Belém Ending at Vasco da Gama's Tomb, with the Pastéis Tasting First

Tv. da Praça 2-14, Lisboa

The guide waits in front of the McDonald's, holding a red and white One Journey sign.

Afonso de Albuquerque Square

The Jardim Afonso de Albuquerque, named for the viceroy of Portuguese India. Albuquerque is the reason Portugal held the Indian Ocean, securing the sea routes and pushing the empire east. His statue stands in the middle of it. The garden is green and quiet, which makes it a good place to think about what the empire cost and what the city kept.

Stroll along Avenida De Brasilia

Avenida de Brasília runs along the river, on the ground the explorers left from. The walk follows the Tagus, and the guide covers how this waterfront went from a working port in the Age of Discoveries to the promenade it is now.

Padrao Dos Descobrimentos

The Padrão dos Descobrimentos, built for the Age of Discoveries. It went up in 1960, on the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator, with the explorers carved along it, Vasco da Gama and Ferdinand Magellan among them. Climb to the top and the view along the Tagus is roughly what those men saw on the way out.

Torre de Belem

The Belém Tower, a UNESCO World Heritage site built in the early 16th century to defend the city. It originally stood in the middle of the Tagus, and it was the ceremonial gateway the explorers passed. The guide covers the military role and the architecture, Manueline with Moorish work in it. The view from the upper terrace is the reason people queue.

Costo extra

Turn onto Rua Da Praia Do Bom Sucesso

The route turns onto Rua da Praia do Bom Sucesso, a quieter street with the local Belém on it. It avoids the main road, which makes the walk easier, and the guide fills it with the history of the neighbourhood and what has changed in it.

Centro Cultural de Belem - CCB

The exterior of the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, the Manueline masterpiece of the quarter. It was built in the 16th century for Vasco da Gama's voyage to India, and it is what the Golden Age of exploration looks like in stone. The guide covers enough of it that a visit inside afterwards makes sense.

Costo extra

Jeronimos Monastery

The exterior of the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, built in the 16th century to mark Vasco da Gama's voyage to India and the high point of Manueline architecture. The guide gives the detail and the context, and can help you buy a ticket if you want to go inside.

Costo extra

Conclude your tour at the serene Igreja de Santa Maria de…

The walk ends at the Igreja de Santa Maria de Belém, part of the Jerónimos Monastery. Inside are the interiors and the tomb of Vasco da Gama. It is a quiet place to finish, among the men who moved the edges of the known world and changed Portugal in the process.