The Best Arthouse Cinemas in Lisbon

The Indie Lisboa is run annually at the Cinema de São Jorge, which was built in the 1950s and remains one of the traditional arthouse cinemas in the city. Located on Avenida da Liberdade, this is the place to see movies, documentaries, poetry readings, or film premieres from one of its three rooms with full size screens.

About 350 metres from the Cinema São Jorge is Cinemateca – a theatre, museum and café in one. Built in 1948 and housed in Art Nouveau surroundings, this is a great place to see the most recent hits or old classics, as well as a cool hangout to meet friends and chat. The museum is a great stop for movie fans too, where you can see the different methods used for film-making through cinema history.

While the cinema at the base floor of the 19th-century Campo Pequeno bullring mostly shows the current hits that are found at any other normal theatre, it offers national independent films too. The building itself is also worth seeing, even for visitors who don’t care for bullfighting, with its Arab-influenced architecture and the many events scheduled throughout the year.

Belonging to the Medeia film group, the Monumental cinema is found in Saldanha and offers four rooms with a combined 378 seats. It is considered one of the most remarkable and visually-appealing of its kind in the Portuguese capital, offering both international and local cinema.