The National Coach Museum in Lisbon, Portugal is an off the beaten path museum that has a phenomenal collection of coaches that were used from the beginning of the 16th century to the 19th century. A fascinating look at how people were transported before the age of the automotive.

Folks, this is a beautiful and unique museum!

With some of the oldest coaches in the world, the collection here dates back to 1600s.

Coaches of royalty from the 16-17th century

Folks, these coaches were so gorgeous and ornate it’s hard to fathom they were driven on rough roads.

Triumphant Coaches

Triumphant coaches were part of a set of thematic coaches that were built in 1716 to depict the maritime history of Portugal. With Apollo in the center, Atlantic ocean and Indian ocean symbolizing the crossing of the Cape of Good Hope.

The Berlin Coaches

In the second half of the 17th century the Berlin coaches became popular. Invented in Berlin the suspension system on the coaches use leather straps to hold the body of the coach to provide greater flexibility of movement, making travel more comfortable. While before these were made of wood making the ride extremely bumpy.

Other types of coaches – altar coach, mail coach, prisoner transport coach, 2-6 person coach and more

Firefighters coach

A mere steps away is the original Coach Museum that opened over 100 years ago.

Soon after opening however it became obvious the space was too small for the large collection of coaches.

In this original historic building, are few coaches on display, but what makes this a quick visit worth it, is the gorgeous building the coaches are housed in.

The National Coach Museum in Lisbon is well worth a detour from the usual tourist sites. A beautiful look at the history of coaches that were such an integral part of transport in the 16, 17, and 18th centuries.

National Coach Museum in Lisbon, Portugal