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You can usually find the latest Hollywood releases playing around town. Films are generally shown in their original language with Portuguese subtitles. The exceptions are children’s cartoons, which are normally dubbed but often have at least one original-version screening.
This contemporary art museum and live music venue is set in a beautiful 18th-century building. Permanent and visiting exhibitions and installations will appeal to art lovers, and a café-bar with outdoor seating offers incredible river and bridge views.
A good way to break the language barrier is to see a show at this vibrant venue, where contemporary clowning, circus acts, and physical theater dominate. There's also the pleasant Chapitô à Mesa restaurant with fine views of the city, and the bohemian Bartô bar with a mix of live music and DJs.
The colorful art deco building is reason enough to visit this cinema-turned-arts-venue, which was the first place in town to show films when it opened its doors in 1926 under the grand-sounding moniker Cinema da Sociedade Filarmónica Incrível Almadense (Cinema of the Incredible Almadense Philharmonic Society). Today the space hosts a rich roster of live music three days a week, and locals can be found swapping stories at the bar.
In a former armaments factory, this multiconcept cultural space encompasses exhibition rooms, a bookstore, shops, conferences, film screenings, and concerts ranging from jazz to rock, funk, and world music. Although everything is now up to code, it still retains some of the feeling of a half-abandoned building, with rooms that artists might take over from time to time. One of the more popular residencies is a storytelling series that takes place in English and in Portuguese.
Inaugurated in 1793, this grand neoclassical theater was inspired by Venice's opera house. You have to see the main hall to appreciate the building's splendor. The stage itself is rather plain, but the five tiers of private boxes on either side draw the eye to the domed royal box, awash with gold leaf and held aloft by soaring columns. Two cherubs hold aloft the royal coat of arms. The theater has its own choir, is home to the Portuguese Symphonic Orchestra, and hosts music and dance performances, as well as opera. Book guided tours in advance by email.
This cinema in the Monumental mall has four screens. Expect a mixture of art films, commerical releases, and classics.
