When you think of Lisbon, the Belem Tower is one of the first (if not the first) things that come to your mind. As the most famous monument in the capital city of Portugal, these are some of the million things you should know about the Belem Tower of Lisbon: Opening hours, ticket price, facts, history, how to get there…and many more!
We will tell you all about this Lisbon monument and also about our experience during the time we spent there!
Belem Tower Lisbon opening Hours:
The Belem Tower of Lisbon opening hours and times are:
- From May to September the Belem Tower opening times are from 10:00 Am to 6:30 Pm. Last admission is at 6:00 Pm
- October to April: The Tower of Belem opening hours are from 10:00 Am to 5:30 Pm. Last admission at 5:00 Pm
- It´s closed on Mondays, but also the following days: 25 of December and 1 January, Easter Sunday, the 1st of May and 13th of June.
Best time to visit the Tower of Belem
- What´s the best time to visit the Belem tower?
That is one of the most asked question of this place. As many people know, the Belem Tower gets really crowded.
Without any doubt of all the Belem Tower hours, the best time to visit is during surise. Waking up early is hard sometimes, but If you are not a big fan of crowds, we recommend you to go there early in the morning. You will have the place for yourself and many photo opportunities.
If you just can´t wake up early, we have good news for you! The Belem tower is in a wide and open space, so there is enough room for everyone. If you move a little bit away from the people, you will still be able to get good pictures without thousand tourists on it. Even if you go there at midday (worst time to visit the Tower of Belem).
Belem Tower Ticket Price / Entrance Fee
The Belem Tower ticket price for adults is 6€.
If you buy the combined ticket the Belem Tower entrance fee is 12€ (Access to the Jerónimos Monastery and the national architecture museum).
50% discount for: People over 65 years old, youth / student card and families of one adult and two children under the age of 18. (All this should be proven to get the discount)
Belem Tower free Sunday
Good news! The price on Sunday is 0€. Yes! That´s right there is no entrance fee on Sunday from 10:00 Am to 14:00 Pm.
Tip: do not go on Sunday if you don´t mind paying the price, because it gets busy and it´s annoying.
Belem tower tickets online
People think it doesn´t matter to get the Belem Tower tickets online or to wait the queue, but the difference is huge! It will save you a lot of time, plus we are sure waiting for 30 minutes during the hot month of August is not fun at all!
You can either decide to buy the tickets on the site for just the Belem Tower, or another great option is to buy the Lisboa card, which is useful because the transport and other attractions are covered: See it here.
Belem Tower Inside
We must tell you the truth, we did not get to visit the inside of the Belem Tower. So we can not tell you all about it. But we do know one thing, if your idea is to go inside the tower, make sure you visit it at 10 Am. As soon as it opens, because if not the crowds will annoy you.
There is a limit of people that can go up the tower, that is 150 people. The spot may be worth the visit, but we didn´t have that much time to wait the long queue. So again, if you want to go up the tower and see the view, keep in mind there will be a lot of tourists trying to do the same.
Belem Tower Facts
Some of the most interesting Belem Tower facts are:
- The Tower of Belem is also known as the Tower of St Vincent.
- The Belem Tower of Lisbon is considered since 1983 a World Heritage by the UNESCO.
- Belem Tower is one of “The 7 wonders of Portugal”
- Over 500.000 tourists visit Belem Tower every year.
- The most visited place of the Belem area is not the tower, but a pastry shop where you can find the best Pastéis de Belém.
Belem Tower History
The Belem Tower was built in 1514 and it was finished in 1520. The king Manuel I was the one who ordered to build the Tower with the purpose of having a stronger defense on the shores of the Tagus river. The Architect was Francisco de Arruda, who worked in Morocco before and gave it influence of the Moroccan architecture. Years later the Belem Tower became into a lighthouse.
Belem Tower Height
The Belem tower height is around 12 meters wide and 30 meters tall.
How to get to Belem Tower from Lisbon? Map
Belem Tower is located at the Belem coast, and although is probably the most famous monument in the city of Lisbon, it´s situated far away from the centre of the city.It´s actually between 6 and 9km away from Lisbon. You can either decide to go by tram, metro or bus. Depending on where you are located at, you may need to get tickets for more than one public transport. Next you will see how to get to Belem Tower from the most famous locations:
See the exact location of Belem Tower.
How to get to Belem from Rossio?
During our time in Lisbon, we were staying at Gat Rossio Hotel (one minute far from Rossio square) which by the way, it was amazing. Although the location was perfect for central Lisbon, and it made us easier to visit the famous spots of Lisbon, we still needed to get a public transport to get to Belem Tower because walking it would take us more than 1h and 30minutes!
After a while looking on maps and asking people, we discovered the best way to get to Belem Tower from Rossio, and it was taking the famous tram 15 (or 15E). Is the fastest way and if you didn´t get to ride on a tram before, that is your perfect chance to do it!
How to get to Belem from Bairro Alto
Taking a taxi or an uber is a great option if you want to go from Bairro Alto to Belem Tower, but it will not be the cheapest one. Taking the tram 15 it´s a great choice, but you´ll need to walk a until you find the tram stop. If not, you can also take the bus 728.
How to get to Belem from Alfama
Again the tram 15 that goes through the most touristic spots in Lisbon is the best option. The busses 728 and 714 are great options as well to go from Alfama to Belem.
Belem restaurants
As we told you before, Belem is far away from central Lisbon, so many of you probably decide to spend the day on that area. Belem is really touristic and that could be annoying, but the good thing is they are also really well prepared for everyone and there are some really good restaurants all around the area. Some of the best places to eat in Belem are Os Jeronimos and Honorato Belem.
Hope you enjoyed our Belem Tower tips
That´s all the information about Belem Tower you should know! We think there is nothing left, but if you have any question or sugestion, let us know in the comments. Enjoy visiting the Tower of Belem!!