Our DIY Walking Tour of Belem: How We Explored 15 Historic Sites in One Day

To say that Belem is a historic district of Lisbon is sort of misleading since most of Lisbon’s districts are ‘historic’. Belém, Lisbon’s stunning riverside district, stands as a testament to Portugal’s Age of Discoveries. While every corner of Lisbon breathes history, Belém uniquely showcases Portugal’s maritime glory through its UNESCO World Heritage sites, world-class museums, and iconic landmarks. We crafted this walking route during our stay, and it’s become our favorite way to experience Portugal’s Age of Discoveries in one go.

Our Personal Take on Belem

When we first arrived in Belem, the tourist maps made it look overwhelming. But after several visits during our month-long stay in Portugal, we discovered the perfect route to hit all the highlights without getting lost or exhausted. This isn’t just another Belem walking tour – it’s the exact path we took, complete with our real-world tips and favorite discoveries along the way.

Quick Facts About Our Route

• Time Needed: We spent 3+ hours (without museum visits)
• Distance: Our loop covered about 3 miles
• Terrain: Mostly flat with some stairs (we’ll share where to find elevators!)
• Best Time: Early morning worked best for us to avoid crowds
• Starting Point: We began at the National Coach Museum (Tram 15E takes you right there!)
• Ending Point: MAAT Museum (just across from where we started)

Before You Follow Our Footsteps (Notes on Accessibility)

For the most part the route follows level, paved surfaces. However be aware that you cannot cross the freeway road wherever you please, Avenida Brasília and the Avenida India combine to make for a very wide, multilane, fenced off, heavily trafficked highway crossing, and crossing is controlled.

During our time in Lisbon, we noticed four main ways to cross the busy Avenida Brasília/India in the Belem area.

• Passadiço do Bom Sucesso-Belém – stairs only, cross over the highway
• Passagem subterrânea para Padrão dos Descobrimentos – Underground passage/tunnel between Jardim da Praca do Imperio to the grounds near the Monument to the Discoveries. Crosses under Ave. da India – take care though as it is a mecca for pickpockets.
• Ponte pedonal do Museu Nacional dos Coches – looong ramps that provide access for people with mobility difficulties, baby strollers and bicycles
• Ponte Pedonal e de Ciclovia do MAAT – another long sweep bridge that cross above the highway at the Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology

Belem Walking Tour Itinerary Map: Our 15 Favorite Stops

#1 – Museu Nacional dos Coches / National Coach Museum

Lisbon’s National Coach Museum is home to over 100 coaches and carriages. Simple to ornate, small to large, commoner to royalty; there is probably a good example of it here. Outside the museum are a number of sculptures so allow a little extra time for that.

If you decide to go in and see the carriages we suggest allowing 60 to 90 minutes to see everything. We did go back and visit the museum after our walking tour and it was so worth it! So informative and well worth the price of admission. Very very enjoyable experience!

Food along the way

There is a café here, as well, Cafetaria do Museu Nacional dos Coches. It’s on the opposite side of the building from the museum entrance, closer to Av da India.

#2 – Garden of Praça Afonso de Albuquerque

#3 – Vasco da Gama Garden

#4 – Pastéis de Belém – A taste of Lisbon

Stroll north and cross R. de Belem from the Vasco da Gama Garden to Pastéis de Belém, the original home of the Portuguese egg custard tart widely known as ‘pastel de nata’. You should definitely try one (or two). Really. Do that unless you’re like, allergic to eggs or gluten intolerant or something. I mean, they’re really good but not worth making yourself ill. Ignore the Burger King a couple doors to the east. There’s just no excuse for American fast food in this neighborhood.

It seemed to us that virtually every cafe/bakery in Lisbon, maybe in Portugal, has pastel de nata. There are ongoing discussions (okay, it’s the internet — ongoing arguments) about who has the best. They’re inexpensive little treats, 1.40€ each when we were there. Call it 3 for US$5 if you’re budgeting. Pasteis de Belem is really nice but we ranked it 3rd, maybe 2nd on the list after trying a LOT of different places. My favorite was at Fabrica de Nata which is a chain coffee shop.

#5 – Jardim Botanico Tropical / Tropical Botanical Garden

This is a shortish detour up the hill and there isn’t really much to see from outside the gates. As I commented in the video – “Looks like plants”. We didn’t visit on this trip but it’s on our list for future stays in Lisbon.

