Dolls Hospital — Local services in Lisbon

A little hidden gem in plain sight. It has a small storefront on Praca da Figueira, where they sell all sorts of collectibles and doll accessories, and it's a 5th generation Portuguese family owned business. The most interesting part is the doll hospital/museum itself, which you get to visit for 3 euros pp. It takes about 30 minutes, where they explain about the doll repair process and materials used and also show you the dolls that are "up for surgery" plus you get to see the huge assortment of old collectible dolls from several parts of Europe (mostly from Portugal, Germany, Spain and a few ethnic ones), and some from the US. This might very well be the last repair shop of it's kind. Even though I don't particularly like dolls, the stories and the beautiful displays were really interesting for me and my family. The location of the "doll hospital" itself, on the upper level of the store and within an apartment building, give this place a very particular charm. Don't expect a fancy location/tour, it is more like the store owners letting people in on what the particulars of their unique business. BTW, our tour was in Portuguese, so I don't know if they do it in other languages. Very nice experience and something different to do while...

I really wanted to like and support these kinds of shops/business as they are rare. Shops that cater to people who value their dolls, stuffed toys are precious and I appreciate their intention. I, unfortunately had a very bad experience. If you value time and punctuality, I wouldn't recommend this shop at all. I am only in Lisbon for a limited time so I asked them if they could repair my 12-year-old stuffed travel bunny. I was told it was possible to pick up on the day we leave. During the agreed pick up date, I was told it wasn't ready and was told to come back. My uber driver was waiting outside the shop with my luggage to catch 3 flights out of Lisbon and told the shop I can't possibly do that and I had to take the bunny as is. After around 20 mins wait, they gave me my bunny unfinished with a part of it unstuffed and not stiched. Some parts were re-stuffed but my main concerns weren't done. I still had to pay full price of €38 and left in a rush to catch my flights. This is really disappointing having to receive my toy at this condition. They should have not agreed to take on this if they cannot deliver. I wouldn't go back...

I stumbled across this place from the window. It was truly fascinating. It holds a collection of dolls dating back to the late 19th century in an apartment, collected by a family of five generations of doll "doctors." The first part of the tour includes the room where dolls 'wait' for surgery and treatment, and then two beautiful 'inpatient rooms', that are not just displays – the family still repairs dolls from all over the world. In the adjacent rooms are huge collections of dolls.

My favorite parts were the small touches – a turntable displaying the record of a famous Portuguese troubadour, an ascending belt of Barbies through the generations (including a Brigitte Bardot), a collection of caroling dolls, and a troupe of baby nuns. Truly beautiful, and they rearrange the collections all the time. Whoever is curating this place has a strange and brilliant mind. I am no doll collector btw, nor have any special interest, but love tiny things.

The guide was friendly, well informed, and very sweet.

Highly recommend a visit. Well worth the 2.5€ (+1 for covid measures).

Sofia (from...