Exploring Portugal, Lisbon's Belém District

We started our first full day in Lisbon with a train ride to Belém from the Cais do Sodré train station. The coastal train line runs from Lisbon to the charming town of Cascais with a stop in the suburb of Belém. (I will discuss transportation options and tips regarding travel in Lisbon, and Portugal in general, in a future posting.)

Monument to the Discoveries

The Belém district is about five miles west of downtown Lisbon and has some of the most interesting sites. We started with a stroll along the waterfront, stopping by the Monument to the Discoveries.

The monument is the shape of a caravel ship under full sail. Henry the Navigator is at the helm with other navigators, sailors and explorers behind him. For a fee, an inside elevator takes you to the top for a fine vista.

Further up river stands the old Tower of Belém. Built in 1515 to 1520, the tower symbolizes the voyages launched from these shores. It once stood in the middle of the river when the river bank was close to where the monastery is today.

Tower of Belém

The tower was the last structure seen by the sailors as they departed their homeland, and the first they saw as they returned home laden with treasures from far off lands. No elevator to the top of this tower, you pay for the pleasure of climbing 120 steps to the top.

Heading back toward the monastery, there is a nice photo opportunity with the fountain’s spray against the backdrop of the large limestone church and monastery.

King Manuel I directed the Jerónimos Monastery to be built in 1496. Replacing a church that had existed on the same site, construction work began in 1501. It was dedicated to Santa Maria de Belém and within its walls the monks of the Order of Christ provided spiritual guidance to seafarers.

Jerónimos Monastery Church

The church is free to visit and merits a little time. Nearly everything survived the earthquake of 1755 except for the stained glass, which was replaced in 1940.

The highlight, however, is a visit to the cloisters. The lacy arcades, carvings and gargoyles come together in a delightful courtyard. The cloisters are well worth the time and the admittance fee. For an additional charge, the west wing of the monastery houses a nice Maritime Museum for those interested in Portugal’s seafaring history including historical ships and navigational tools.

Jerónimos Monastery Cloisters

Needing a bit of a break, it was now time to visit the best site Belém has to offer… pastry! No trip to Lisbon is complete without savoring a pastel de nata (it is important to know the plural form is pastéis de nata, because you will want to order many of these delicious jewels).

The pastel de nata, also known as a Portuguese custard tart, is an egg tart pastry. Served warm and liberally sprinkled with cinnamon and powdered sugar, they are truly delicious. The tart recipe originated at the monastery. The original owners of the shop, Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém, purchased the recipe from the monks when the monastery closed in 1834. The recipe is still a secret and the Belém shop is the most popular place to buy the tarts, although imitations can be found throughout Lisbon and beyond.

Fábrica de Pastéis de Belém

Don’t let the long line to buy and take out a pastry dissuade you, it moves quickly. As an alternative, another door takes you into a café area with tables inside or on their back patio to sit and enjoy a coffee with your pastry treats.

Stuffed full of pastéis de nata, and armed with a little take out bag for later, we headed to the coach museum. There are actually two museums, the original small and grand Royal Riding School, and the large National Coach Museum. We explored and enjoyed both.

Original Royal Riding School Coach Collection

When horse-drawn carriages began to become obsolete, Portugal’s last queen, Queen Amélie, decided to preserve the extensive collection of carriages belonging to the Portuguese royal family and nobility. On May 23, 1905, the original coach museum was founded in the old Horse Riding Arena of the Belém Palace, which is now the official residence of the President of Portugal. Today the collection has expanded to include fine carriages from throughout Europe. This is a place for the whole family to enjoy and it is not crowded like so many other sites in town.

Small Plates at Nova Wine Bar

With our tour of Belém complete, we took the train back downtown to ready ourselves for another tasty Portuguese dinner and to plan our adventures for the next day. 

Tonight we wanted to go somewhere fun and casual, so we headed to the Nova Wine Bar. The menu had a wide variety of tempting choices. Our interested host not only helped us select each dish and the best accompanying wine, he directed the order in which each dish was to be served. Every bite was delicious.

We love eating tapas, or wine bar small plate style. It was a fun night with good food and a friendly, welcoming ambiance ... all at very reasonable prices.