Portuguese museums and monuments will be closed on Christmas and New Year’s Eve as national entities grant workers two days off.

In a statement, the public company Museus e Monumentos de Portugal (MMP) revealed that the museums, monuments and palaces under its authority will be closed on December 24 and 31, as well as on December 25 and January 1.

MMP manages 37 museums and monuments, including the Guimarães Castle and the Sagres Fortress, the national palaces of Ajuda and Mafra, and national museums.

“Tickets purchased for these days can be exchanged for another date or refunded in full, simply by making the request and sending the unused ticket” using the form on the company’s website.

Days earlier, the Public Cultural Heritage Institute had already announced that its services, including the sites and monuments it manages, would be closed on those days. These include multiple churches and convents, from Freixo de Espada to Cinta and Vidigueira, and sites such as the ruins of Milreu in Faro.

On December 11, the Government announced that it had granted days off on December 24 and 31 to civil servants who perform public functions in the State.

In the order published in the Diário da República, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro justified the days off by stating that it is “traditional for many people to leave their places of residence during the Christmas and New Year period to hold family gatherings.”

Lusa