House Museum of Frederico de Freitas

The interest is double: the house, and the man who filled it. Much of the interior is late 1800s in style, and the rooms have good views. Frederico de Freitas leaned towards religious icons, small wooden boxes and chests, and Toby jugs. The china and porcelain include a large group of teapots. Paintings were not his strong suit, which makes the collection read as one person's taste rather than a survey. A library sits among the display rooms, and there are plenty of rooms to wander through. The attached tile museum is not large, but its azulejos run across Portuguese history.

• No photography Photographs are not allowed inside, and the attendants enforce it.
• Stairs The floors are linked by stairs and there is no lift.
• The garden The garden below the house can be shut while the museum itself is open.
• In English The English guide covers only a few objects, and the ceramics are not explained in translation.
• Time Allow an hour to an hour and a half for the house and the tile museum together.

Buses stop at Cota 40 Cruz Vermelha, about 180 m from the door, and the rest of the way is on foot. Drivers have the harder job: the two car parks closest to the museum are both private, so parking means leaving the car elsewhere and walking in.

Better: a wet day. Apart from the garden, the whole visit is indoors, and rain costs you nothing here.

Avoid: the last hour before closing. The house and the attached tile museum together take an hour to an hour and a half, and there are a lot of rooms to get through.