MAAT - Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology

MAAT (Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology) sits on the riverfront at the eastern end of Belém, closer to the city than the other Belém sights. Unlike the Jerónimos Monastery and the Torre de Belém it is open on Mondays, but it is closed on Tuesdays; hours are 10:00 to 19:00, Wednesday to Monday. Belém railway station is about 7 minutes' walk away, which makes the Cascais-line train from Cais do Sodré an easy way in. The campus has two parts. The low, curved gallery building by Amanda Levete's studio AL_A, clad in white three-dimensional ceramic tiles, has a roof designed as a public walkway you can climb and cross, with views of the 25 de Abril Bridge and the river. Next door, the brick Central Tejo power station houses MAAT Central, where the old plant's machinery sits alongside the galleries. Exhibitions change: in autumn 2026 the programme includes a large Pedro Cabrita Reis show and 'Turn around', about 90 works from the EDP Foundation Art Collection at MAAT Central until January 2027. For a cruise passenger, the question is whether to pay. The €16 ticket for non-residents suits contemporary art and architecture fans with at least an hour and a half to spare. On a short call, the roof and the riverside garden take 20–30 minutes and still show off the building. MAAT works as an afternoon add-on after Jerónimos, or as the Monday alternative when the national monuments are shut. Distances are longer than they look on a map: the Padrão dos Descobrimentos is about 16 minutes' walk west along the river, Pastéis de Belém about 14 minutes and the Torre de Belém about 26 minutes. MAAT Café & Kitchen in the gallery building serves food with river views. Admission is free on 4 and 5 October 2026 for the museum's 10th anniversary.