Ajuda in Lisbon accounted for the highest shares of free visits, representing 70.7 % and 69.4 % respectively.