Belém Tower — Attraction in Lisbon

Recently visited on my holiday to Lisbon, Portugal, this year in June 2024. What an amazing place. Architecturally the tower is stunning! Once inside, you realise how big it actually is from the landing balcony to the tower itself and many levels it has.

All floors were accessible apart from the top of the actual tower. Views overlooking the Targus river are amazing, especially with the backdrop of the Ponte de Abril 25 Bridge and Christo Rei in the far distance.

Very picturesque. Plenty to take pictures of. Wear sturdy shoes/trainers as lots of walking required and staircase in the tower is very narrow and steep.

The ticket kiosk is in the park then you line up outside the tower. It was quite busy, took about 45 mins to an hour's wait but once inside you are free to explore without any time restraint.

Even though Belem has a station stop, it is quite a distance to the tower. Once you get off, its about a 15/20 min walk depending how fast you walk. But it is a nice leisurely stroll and you can see the Monument to the Discoveries in the distance and go past it before you get to the park whereby you can purchase your ticket for Belem Tower.

Definitely recommend visiting the tower on your trip. Stunning visually, a stunning architecture feat. There are several drinks kiosks nearby but much on the pricey side.

(Side note) - Only one ticket machine at Belem station so very busy. It said it took notes but wasn't accepting them at the time so carry a card as well or make sure the yellow card you get given at the station is topped up with enough money so you don't get caught out. Train was very...

This is an interesting historical structure, and looking around outside is free. To go inside, you need a ticket, which can either be purchased online ahead of time or on-site (curiously, the ticket booth is not at the entrance to the tower and you have to go to the other side of the beach near the water closets).

On a weekday around noon, the wait is a good hour long. Personally, I wouldn't wait that long, even if it was free, but my kids both really wanted to go in, so we waited. There is no shade at all for the line, but nearby there are a few trees, so I stayed in line while the kids waited in the shade. There are nearby snack stands where you can get the kids callipos, or other frozen treats, and that helped immensely for their wait.

Once inside, there is a further wait to get to the upper levels (no further payments required). As the stairs up are very narrow spiral stairs and the upper levels have limited capacity, there is a set time interval for a given group to move up to each successive level that is managed by staff.

The views are nice and there are a few short descriptions on how the various rooms were used.

This is a very popular tourist attraction that is popular among many websites as a top destination. Again, it's neat to see, and free from the outside. If you get there early, your wait will be much improved, in which case, it may be worth your time, but personally, I wouldn't recommend it unless you make it a priority and get there early enough to cut down...

The Torre de Belem, perhaps the most important cultural symbol of Portugal, is definitely a place I recommend visiting and buying tickets to go inside.

Previously surrounded by water but now located close to the shore, this structure can be considered the finest example of Manueline architecture in Portugal. From the outside, it may not seem like there's much inside, but there are actually many details you can explore. You can climb to every floor of the tower, allowing you to understand how it was truly used. There's nothing added or fabricated inside, everything is as it really was.

I see people complaining in reviews that there's nothing inside. Yes, there are no belongings inside. This tower was actually built to welcome explorers returning from sea adventures, merchants, and famous commanders. I don't understand what people expect to see inside and can't see. If you have such expectations, I also recommend not entering. However, if you're interested in architecture and history, I believe you can enjoy the tower.

Also, I should mention that when I visited, there wasn't much of a crowd, but I had to wait a bit to enter. Inside the tower, there's only one staircase between floors, so you can't move up and down as freely as you'd like. To avoid crowding on the stairs, the staff coordinate visitors using walkie-talkies. As I said, I didn't see it as a problem when I visited because it wasn't too crowded, but this could be an issue...