Lisbon: Belem Walking Tour with Jeronimos Monastery Entry

Get ready to discover one of the most interesting areas within Lisbon - Belém district - a region that is directly associated with the epic Portuguese navigations, from the 15th & 16th centuries.

Your Guide will be waiting in line to access the Jerónimos Monastery, with your Entrance Tickets already purchased. After a brief historical explanation about the complex, you will now enter the Jerónimos Monastery building. The visit starts at the Upper Cloister from where you can get spectacular views of all the architectural beauty contained there. Our Guide will detail the meanings behind this construction, what it represented for society at the time and its importance in the context of the Great Portuguese Navigations, carried out throughout the 15th and 16th centuries. In the lower section of the Cloister you will have access to important spaces, such as the Chapter Room, the old Refectory and the tomb of Fernando Pessoa, moved to this space only in the 20th century. After seeing this Cloister, you will now visit the church, known as Santa Maria de Belém Church. A majestic building, symbol of the height of Manueline architecture, an architectural style that developed in Portugal at the beginning from the 16th century and which associated late Gothic structures with Renaissance elements. It is within this building that some prominent names from the Avis dynasty are buried, such as King D. Manuel I and his son, João III, and also important names from the navigation era, such as Vasco da Gama and Luiz Vaz de Camões. You will now begin to walk through other important monuments in the Belém region, but before of that, you will make a stop at "Pastéis de Belém" to try the original Custard Tart from Lisbon. This ancient recipe was created by the monks of the Jeronimos Monastery and has been sold in the same establishment since the mid-19th century. After this visit, you will pass by the Monument to the Discoveries, which was erected in 1960, in commemoration of the 500th anniversary of the death of Infante D. Henrique, known as the main figure of the Portuguese navigations. There are also other important characters from the Great Navigation era represented there, who contributed to the expansion of the Portuguese culture throughout the world. Another walk of around 15-minutes and you will get to the famous Belém Tower, which together with the Jerónimos Monastery holds the title of World Heritage Site, attributed by Unesco. This tower is another great example of Manueline architecture and served as a defensive point against invaders trying to reach the capital of the kingdom, Lisbon. At the end of this visit you will have had the opportunity to better understand the importance of the Belém region and its remarkable role in an important moment in the history of Portugal.