Belem Walking Tour (Self Guided), Lisbon

Also known as Santa Maria de Belem, the district of Belem is one of the most visited in Lisbon. Situated not far from the city center, it lines the Tagus River and is the original location of Lisbon's port – the starting point of the many great voyages of discovery by Portuguese explorers, such as Vasco da Gama – departed from here for India in 1497, and Pedro Alvares Cabral – for Brazil in 1499.

Perhaps Belem's most famous feature is its tower, Belem Tower. Built as a fortified lighthouse on the small rocky outcropping along the northern margin of the Tagus River, late in the reign of Dom Manuel l (1515–1520), it used to guard entrance to the port, as well as partly defended another major historical site, the Hieronymites Monastery built by Henry the Navigator to support pilgrims coming to the region. Located along Empire Square, presently, the monastery is a UNESCO-listed location and a home to the Navy Museum, among other things.

Belem is a concentration of national monuments and a mixture of historical buildings and modern symbols of Portuguese culture. The district's most notable modern feature is the Monument to the Discoveries inaugurated in 1960 to mark the 500th anniversary of the death of Henry the Navigator. Another key local monument is that to the Combatants of the Portuguese Colonial Wars.

Belem is also famous as a museum district, accommodating a host of world-class museums, among which there are the National Coach Museum and the Berardo Collection Museum.

Amid the juxtaposition of famous locations is the famous pastry shop Fabrica de Pasteis de Belem, known for a specific Portuguese egg tart pastry: pastel de Belem.

For a closer acquaintance with the architectural marvels and cultural delights of this beautiful part of the Portuguese capital, take our self-guided walking tour and enjoy Belem at its best!