[PORTUGAL] Lisbon - Half Day in Belem District

Belem is a district in western Lisbon which is located at the mouth of River Tagus. Belem houses two famous landmarks of Lisbon: Jeronimos Monastery and Belem Tower (both are UNESCO World Heritage Sites). You can easily spent half day in Belem since it is a bit far from downtown Lisbon. 

Getting there:

1. By tram: Take tram 15E from downtown area and get down at Mosteiro dos Jeronimos stop or two stops after at Largo da Princesa which is closer to Belem Tower. The journey takes about 30 minutes.

2. By bus: You can also take bus 727, 28, 729, 714 or 751 from downtown area to Belem. The journey also takes about 30 minutes.

3. By train: If you want to ride the train, take the train from Cais do Sodre station to Belem station. The journey is abour 10 minutes.

4. By hop-on-hop-off bus

What to see/do in Belem:

1) Belem Tower

Constructed on the northern bank of the Tagus River in the early 16th century, Belem Tower was erected for the purpose of serving both as a gateway to Lisbon and as a defense against possible invasion and attacks on the city.

Crossing the bridge connecting the tower to the shore.

The Belem Tower can be divided into two parts: the bastion and the tower of four floors. The bastion has a vaulted room, a casemate with opening in the walls for canons and a platform that could serve as a stance for smaller weapons.

The spiral staircase to the tower is very narrow. You have to wait for your turn to climb or descend. The sound sign means you have to leave the staircase.

View from the roof terrace of Belem Tower is nice. You can see 25 de Abril Bridge from the tower.

The captain's apartments were on the first floor. Years later, the Belem Tower loses strategic importance and becomes a custom post, a telegraph station, a lighthouse and a health station.    

Entrance fees: EUR 21.50 (guided tour), EUR 6 (Adult), EUR 3 (senior/youth), free for child under age 12, free with Lisboa card, free admission on 1st Sunday each month
Opening hours: 10am - 5.30pm (Oct - Apr), 10am - 6.30pm (May - Sep)
Website: https://torrebelem.com/en/belem-tower/

2) Jeronimos Monastery

A masterpiece of 16th-century architecture in Portugal, Jeronimos Monastery was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage site, along with the nearby Belem Tower. It was founded by King Manuel I in 1502 to commemorate the return of Vasco da Gama from India and give thanks to Virgin Mary for its success.

The imposing facade of the monastery extends for about 300 meters and it wasn't completed until the 17th century. The ornate south portal to the monastery is only the side entrance to the monastery. 

The Church of Santa Maria has a unique single nave that is held up by six beautiful columns. It houses the tombs of Vasco da Gama as well as Luis de Camoes, Portuguese writer and poet.

The highlight of the monastery is the two-storey cloister. Each columns are differently carved with coils of ropes, sea monsters, coral, and other sea motifs. In the center lies a big fountain which was dry during my visit. 

The ancient refectory across the chapel house has several azulejos tiles from the 18th century.

Entrance fees: EUR 10 (adult), EUR 5 (senior/youth), free for child under age 12, free with Lisboa Card
Opening hours: 10am - 5.30pm (Oct - Apr), 10am - 6.30pm (May to Sep), closes on Mondays 

3) Garden in front of Jeronimos Monastery

The garden in front of Jeronimos Monastery is beautiful and has a large fountain facing the monastery. I took a pleasant stroll here before reaching Monument to the Discoveries.

4) Monument to the Discoveries (Padrao dos Descobrimentos) 

Monument to the Discoveries was the last attraction I visited after the Jeronimos Monastery. You'll need to cross an underground passage to reach the monument. The monument was inaugurated in 1960 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator. It celebrates the Portugese Age of Discovery during the 15th and 16th century. The first statue on the monument is Henry the Navigator. 

The monument is flanked by two metal armillary spheres on two parallelepiped platforms.

Yay, I found Malaysia on the world map in front of the monument! It is possible to take an elevator and visit the observation deck on top of the monument. Unfortunately, it was closed while I was there since it was passed the opening hours. I bet the view of the compass with the world map from the top is beautiful.

Entrance fees: EUR 6 (Adult), EUR 3 (senior/youth), free for child under age 12, 30% discount with Lisboa Card
Opening hours: 10am - 6pm (Oct - Feb), 10am - 7pm (Mar - Sep), closed on Mondays

5) Casa Pastéis de Belém

Casa Pastéis de Belém is not exactly an attraction but a bakery. One of the best things to do in Belem is to indulge in the Pasteis de Nata from this bakery. The bakery can bakes up to 50,000 tarts a day. Thus you can be certain that the egg tarts that you buy are fresh. You can choose to dine in or take away.

Since the restaurant was quite full, I decided to take away the egg tarts.

This flaky pastry has the creamiest egg custard filling I have ever tasted! The monks in Jeronimos Monastery created the recipe for this Portuguese egg tart. At that time, large quantities of egg white was used to starch clothes at the monastery and the remaining yolks used for the preparation of cakes and pastries. Someone from the monastery offered the recipe to the shop which was adjacent to a sugar refinery in Belém. In 1837, the baking of the “Pasteis de Belém” using the secret recipe from the monastery started.

And this marked the perfect end of my trip to Belem district.