Belém, about six kilometres west of the centre along the Tagus, is where Portugal celebrates its golden age. From this beach, in 1497, Vasco da Gama set sail on the route to the Indies, and here King Manuel I used the wealth of the spice trade to build the country's grandest monuments. Today it is a district of gardens, museums and monuments, worth at least half a day. It is part of the Lisbon guide.
The Jerónimos Monastery
The Monastery of the Hieronymites, begun in 1501 and finished almost a century later, is the masterpiece of the Manueline style, the Portuguese Gothic of the Age of Discovery, which decorates stone with ropes, sailors' knots, armillary spheres, coral, exotic plants and royal symbols. The south portal, over thirty metres high, is a cascade of statues and pinnacles. The church of Santa Maria, free to enter, has columns as slender as palm trees supporting a star vault, and holds the tombs of Vasco da Gama and the poet Luís de Camões, author of The Lusiads. The two-storey cloister is one of Europe's finest, delicately carved in honey-coloured stone; the poet Fernando Pessoa rests here. In 2007 the European Union's Treaty of Lisbon was signed here. The monastery's wings house the National Archaeology Museum and the Navy Museum.
Belém Tower
Built between 1514 and 1519 on an islet in the river, now joined to the bank, Belém Tower was a fortress guarding the harbour entrance and the point where ships departed and arrived. With its loggias, crenellations shaped like crusader shields, Moorish watchtowers and the famous carved rhinoceros, inspired by the animal sent to the king from India in 1515, it is the symbol of the Discoveries. Inside, a narrow staircase leads to the terrace, with limited entry.
Padrão dos Descobrimentos
The Monument to the Discoveries, a 52-metre concrete caravel prow, was unveiled in 1960 for the 500th anniversary of Henry the Navigator's death, under Salazar's dictatorship. On its two ramps are 33 figures of the Age of Discovery: navigators, kings, cartographers and missionaries, led by Henry. In front, set into the pavement, is a large compass rose with a world map of Portuguese routes, a gift from South Africa. You can go up to the top for the view. Today the monument also prompts debate about how it celebrates a colonial past.
Museums
- National Coach Museum: the world's richest collection of royal carriages, in Paulo Mendes da Rocha's new building and the old royal riding school.
- MAAT: the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology, with Amanda Levete's white undulating building and the former Tejo power station.
- Belém Cultural Centre (CCB): a cultural centre with concerts and the MAC/CCB contemporary art museum, heir to the Berardo collection, with Picasso, Warhol, Mondrian and Dalí.
- Navy Museum: caravel models, nautical charts and the royal barges.
- Belém Palace: the President of the Republic's residence, with a small museum.
Pastéis de Belém
No visit is complete without Pastéis de Belém, the bakery opened in 1837 beside the monastery, making puff-pastry custard tarts to a secret recipe from the monks. Eat them warm, with cinnamon and icing sugar. The takeaway queue is long but quick; inside, in the large azulejo-lined rooms, it is often easier to find a seat.
Getting there
- Tram 15E from Praça da Figueira or Praça do Comércio, the most picturesque option but crowded.
- Train on the Cascais line from Cais do Sodré, Belém stop, in about ten minutes.
- Buses 728 and 714.
- On foot or by bike along the river from Cais do Sodré, in about an hour.
Tips
- The Jerónimos and Belém Tower close on Mondays; book online to avoid queues.
- Arrive at opening time or late afternoon.
- The Lisboa Card includes entry to many Belém sights.
- Combine Belém with LX Factory and the 25 de Abril Bridge on the way back.
See also what to see in Lisbon and museums.