The new model of free admission to museums, monuments and palaces under the supervision of the central state, which came into force on the 1st of this month, has already been used by 130,000 people, the Prime Minister announced today.
The head of government, Luís Montenegro, also pointed out, in a speech at the inauguration of the new cultural facility in Penafiel, called Ponto C, that “there are other institutions, private or social, that also have museum centers that want to join this measure”, establishing protocols with the government to extend this possibility to their spaces.
“It’s a sign that a small change has had a really impressive effect and it also says a lot about the will that people have to be able to access museums, in this case under the tutelage of the State, of the Ministry of Culture,” said the Prime Minister to an audience that included the Minister of Culture, Dalila Rodrigues, and several mayors from the region.
For Luís Montenegro, this “is one of the measures that could have the greatest impact on boosting museums in Portugal”.
Free entry to state-run museums, monuments and palaces is no longer restricted to Sundays and public holidays, and it has been possible to choose 52 days a year of free access since August 1st of this year.
What has changed is that Portuguese citizens and residents in Portugal now have 52 days a year, any day of the week, to visit the 37 museums, monuments and palaces under public guardianship free of charge. Until now, free visits were only available on Sundays and public holidays, a system that came into force in September 2023.
“Freedom is complete. We can visit any day of the week. Free admission, which until now has been limited to Sundays and public holidays, will now have full freedom of action and choice. There is no reason why the Portuguese and residents of Portugal should not visit our museums and monuments,” up to a limit of 52 days, said the Minister of Culture at the beginning of the month, when the new model came into force.
To guarantee access to these spaces, visitors must present their ID card at the ticket offices for registration, so that the 52-day limit can be counted in a central database.
By way of example, on the first Sunday in August 2023, 9,000 people took advantage of the opportunity, still using the old model.
The museums, monuments and palaces under the management of Museus e Monumentos de Portugal since January received 5,157,360 visitors in 2023.
According to data released by the public company this month, this figure adds up to more than 3.6 million visits received at the 26 facilities that until December 31, 2023 were under the responsibility of the Directorate-General for Cultural Heritage (DGPC) and more than 1.5 million visitors to the 12 cultural spaces previously under the responsibility of the regional directorates.
