Electricity Museum

The Electricity Museum in Lisbon (Museu da Eletricidade) occupies the former Central Tejo power station on Avenida de Brasília, right on the bank of the Tagus. It is a rewarding stop for anyone interested in technology and industrial architecture, and it pairs easily with a day of sightseeing in Belém. Today the site belongs to MAAT (the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology) as a route called Circuito Central Elétrica.

What was the Central Tejo power station?

The story begins in the early twentieth century with a small factory by the river that supplied Lisbon with electricity for roughly ten years. The power station operated from 1909 to 1972, although from 1951 it served only as a reserve plant. After it shut down, the buildings kept their original equipment inside.

How did the museum come about?

The museum was founded in 1979, when the board of the EDP company decided that Central Tejo should be converted into a museum. As a result, visitors can still see the authentic energy-production machinery, which forms the core of the permanent exhibition and is well preserved.

What can you see inside?

The visit leads through a series of halls and rooms, each devoted to a different stage of generating power:

• the Water Room,
• the Condensers Room,
• the Generators Room,
• the Control Room,
• the Experimental Room.

In the last of these, visitors operate devices themselves and learn the principles of electricity by doing, which makes the museum a good choice when travelling with children. The huge machines, pipes and control panels impress with their scale and the atmosphere of a bygone industrial era.

Why visit?

The setting is special: the museum stands beside the Tagus, close to Belém Tower and the Jerónimos Monastery. Many travellers call it a hidden gem of Lisbon, since it is often overlooked next to the busier monuments nearby. It works well on a rainy day, or as a break from classic sightseeing.

How to plan your visit

The easiest approach is to combine it with a walk around Belém, where the district's main landmarks are a short stroll away. Allow around one to two hours for the halls, depending on how long you want to spend experimenting in the Experimental Room. Opening hours and ticket prices change, so check the current details on the MAAT website before you go.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Electricity Museum in Lisbon? In the former Central Tejo power station on Avenida de Brasília, beside the Tagus in the Belém area.

When was the museum founded? In 1979, when it was decided to turn the power station into a museum.

Is it still a separate Electricity Museum? The site is now part of MAAT and runs as the Circuito Central Elétrica route, but the old power station and its machinery can still be explored.

Is it suitable for children? Yes, especially the Experimental Room, where visitors can handle devices and observe electrical phenomena themselves.

Is it worth combining with Belém? Absolutely. It sits near Belém Tower and the Jerónimos Monastery, so a full day in the area is easy to plan.