Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém waterfront

What it is and why it matters

Belém is the district on the bank of the Tagus from which the ships of the Discoveries set sail. King Manuel I ordered the construction here, in the early 16th century, of the Jerónimos monastery, paid for with the spice trade, and the Belém tower, which guarded the entrance to the port. Both are World Heritage Sites and the best examples of the Manueline style: limestone carved with ropes, knots, armillary spheres and marine motifs.

In the monastery church are the tombs of Vasco da Gama and the poet Luís de Camões, moved there in the 19th century. The cloister, on two floors and with arches covered in carvings, is what justifies the ticket.

What you see

• The Jerónimos cloister: you walk round both floors. It is the paid part.
• The church of Santa Maria de Belém: the nave with columns that open out like palm trees and the tombs of Vasco da Gama and Camões.
• The Belém tower: about 15 minutes' walk along the waterfront to the west, with its bulwark over the water and rooms above.
• The Monument to the Discoveries: between the two, beside the river, with the compass rose and the map of the Portuguese routes on the floor of the esplanade.

Between the monastery and the river stretch the gardens of Praça do Império, good for a break.

Opening hours

The cloister is open Tuesday to Sunday from 9:30 to 17:30, with last entry at 17:00. The church is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10:30 to 17:00, and on Sundays and religious holidays from 14:00 to 17:00. The Belém tower has the same hours, Tuesday to Sunday.

Everything is closed on Mondays and on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May, 13 June and 25 December. The monastery may close for state events and the tower when the weather makes it unsafe.

Tickets and prices

The Jerónimos cloister costs €18 and the Belém tower €15. Young people from 13 to 24 and over-65s pay half, and there is a family ticket with the same discount, sold only at the ticket office. Children up to 12 enter free. With the Lisboa Card you do not pay, but you must reserve the time slot on the website with the card number.

Tickets often sell out and there may be none left on the same day: buy online on the official website, which assigns you a day and time. The ticket office closes at 16:30. There are no audio guides.

How long

Allow an hour for the cloister and the church, another for the tower and the walk along the waterfront, and a bit more if you stop in the gardens. Half a day covers everything without rushing.

How to get there

By tram, the 15 leaves from Praça da Figueira and passes through Praça do Comércio to Belém. By train, the Cascais line leaves from Cais do Sodré and stops at Belém station, a few minutes' walk from the monastery. From the centre you can also go by bike along the riverside path.

Public transport drops you at the door, so you do not need a car.

Accessibility and with children

The ground floor of the cloister and the church are wheelchair accessible; the upper floor of the cloister is not. The monastery lends wheelchairs and has accessible toilets. At the tower only the bulwark level is accessible, because the rooms are reached by a narrow spiral staircase.

With children, the tower is more popular than the cloister, and the esplanade of the Monument to the Discoveries, with the map on the floor, gives them something to play with. Under-12s do not pay.