A Day in Belem

Belem was easily my favourite place in Lisbon. You can sit by the water and sip drinks while lazily watching boats go by. You can visit gorgeous historic buildings. There’s even a type of pastry specifically named after this area. What’s not to love?

The Mosteiro Jeronimos is the biggest sight in this part of town.  You can wander through the monastery on your own or with an audio guide. The architecture is beautiful and the stones are intricately carved. You won’t be disappointed.  A combination ticket is available for discounts on various other sights in Belem, we bought one that included tickets to the Tower of Belem as well.

We needed a snack after visiting the tower, the obvious choice was the famous Pastéis de Belem. It’s a custard pastry, supposedly the original, based on an ancient recipe. There may be a line, but it moves quickly and is worth the slight wait.

Our next stop was the free art museum, Museu Berardo.  It’s modern art, but it’s an impressive collection, worth wandering through.

There are lots of excellent restaurants in Belem, many of them with excellent views of the water as well. We stopped for sandwiches on the waterfront, and soaked in the excellent views, along with some tasty shandy.

Replenished, we headed to the Tower of Belem. It’s interesting to look at, but it’s probably just as interesting from the outside as it is to go in it.  There isn’t much in the way of exhibits, and you’ll spend most of your time in the tower waiting in line to climb it, then waiting in line to get down. The views from the top are good, but if you don’t have time to go inside, I wouldn’t worry about it.

We finished our day in Belem with sangria on the water, and a (long) stroll back to the city.