It’s finally happening. After more than a year of renovations, the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum — one of Portugal’s leading art museums — is reopening its doors. And the timing couldn’t be more fitting: the reopening coincides with the 70th anniversary of the Gulbenkian Foundation.

A new chapter begins on 18 July, and to celebrate, admission will be free until 26 July. Visitors will be admitted every 10 minutes. On opening day, the museum will be open from 10:00 a.m. until midnight, while on 19 July it will welcome visitors from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

To mark the anniversary, the museum has prepared a special exhibition, “Gulbenkian, 70 anos em cartaz”, featuring 70 posters selected from a collection of more than 1,500 works created between 1957 and 2026.

The celebrations continue on opening night with a concert by the Gulbenkian Choir and Orchestra, conducted by Carlo Rizzi and featuring renowned Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva. The program includes works by Bizet, Puccini, and Verdi.

It’s a rare opportunity not only to explore one of the world’s finest art collections free of charge, but also to reconnect with one of Lisbon’s most important cultural landmarks.