We went there on the 1st November and were a bit disappointed. 1st floor exhibition with the colonies e.g on Goa promised a lot and could only partly convince. Some artifacts like chests were very interesting whereas we missed more comprehensive treatment of Portuguese presence in the region. 2nd floor with Chinese Oper was pretty specific and probably helpful once the visitors have much more experience in exploring less known topics.

You can have this (almost) to yourself. It is a great museum with permanent exhibitions of Portuguese engagement with the East (India, China, Japan, Timor l'Este or East Timor) as well as of Chinese Opera. Temporary exhibitions provide extra interest. There is a cafeteria in the basement and a restaurant on the 5th floor (with a great view of the Tejo river). The Museu do Oriente suffers from bad connections with public transport and the hop-on-hop-off sightseeing buses. Their loss is your gain if you want to get away from the noisy crowds and chill with ancient art. The museum shop is of astounding quality; you are sure to find presents to give. You come out refreshed!

A great museum with a great collection and very well needed in Lisbon. It's in a great location but kind of far from the city center.