Day trip from Lisbon Mafra
A baroque royal palace and convent that takes up one side of a small town, 47 minutes north-west of Lisbon by direct bus from Campo Grande.
Is Mafra worth a day trip from Lisbon?
Half a day. Never on a Tuesday.
Go for half a day, and not on a Tuesday, when the palace is closed. Bus 2740 from Campo Grande takes 47 minutes to Mafra terminal and the prepaid fare is € 3.10 each way. The palace ticket is € 15 and the visit takes about 2 hours; doors open at 09:30 and last entry is 16:30. The official page still carried a notice that the basilica closed for restoration on 9 January 2025, so ask what is open before you pay. The town itself adds little. For a fuller day, the same bus continues to Ericeira in 21 minutes, for lunch by the sea.
The decision sheet
- Travel time
- 47 minline 2740 to Mafra terminal; the return takes 61 min · one way · Carris Metropolitana (lines 2740 and 2741, times for 7, 10 and 11 October 2026)
- Self-guided cost
- € 21.20Bus return at the prepaid fare (2 x € 3.10) + Mafra National Palace ticket (€ 15); buying the bus ticket on board costs more · Carris Metropolitana (fares, yellow lines); palace ticket from Museus e Monumentos de Portugal
- Tour price
- –
- Time needed
- 2–4 hDaytripo editorial
- Closed days
- Tuesdays; 1 Jan, Easter Sunday, 1 May, Ascension Thursday, 25 Dec
- Best time
- Wednesday to Saturday, when buses are frequent; Jun-Sep if you add EriceiraDaytripo editorial
- Verdict
- Worth half a dayDaytripo editorial
What to see and do in Mafra
- 01
The palace rooms
A baroque royal palace and convent finished in the 1730s, with a front 220 metres long. The visit follows the royal apartments and the monks' infirmary and takes about 90 minutes.
- 02
The library
A rococo hall 88 metres long holding about 36,000 leather-bound books. You see it from one end, behind a rope. A colony of bats lives here and eats the insects.
- 03
The basilica
The church in the centre of the facade, in pink, white and grey marble, with six pipe organs built to be played together. Free to enter, and closed for lunch from 13:00 to 14:00.
- 04
The carillons
Two bell towers holding 119 bells between them. In the warmer months a carillonneur plays a short concert on Sunday afternoons, which you hear from the square for free.
- 05
Jardim do Cerco
The formal garden behind the palace, with a pond, clipped hedges and a play area. Free, shaded, and a good place to eat a sandwich. Twenty minutes.
Good forCastles and palacesChurches and monasteriesArt and museums
How to spend the day
On a weekday take the 09:20 bus (line 2741) from Campo Grande and reach Mafra terminal at 10:17, or the 10:10 on line 2740, arriving 10:57. Walk to the palace and allow 2 hours. For Mafra alone, the 13:25 bus is back at Campo Grande at 14:26. To add Ericeira, catch the bus passing Mafra terminal at 13:27, arrive 13:48, have a late lunch, and take the 16:00 from Ericeira, in Lisbon at 17:21.
Mafra in summer and in winter
Summer
June to AugustA good choice on a hot day, because almost all of it is indoors behind thick walls, and the coast keeps Mafra cooler than Lisbon. Queues are short even in August. Combine the palace in the morning with the afternoon at Ericeira, a surf town 10 km away on the same bus line.
Winter
December to FebruaryThis is the easiest winter trip on the list: indoors, uncrowded, and open every day except Tuesday. The rooms are unheated, so keep your coat on. The last entry is at 16:30, which matters when it gets dark early. Check the palace site for Sundays with a six-organ concert in the basilica.
How crowded it gets
Quiet- Busiest
- Sunday afternoons; school groups on weekday mornings Mar-Jun
- Quietest
- Weekday afternoons all year
You rarely wait. School groups come on spring weekday mornings and move through quickly. The only timing that matters is the basilica's lunch closure, so see the church before 13:00 or after 14:00.
How do you get to Mafra from Lisbon?
- Travel time
- 47 min out, 61 min back
- Frequency
- 16 daytime departures on a Wednesday, 10 on a Saturday, 5 on a Sunday (line 2740)
- Cost
- € 3.10 each way prepaid
- Departs from
- Campo Grande, stop P24 beside the metro station
Carris Metropolitana line 2740, direction Ericeira, by motorway. On weekdays the first 2740 leaves at 10:10; before that, line 2751 at 08:00 takes 72 minutes and line 2741 at 09:20 takes 57. Load prepaid credit on a Navegante card first. Sunday buses back from Mafra are few: 12:50, 13:50, 14:35, 15:21 and 16:55.
Practical: clothes, food and money
What to wear
Ordinary city clothes and comfortable shoes: the route through the palace is close to 1 km of corridors. Bring an extra layer in winter for the cold rooms, and a windproof jacket if you go on to Ericeira.
What to eat
Mafra is known for its bread, pão de Mafra, a soft loaf with a thin crust sold in every bakery in town. Cafes line the square opposite the palace. For a longer lunch, take the bus on to Ericeira for grilled fish and shellfish.
What you will spend
The palace ticket and the bus fare are the only fixed costs. The basilica, the garden and the Sunday carillon concert are free. It is one of the cheaper trips on the list, unless you add a seafood lunch in Ericeira.
How to get the most out of the day
- The palace is shut every Tuesday. It also closes on a few public holidays, so check the date if you travel on one.
- A long restoration programme began in 2025. Expect scaffolding on parts of the facade and ask which rooms are open that day.
- The Tapada, the former royal hunting park, is several kilometres north with no regular bus. Without a car, leave it out.
- Buses to Mafra and Ericeira leave from the Campo Grande terminal. Ask the driver for the stop in front of the palace.
How long do you need in Mafra?
Plan 2–4 h on site, plus 47 min of travel each way from Lisbon.
When is Mafra closed?
Tuesdays; 1 Jan, Easter Sunday, 1 May, Ascension Thursday, 25 Dec. Best time: Wednesday to Saturday, when buses are frequent; Jun-Sep if you add Ericeira.