Albuquerque Foundation — Attraction in Sintra

Small but unique museum on high ceramics, mostly from the chinese Ming and Qing dynasties.

The museum exhibits a private collection of high art ceramic pieces from the Qing and Ming periods (mostly) which tell the stories on the evolution of this chinese art as it encounters and meets the demands of other cultures, namely the portuguese and the west. All pieces are supperb and there is a punctual non ceramic element that help contextualize the period. The core of the exhibition fits in one large room, semi underground. There is a satellite exhibition space fuether out in the garden, for temporary exhibitions. The estate, at the base of the Sintra sierra, is picturesque, with a (very likely) joanine rural palace facing the entrance and housing the foundation, the cafe, restrooms, a small library and shop. The museum entrance is a new contemporary building housed under a hoovering roof, on the right side. One can buy tickets at the entrance. The exhibition room is underground and opens to the garden which path will lead to the second exhibition room (the temporary exhibition space). There is a not very obvious path back to the main building (the foundation one), but it might be overlooked as it is partially hidded in the vegetation. One can then sit in the cafe and enjoy the views over the garden. The garden is beautiful, with a water tank, sitting area and huge trees. If the racings aren't happening in the nearby racing track, the scene can be idyllic.

One can access the foundation by car or public transport, although expect a 1h trip from central Lisbon, and at least one transfer. The museum has parking, but it is easy to find...

This is a lovely new museum, we enjoyed it very much just days after it opened. However I suspect many people may find the €10 admission expensive, given that the actual exhibition area is relatively small. My one complaint would be that items on exhibit are not labelled well. Many of the plaques describing the items are at floor level. I could not read them without lowering down onto my knees. Labels/plaques should be at a more readable level, waist-high or above. The labels/items also were not numbered, so that it took some time to determine which description matched which item higher up in the case. These issues are easy to correct and should be addressed straightaway. Were it not for those matters, I would give the museum 5 stars...

Beautiful space with landscape design. It has a main red building with a cafe, a chapel, a library, a shop and restrooms - you can go there without a museum ticket. And the museum part is located in two other buildings. I liked the 'Connection' exhibition. A lovely terrace with a view will be open for a summer cafe. When we were there, the museum parking was closed, so we parked for free...