The 9 best things to do in Belém

One of Lisbon’s most recognisable landmarks, the Tower of Belém was built in 1520 as part of a defence system at the mouth of the Tagus river and is now an architectural icon of King Manuel I’s reign. It achieved the status of UNESCO World Heritage site in 1983 and was voted one of Portugal’s Seven Wonders in 2007. Close to it, don’t miss the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, representing 33 historical figures involved in the Portuguese discoveries. The monument was erected in the 1940s during the Estado Novo dictatorship.

This project by the EDP Foundation is much more than its acronym, MAAT (Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology). Its architectural lines struck the city at its 2016 launch and now justify regular pilgrimages to the area of Belém. If nothing else, the structure designed by British architect Amanda Levete, combined with a sunset backdrop, makes a killer pic to share on social media. But of course, you shouldn’t stop there: we recommend consulting the agenda for information on permanent and temporary exhibitions. 

The Pastéis de Belém bakery is a mandatory pitstop for tourists, but its large tea rooms, covered with blue and white azulejos, tend to attract Lisbon residents too. The pastéis are worth the fuss, and their history is long and ancient. Their fabrication started in 1834 when the Jerónimos Monastery started selling sweets. They were so successful that three years later, the Pastéis de Belém empire started, with a secret recipe that is still used to this day.

Take a trip back in time to what is considered Portugal’s most visited museum, Museu Nacional dos Coches (the National Coach Museum). It moved to a new building in 2015, a broader, more modern space where you can see carriages, coaches, pushchairs, strollers and many other vehicles – including one with bullet holes: the carriage in which King Carlos and his heir Prince Luís Filipe were murdered in Terreiro do Paço in 1908 is exhibited there. You can learn more about the royals’ lives while sitting in these velvet seats. The museum was inaugurated 112 years ago at its original location, in Picadeiro Real by Queen Amélie of Orléans (a French princess who married a Portuguese king).

The Clube Naval de Lisboa is a good place to stop if you’re cycling or walking along the river. Have a gin on one of the chairs, where all that’s missing is your feet dipping in the water, or grab lunch on the terrace. The fish dishes are highly recommended, even if you just have the fish soup because you’re not hungry for more. On weekends there’s usually live music (late-afternoon jazz), and tables are hard to secure.

By now, it’s time to think about a refreshing dip, and the Tagus river is not an option. The swimming pool of hotel Altis Belém is a great one, with a view of the river. It’s open to non-guests for €30 a day, including access to the indoor pool, the sauna and the Turkish bath. On sunny weekends it gets very busy, and hotel guests have priority, so book in advance.

The Centro Cultural de Belém (CCB), a project by Italy’s Vittorio Gregotti and Portugal’s Manuel Salgado, hosts several temporary exhibitions and since 2006, has been home to the Berardo Museum. There are also rooms for performing arts, from theatre to opera, dance shows, film screenings or concerts. There’s a bookstore, a terrace with a café/restaurant that serves pizza and sushi (called Este/Oeste), and even a Davvero ice cream parlour. On the first Sunday of every month, CCB’s central square welcomes a market.

It may seem like a strange concept, but this is what happens when you hire a Sitway, a kind of segway, but even lazier, where instead of standing on the machine, you can sit down and leisurely visit all the monuments along the river. The rental point is at Padrão dos Descobrimentos, and your legs will love you for saving them the trouble of walking up and down the city’s seven hills.