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Quick Information

ADDRESS

Av. Brasília, 1300-598 Lisboa, Portugal

Timings

10:00–19:00

NUMBER OF ENTRANCES

2

Plan your visit

Did you know?

MAAT’s main building is clad in 15,000 custom-made, three-dimensional ceramic tiles—a nod to Portugal’s rich tile tradition.

The rooftop terrace is open to the public for free, offering 360° views of the river and city without a ticket.

MAAT’s Electricity Factory is a preserved early 20th-century power station, complete with original steam turbines and machinery.

Is the MAAT Lisbon worth visiting?

The first thing you notice at the Museum of Art, Architecture, and Technology isn’t a painting but the river light. The tiled skin catches the Tagus, the roof pulls you upward, and the whole place feels more like a waterfront promenade than a sealed museum. Even before you enter, people pause here just to watch ferries slide past Belém.

That openness is the point. MAAT Museum Lisbon was built to reconnect Lisbon’s industrial riverfront with contemporary culture, pairing Amanda Levete’s fluid new gallery with the preserved Central Tejo power station next door.

What stays with most visitors is the contrast: one hour you’re under turbines and boilers, the next you’re inside a temporary installation that changes how the building reads. Few places in Lisbon move this cleanly between city view, machine history, and current art.

Skip it if: you dislike contemporary art with rotating quality, or you only have 1 hour and want a straightforward monument visit.

What to see at MAAT Lisbon?

MAAT tiled facade and arrival plaza
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Arrival plaza and tiled façade

Start outside. MAAT’s low, curving form is covered in around 15,000 ceramic tiles that shift with the river light, which is why so many visitors stop here before even entering.

Rooftop terrace

The walkable roof is part lookout, part public square. It’s free to access and especially popular near sunset, so go earlier in the day if you want space for photos.

Main temporary galleries

These large exhibition halls host changing contemporary art, architecture, and technology shows. The experience depends heavily on what’s on, so check the current program before your visit and budget 45–60 minutes.

Electricity Factory turbine hall

The preserved Central Tejo power station is the historic counterweight to the new building. Its vast boilers, pipes, and industrial scale give the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology a second personality entirely.

History of Energy displays

These interactive exhibits at MAAT Gallery Lisbon explain how electricity was produced and distributed in Lisbon. Families tend to spend longer here than expected, especially in the more hands-on science sections.

MAAT Garden and outdoor works

Between the buildings, the landscaped riverfront garden offers sculpture, open views, and a quieter pace than the galleries. It’s one of the easiest parts of the site to miss if you head straight inside.

How to explore the MAAT Lisbon

Budget 1.5–2 hours for both buildings, or closer to 3 if you read exhibition texts, spend time on the roof, and stop at the café. The experience changes depending on the temporary shows, so visitors who like to move slowly through contemporary art usually need the longer end of that range.

A smart route is to start in the Electricity Factory, where the preserved machinery gives you immediate scale and context, then cross into the newer MAAT Lisbon building once you’ve grounded yourself in the site’s industrial past. End on the rooftop terrace, ideally in late afternoon, when the river light is best, and the roof feels less like circulation and more like a destination.

  • Must-see: the rooftop terrace, the turbine hall, and the strongest current exhibition in the main galleries.
  • Optional: the garden and café, which add river views and a slower pause, but usually cost 20–30 extra minutes.
  • Guided vs. self-paced matters here: Self-paced works well if you’re comfortable with contemporary art, but a guided visit makes the link between Central Tejo, Lisbon’s waterfront renewal, and Amanda Levete’s architecture much easier to read.
Find out everything about MAAT opening hours

Brief history of MAAT Lisbon

  • Early 20th century: Central Tejo is built on Lisbon’s riverfront to generate electricity for a growing city.
  • Mid-20th century: The plant expands into one of Portugal’s key thermoelectric stations, shaping the industrial identity of Belém.
  • Late 20th century: After production ends, the preserved complex reopens as the Electricity Museum, keeping the machinery and control rooms intact.
  • 2016: MAAT opens beside the power station in a new riverfront building designed by Amanda Levete, linking contemporary art, architecture, and technology.
  • 2017: The project gains international attention, including a Leading Culture Destinations award for museum architecture.
  • Today: One visit now connects temporary exhibitions, public rooftop views, and Lisbon’s industrial energy history.

Who built MAAT Lisbon?

Maat Museum Lisbon's new building was designed by British architect Amanda Levete and her studio AL_A for the EDP Foundation. Her brief was not just to add a museum, but to stitch Lisbon back to the Tagus with a walkable roof, public terrace, and galleries that feel open to the city.

​Visit MAAT Lisbon seamlessly with this complete guide ➜

MAAT Lisbon architecture

Style

Contemporary and low-slung, the MAAT Lisbon building doesn’t dominate the waterfront; it folds into it, which is why the building feels more like a landscape than an object when you approach it.

Materials

Cream-toned concrete and thousands of glazed ceramic tiles catch shifting river light, making the surface read silver, white, or pale pink depending on the hour.

Structure

The sweeping roof doubles as a public plaza, turning circulation into MAAT Lisbon architecture and giving visitors elevated Tagus views without the formality of a tower.

Architect

Amanda Levete designed MAAT as a threshold between city and river, while the neighboring Central Tejo power station provides the industrial counterpoint that sharpens its impact.

Why locals use MAAT Lisbon even without a ticket

One of MAAT’s smartest ideas is that part of the experience sits outside the ticket barrier. Lisbon residents use the roof, riverside garden, and plaza as a meeting point, sunset stop, and walking route through Belém, which gives the museum a different rhythm from institutions that empty out after closing. That public use also softens the learning curve of contemporary art: you can approach the Museum of Art, Architecture, and Technology first as a place to be, then decide whether the exhibitions inside are worth your time. Few museums in Lisbon work this comfortably as both a cultural venue and a civic space.

Frequently asked questions about the MAAT Lisbon

Yes, especially if you want something more contemporary than Lisbon’s monument circuit. MAAT works best when you value architecture, river views, and changing exhibitions together rather than expecting a large permanent collection.