#6 – Mosteiro dos Jerónimos / Jerónimos Monastery

This huge complex houses several different points of interest; the Jeronimos Monestery, cloisters and convent, Real Mosteiro de Santa Maria de Belém, Church of St. María of Belém as well as the Archaeology Museum and parts of the Museu de Marinha.

Pro Tip: If you are into the religious aspect then maybe it’s worth it to buy a ticket to the monastery itself (or use a Lisboa card to get in for free) but if you just into architecture, tour the outside of the building and then go into the lobby of the Museu de Marinha (your next stop) to see what the gothic arches look like on the inside.

#7 – Museu de Marinha / The Navy Museum

I try to keep telling myself that it isn’t actually called the Maritime Museum but, I mean, that’s what I’m going to continue to call it. My brain grabbed hold of ‘Marinha’, made it into ‘Maritime’ and there we remain. The museum is located in the Jeronimos Monastery, at the west end of the building. There is a large square with several sculptures and an open breezeway with some boats on exhibit. There is also a little cafe if you’re in need of a coffee or something.

This is a very good museum, covering the naval exploits of the Portuguese over the centuries. Exploration and discovery are huge parts of the Portuguese history and they’ve had their share of naval warfare experience.

The cafe at Museu do Marinha is a good spot to get a coffee and perhaps a pastry if you’re so inclined. The outdoor seating area offers a nice spot to do a little people watching.

#8 – Jardim da Praça do Império – Empire Square Garden

This is a very impressive garden/park with a variety of things to see. The fountain, the gardens themselves, some beautiful statuary and cobblestone paths with detailed designs laid into them.

If gardens and parks are your jam, this is a great area to spend some time. Praça do Império is a good picnic spot; we got pizza from one of the food trucks and took a break on the benches at the SW corner when we first arrived.

#9 – Centro Cultural de Belém / Museu de Arte Contemporânea

Frequently referenced as MAC/CCB, the Museum of Contemporary Art is housed within the Cultural Center. The courtyard is pretty cool but the rooftop garden is definitely worth the detour. This building stands in stark contrast to most of the rest of the district with its ultra-modern design.

We visited the Museum of Contemporary Art (MAC/CCB Museu de Arte Contemporânea) and while there is some great stuff, it was also kind of the final straw for why we don’t visit ‘modern art’ or ‘contemporary art’ museums anymore. (See ‘Art for art’s sake’ for my thoughts on that.)

An awful lot of the tours, including the walk we did on GPSMyCity, designate this as two landmarks. Although the museum of contemporary art is an attraction on its own, it wouldn’t make any sense to visit that museum and NOT explore the overall campus.

Exit the rooftop garden using the stairs on the Av Brasilia side and go west until you reach the pedestrian flyover Passadiço do Bom Sucesso-Belém.

Pro Tip: Walk along the Av. da India to see the awesome street art commemorating the Portuguese transition to democracy and the end of the Portuguese Colonial War

Food along the way

If you are in the mood for a pretty good, but slightly pricey, burger, then plan your visit to reach this point about lunchtime. You’ll find a vintage Airstream housing Ground Burger in the lot at this end of the flyover. It was nearly US$50 for the two of us to have burgers, fries and drinks but they were pretty darn good. We don’t splurge like that very often so when we do, it’s nice that the food is high quality. 

Once you cross Av India / Av Brasilia, there is a huge open park area so if you have littles that need to get some open field running taken care of, this is the place. Or, if you want a good place to lie in the sun for a while. The parks/gardens we just came through along R de Belem aren’t as conducive to sunbathing as Jardim da Torre de Belém.

#10 – Forte do Bom Sucesso / Museu do Combatente

Housed in the former Fort of Good Success (Forte do Bom Sucesso), Museum do Combatente – Museum of the Combatants – represents a little bit of each branch in both wartime and peacekeeping missions. Well worth the 4€ admission, there is a fantastic collection of aircraft models, full size guns and vehicles outside and a cool ‘trench warfare’ exhibit. Galleries are housed in what used to be offices, hallways, ammo bunkers, etc. There are stairs to deal with so if you have mobility issues this may not be a great experience. Or check with them about accommodations. We weren’t looking to see if there were alternatives routes to avoid the stairs but maybe they exist. We spent an hour here, not including time at the memorial located outside the fort/museum. That’s probably good for 20 to 30 minutes depending whether you are there for the changing of the guard.

