International Museum Day and European Night of Museums Celebrated in Cascais
International Museum Day, on May 18, and the European Night of Museums, on May 23, will be celebrated in Cascais with an extensive programme for all audiences and free admission to museums and cultural venues, under the theme “Museums Uniting a Divided World”, proposed by the International Council of Museums for 2026.
From guided tours, concerts and puppet theatre performances to village walks, exhibitions and conferences, the events will take place from May 17 to 23. Cascais invites the public to discover its museums and take part in the activities, celebrating art and heritage as truly living and dynamic organisms, breathing in the legacy of the past to boldly shape and transmit our future.
In Cascais, we have prepared the perfect setting for stories to come to life.
Organised by: Câmara Municipal de Cascais
As part of International Museum Day
Cascais Tide Gauge
10:00 am, 11:30 am, 2:00 pm and 3:30 pm | Visits to the Cascais Tide Gauge
Bookings and information: museumar@cm-cascais.pt or +351 214 815 906
Windmills Walking Route in Alcabideche
9:30 am – 1:00 pm | Walking Route to the Windmills in Alcabideche
Free admission, subject to venue capacity (15 to 20 participants)
Advance booking: moinho.armacao@cm-cascais.pt or dmus@cm-cascais.pt
International Museum Day
Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães
3:00 pm | Puppet Theatre “The Count’s Shoes”
Free admission | General public
Capacity: 30 people
Advance booking: +351 214 815 301/3 or mccg@cm-cascais.pt
Museu da Música Portuguesa – Casa Verdades de Faria
10:30 am | Workshop Visit “Imagined Libraries”
Audience: Primary school students | Max. 25 students
Bookings and information: mmp@cm-cascais.pt or +351 214 815 904
2:15 pm | Museum Beyond Walls – The Voice of the People as Heritage: The Legacy of Michel Giacometti, aimed at senior audiences
Venue: Centro de Convívio de Mato Cheirinhos
Target audience: Seniors
Museu do Mar Rei D. Carlos
3:00 pm | Documentary screening and talk on the Reforestation of the Sea of Cascais, followed by a conversation with researchers on the municipality’s maritime strategy
For schools from Year 5 onwards and the general public
Bookings and information: museumar@cm-cascais.pt or +351 214 815 906
Farol Museu de Santa Marta
10:30 am | Puppet Theatre
11:30 am | Puppet Theatre
Lighthouse Tower Visits
10:00 am – 12:30 pm
2:30 pm – 5:30 pm
Commemorative presentation for International Museum Day, featuring special guest lighthouse keeper Maria Goretti Oliveira.
Casa Reynaldo dos Santos e Irene Quilhó dos Santos
6:00 pm | Opening of the exhibition “Building Bridges, Leading Paths – 60 Years Since the Discovery of Maria de Sousa” and launch of the conference cycle “Seeing the Unseen”.
Grutas do Poço Velho
10:00 am – 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm | Free visits to the Poço Velho Caves
European Night of Museums
Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães
7:00 pm | Pages of Cascais – European Night of Museums Edition (SOLD OUT)
Route starting at Visconde da Luz and passing through the municipal museums.
9:00 pm – 10:15 pm | Performance by the band Invisible Tuba in the cloister and museum interiors.
Casa de Santa Maria
10:00 am – 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm – 5:30 pm | Access to the scaffolding of the ongoing restoration works
Bookings and information: dmus@cm-cascais.pt
Museu da Música Portuguesa – Casa Verdades de Faria
5:00 pm | Opus 10 Concert by pianist Alexei Eremine
Part of the cycle dedicated to the 32 piano sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven
At the end of the concert, the public is invited to visit the museum
Free admission subject to room capacity – 60 seats
Bookings and information: mmp@cm-cascais.pt or +351 214 815 904
Museu do Mar Rei D. Carlos
6:00 pm | String Quintet – Music Performance
7:00 pm | Talk “Life on Board and the Port of Cascais in Support of the India Route”, by Marco Oliveira Borges
9.00 pm – Cruise on the Galeão do Sal ‘I'll believe it when I see it’ (SOLD OUT)
9:30 pm | Behind the Scenes of the Ocean (visit to the museum reserves)
Bookings and information: museumar@cm-cascais.pt or +351 214 815 906
Farol Museu de Santa Marta
5:00 pm | Concert by Madalena Botelho Sousa
The lighthouse tower will remain open for visits until 11:00 pm.
Bookings and information: fmsm@cm-cascais.pt or +351 214 815 328
Museu da Vila
10:00 pm | Guided Visit “The Invention of Cosmopolitanism on the Costa do Sol During the Second World War”, by Ana Gabriela Ribeiro, Luso-Brazilian performer, writer and filmmaker.
The researcher’s presentation will focus on the history of espionage in Estoril and Cascais during the Second World War.
Bookings and information: museudavila@cm-cascais.pt or +351 214 825 190
Fortaleza Nossa Senhora da Luz
4:00 pm – 9:00 pm | Free visits for the general public
Bookings and information: dmus@cm-cascais.pt
Visitors will have the opportunity to observe the former 15th-century Tower of Santo António de Cascais, identify the triangular fortification layout, enter the Joanine tower, explore the barracks and the cistern leading to the upper battery, and enjoy breathtaking sea views.
