Castles · Tour
Belém Free Walking Tour, Blue Umbrellas at the Statue, Only the Church Entered
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LisbonA free walking tour of Belém built around the Age of Discovery, starting in the Afonso de Albuquerque gardens and ending at the water. The route runs past the Pastéis de Belém, whose recipe came out of the Jerónimos Monastery, and then the monastery itself, which is where the money from the spice routes went. Prince Henry and the school at Sagres come next, then the Monument to the Discoveries on the waterfront, and the walk finishes at the Belém Tower on the Tagus. What you get here is the history and the ground it happened on, at street level, told by a guide who does this route daily. One thing to know before booking: this is a free tour. The ticket holds your place, and the guides work for the gratuities they earn at the end. The monuments are covered from the outside, with the monastery church the exception, and most people go back afterwards to visit the ones they want to see inside.
What's included
- Admission Fee: For groups of 7 or more, please contact us directly before booking your tour.
- A Passionate and Informative Guide, Great Stories, Dozens of Local Tips.
- This booking secures your place on the tour; it does not constitute payment for the tour.
Itinerary
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Praça Afonso de Albuquerque, Lisboa
Meet the Free Tour guides with the blue umbrellas, next to the statue.
Estatua de Afonso de Albuquerque
The square and garden named for Afonso de Albuquerque, the viceroy who built out Portugal's empire in the east and did it with a strategist's eye. The sculptures here carry his story, and the planting around them is exotic, which is its own kind of record of where the ships went.
The Thai Pavilion stands as a testament to Portugal's…
The Thai Pavilion marks how far the Portuguese trade routes ran, from the markets of India to the courts of Thailand and Sri Lanka. Those exchanges are also how tea reached Britain, brought by Catarina of Bragança. A small building that stands in for a very large map.
Indulge in the legendary Pastéis de Belém
The Pastéis de Belém, made here and nowhere else in quite the same way. The custard tart came out of the Jerónimos Monastery, and the recipe the monks worked out is still the one that is guarded. Warm, flaky, and the thing every visitor to Belém eats before leaving.
Padrao Memoria do Chao Salgado
Chão Salgado Alley, where the Marquis of Pombal is still present. His rule ran from the rebuilding of Lisbon to the Távoras massacre, and it changed the direction of Portuguese history. The urban planning and the ruthlessness came from the same man, which is what makes the site worth a stop.
Jeronimos Monastery
The Jerónimos Monastery, a Gothic building raised in homage to Prince Henry the Navigator. The carving is dense and the cloisters are large, and the Christian symbolism is worked through with motifs taken from the sea, which is exactly what the Age of Discovery did to Portuguese art. Note: the tour does not go inside the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, except for the church, though many people come back to visit it after the walk.
Jardim da Praca do Imperio
Praça do Império was laid out for the 1940 exhibition of the New State, which marked over 800 years of Portugal: the founding in 1140, and the restoration of independence from Spanish rule in 1640. The fountain and the gardens are still there, and so is the argument the square was built to make.
Rosa dos Ventos
The Compass Rose and the Mappa Mundi, 50 metres across, mapping the routes that connected the world and naming the people who sailed them. It is the clearest single object in Belém for understanding what Portuguese navigation actually achieved.
Padrao Dos Descobrimentos
The Monument to the Discoveries stands on the Belém waterfront, pointed at the sea, with the country's explorers carved along both flanks and their eyes on the horizon. Note: the tour does not go inside the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, though many people come back to it after the walk.
Belem Lighthouse
The bank of the Tagus, where the water that carried the caravels now carries the view of the 25th of April Bridge and the Christ the King statue on the far side. This is also where Gago Coutinho's transatlantic flight belongs, the aviation chapter of the same story.
Torre de Belem Garden
The gardens around the Tower of Belém, lawns and open views, framing the tower that once guarded the entrance to Lisbon. A good place to stop and look at the river.
Torre de Belem
The Tower of Belém sits at the mouth of the Tagus, a UNESCO World Heritage Site with Manueline carving over its stonework and battlements that have watched the river for centuries. Note: the tour does not go inside the Torre de Belém, though many people come back to it after the walk.
Av. Brasília, Lisboa
The Free Tour ends next to the Belém Tower.
Not included
- Transportation, monument entrance tickets, food, and beverages are not included.
Good to know
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
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- Up to 6 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: en, it, es.
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