{"id":13814,"date":"2023-11-03T18:29:16","date_gmt":"2023-11-03T17:29:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nanoo.travel\/?p=13636"},"modified":"2025-11-02T16:18:17","modified_gmt":"2025-11-02T15:18:17","slug":"one-day-in-lisbon-exploring-belem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nanoo.travel\/en\/one-day-in-lisbon-exploring-belem\/","title":{"rendered":"Lisbon | One-day itinerary to discover the Bel\u00e9m district"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Although off the beaten track, Bel\u00e9m is one of Lisbon’s most visited districts. Here, in a much quieter atmosphere than in the city center, you’ll discover a number of emblematic monuments from the time of the great explorers. A one-day discovery tour along the coast of the Tagus estuary…<\/p>\n\n

\"Monument<\/a>
Monument of the Discoveries and April 25th Bridge, Bel\u00e9m<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
\n\t<\/div>\n\n

Bel\u00e9m in a nutshell<\/h2>\n\n

Bel\u00e9m<\/em> is Lisbon’s royal and noble district<\/strong>. To get there – Bel\u00e9m<\/em> is located 6 kilometers west of Lisbon<\/strong> – take streetcar 15<\/strong>, which runs along the banks of the Tagus between the gigantic concrete pillars of the famous Ponte de 25 Abril<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n

Bel\u00e9m<\/em> takes its name from the Portuguese translation of “Bethlehem”, underlining the close link between Church and State in Portugal for many centuries.<\/p>\n\n

But above all, Bel\u00e9m<\/em> is known for having been the departure point for numerous expeditions around the world in the 15th and 16th centuries<\/strong> – such as Vasco de Gama, who set out for India in 1497 – as evidenced by several of the district’s emblematic monuments: the Torre de Bel\u00e9m<\/em>, the Mosteiro dos Jer\u00f3nimos<\/em> and the Padr\u00e3o dos Descobrimentos<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n

Day trip to Bel\u00e9m<\/h2>\n\n

Torre de Bel\u00e9m<\/em><\/h3>\n\n

Built between 1515 and 1521<\/strong> by the military architect Francisco de Arruda, who had already designed several fortresses in Morocco, the Torre de Bel\u00e9m<\/em> is a remarkable example of Manueline military architecture<\/strong>. Theinfluence of Moorish art<\/strong> is evident in the delicate decorations on the arched windows and balconies, as well as on the fluted cupolas of the watchtowers. <\/p>\n\n

At the time of the Great Discoveries, the Tower of Bel\u00e9m<\/em> served both as a fortress<\/strong> – to protect the mouth of the Tagus and the Hieronymites monastery – and as a departure point for numerous maritime expeditions<\/strong>. Originally situated on a small island in the middle of the Tagus River, the evolution of the river’s course has now placed it on the north bank of the river.<\/p>\n\n

In 1983, the Belem<\/em> Tower was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

\"Torre<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

Architecturally, the Belem<\/em> Tower can be divided into two parts – an irregular hexagonal bastion and a four-storey tower – the whole representing the prow of a caravel.<\/p>\n\n

At 35 metres high, the tower has three floors and a terrace, linked by a small spiral staircase. The commander’s apartments were on the second floor.<\/p>\n\n

\"Torre<\/a><\/figure>\n\n

On the first floor, a vaulted room with openings in the walls 3.5 m thick<\/strong> for the installation of 17 large-calibre cannons, and ditches where prisoners were thrown<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n

On the Tower’s west facade, a funny rhinoceros-shaped gargoyle<\/strong> reminds us that the first rhinoceros to set foot on Portuguese soil came from India in 1513.<\/p>\n\n

Good to Know<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n