Belém

It was from here that the ships of Vasco da Gama left and discovered the sea route to India and everywhere you can feel the greatness of the former empire.

As in one of the landmark of the city, the Jeronimos Monastery, built in 1501 on the initiative of King Manuel I and only one hundred years later would be completed and has been recognized as World Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.

Today, at the wings of the former monastery, we can find the Navy Museum and the Museum of Archeology. The church of the monastery, the Church of Santa Maria de Belém, is a magnificent temple. The tombs of Vasco da Gama and the epic poet Luís de Camões are there.

Also in Belém, near the river, you will find another wonderful Manueline monument, also classified as World Heritage by UNESCO, the Tower of Belem, designed in the sixteenth century.

Much more recent, but still invoking the grandeur of the Age of Discovery, is in Belém the Monument of Discoveries. The monument, from 1960, celebrates the fifth centenary of the death of Infante D. Henrique, honouring him but also other Portuguese navigators.

But modernity and cultural activities are also present in CCB - Centro Cultural de Belem. To wander the extensive gardens, to admire the river or simply relax with a delicious “pastel de nata”, Belém is essential.