Belém Tower
The little fortress in the river that has stood for the departure and return of Portuguese ships since 1519. Timed entry is included with your pass.
INCLUDED with the Lisbon Journey Pass
Timed entry · normally €8
Belém Tower was built to guard the mouth of the Tagus and to salute the ships heading out to the Atlantic. It is small, and that is the charm of it: a stone chess piece set in the water, ringed with Moorish watchtowers and carved with the rope motif that runs through everything built in Portugal at that moment.
Climb the spiral stair to the terrace for the view back over the river and the 25 de Abril bridge. Look for the stone rhinoceros head under the western bastion - carved after an Indian rhino was shipped to Lisbon in 1515, and the first of its kind in European sculpture.
Lisbon Journey Pass tips
- Your pass is your ticket - use the pass-holder entrance.
- The stair to the upper floors is single-file and controlled by a traffic light, so allow time.
- Best light is late afternoon, when the sun comes off the water onto the stone.
- Pair it with Jerónimos Monastery, ten minutes upriver on foot.
Getting to Belém Tower
- Belém Tower Av. Brasília, 1400-038 Lisboa
- Tram 15E to Largo da Princesa, then a five-minute walk to the river
- Train Cascais line to Belém, then ten minutes on foot
- On foot Ten minutes downriver from Jerónimos Monastery
Open in Google Maps for directions. The exact meeting point is in the One Journey app.
Belém Tower is one of eight experiences on the Lisbon Journey Pass, from €79.
Buy nowOpening times
Tuesday to Sunday, 09:30-17:30 (last entry 17:00). Closed Mondays and public holidays.
What Lisbon Journey travellers say
Rated 4.8 out of 5
From travellers who used the pass on guided walks, Fado nights and the river cruise.