1. Museu Muncipal
Integrated into the ancient 16th-century convent of Nossa Senhora da Assunção, this exceptional and award-winning cultural spectacle is worth finding only for the gorgeous Renaissance cloister.
The permanent collection covers prehistory, the Roman, Moorish, and medieval eras, as well as the 18th and 19th centuries and it’s arranged chronologically. Roman relics discovered at nearby Milreu are prominently displayed, but while you meander through each gallery in silence, keep an eye out for the expertly made Arab oil lamps, some of which look a lot like Popeye’s pipe.
Admirers of 16th-century sculpture will be mesmerized by the exquisitely carved Manueline statues, but the most impressive display is the massive Roman floor mosaic, which dates to approximately the third century AD and depicts a fierce-looking Neptune.