#11 – Monumento aos Combatentes do Ultramar

While the Monumento aos Combatentes do Ultramar – Monument to Combatants who died in mission in Overseas War – is technically part of the Museu do Combatente, it is outside the fort/museum so it is open to the public free of charge and worth a visit on its own. This impressive monument includes plaques engraved with the names of approximately 10,000 Portuguese combatants who have died overseas. We happened to catch the changing of the guard one day and it was a solemn and impressive ceremony. I read in a couple of places that this involves 160 cavalrymen, 4 infantry soldiers, etc, etc and that is absolutely NOT what we experienced.

#12 – Torre de Belém – Belem Tower

Belem Tower is a massive tourist draw. Once upon a time, the tower was on an island in the Tagus river but the 1755 earthquake rerouted the river and now the ‘island’ is easily reached on a very short footbridge. We did not go into or up the tower. While we have heard that the views are great from the top, we have also heard that the inside is essentially empty so you’re only paying/standing in line to climb it. Amazing views of the Tagus are available for free in quite few other places.

Continuing east along the river, there is a path alongside the Tagus that takes a brief jog back to Av Brasilia to get around the marina. 

#13 – Padrão dos Descobrimentos – The Monument to the Discoveries

Shortly past the marina you will find Monument to the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos) which is an awesome, gigantic, sculpture dedicated to the explorers and discovers of Portugal’s storied past. A giant compass rose is laid into the cobblestones of the square. We spent about 45 minutes here and didn’t do the tour/climb. It’s that cool to just climb around the outside. Plus, we needed a little sit down break. When we did this adventure simply as a walking tour of Belem, we walked from our apartment in Alcântara to Museu do Combatente so we were already past the 3 mile mark when we reached the Monument to the Discoveries.

#14 – Belem River Station

While this just a ferry terminal, the interior decor of this building is worth a look.

#15 – MAAT: Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia – Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology

There are a few interesting things to see outside this incredible building but the highlight is the view from the roof. One of the reasons we didn’t bother to climb the Belem Tower for the view was that we had seen the view from MAAT and it is amazing.

We didn’t get into this museum on our visit but it’s top 3 on the list for our next trip to Lisbon. And there 100% for sure WILL BE a next trip to Lisbon. We were absolutely enamored of this city.

Thus endeth the tour

Now you’re back essentially back to where you started; there is a pedestrian flyover just near MAAT that will take you back to the Coach Museum.

You can view the route on our Belem Walking Tour Itinerary on Google My Maps!

Lessons from our Experience

Best time to visit, what to wear, how long to spend, and avoiding tourist traps.

Be aware when planning your visit to Belem

Depending when you visit – lines can be crazy long, or not… We visited in March and there were no lines at Combatente or MAC museums and we only waited behind about six people at the Navy Museum (Museu de Marinha). But Belem Tower and Jeronimos Monastery? Those two sites had serious lines…. 100 plus people. When we did the tuk tuk tour in February we saw lines about the same at both of those places.

You could turn this into a very full day of sightseeing and do in-depth visits on 3 or maybe 4 of the listed museums/attractions in one day. Had had time on our side because we slow travel so we broke our sightseeing up and made multiple trips into the Belem district because;

• Museu do Combatente is a 60 to 90 minute commitment,
• Museu de Marinha maybe 90 minutes to 2 hours,
• National Coach Museum 60 to 90 minutes, and the
• MAC is 2 to 3 hours depending on your interest in art. If you aren’t REALLY interested in art, this is a good one to skip.

We found the Lisboa Card worth it for museum entries and transit combined – If you plan to do a concentrated bout of sightseeing while in Lisbon, the Lisboa Card may be worth checking out. It offers free or discounted admission to dozens of museums and attractions in the area. We suggest making a list of the things you are interested in and then math it out. Keep in mind that the Lisboa card also functions as a transit pass within the city; jump onto any tram or bus and tap the card on the reader.

Not on the tour but another thing to checkout while in Lisbon is ginjinha or ginja. Ginjinha da Ribeira, next to the Time Out Market has a nice one but it’s readily available around town.