My tips for discovering the Belém district in Lisbon

After my Food Tour in Lisbon to discover Portuguese gastronomy and some great addresses, my little sightseeing tour of the city center, and Cascais, here is a more specific article to guide you in discovering the Belém district. This district of Lisbon, located 6 km west of the current city center, is bursting with activities and cultural sites, so I will try to give you some ideas for outings and visits there. Since I also stayed in this district during my trip to the city, I felt it was only natural to write an article just about Belém.

Plan your stay

The hotel we tried

Hotel Jerónimos 8
Design hotel near the Jerónimos Monastery, pastéis de Belém at breakfast
Check rates Read my review

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Fountain in front of the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, Lisbon.

Blue Agapanthus flowers in a shaded park near the monuments of Belém, Lisbon.

Garden in front of the Jerónimos Monastery bell tower in Belém, Lisbon.

Where to stay in Lisbon? Hotel Jerónimos 8

This 4-star design hotel is ideally located between the Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém bakery.

The tip: it is the only place outside the Belém bakery where you can find the famous pastéis de Belém (which I talk about a little more at the bottom of this article and in my Lisbon Food Tour).

You can indeed enjoy them in the morning at the hotel breakfast. I don’t think I was reasonable at all, because I ended up eating them every morning… So be careful not to stay too long at this hotel, otherwise you risk gaining 10 kg very quickly…

Modern lobby with beige and brown sofas, suspended red lighting, at Hotel Jerónimos 8.

Pastel de Belém on a napkin with cutlery,

Long-legged angel sculpture in front of a red wall, likely at the Museu Coleção Berardo.

Modern hotel corridor with red striped carpet and room number 123.

Hotel Jerónimos 8

Rua dos Jeronimos, 8 / 1400-211 Lisboa
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Visiting the Museu Coleção Berardo

This Contemporary Art museum houses Portugal’s largest collection dedicated to 20th-century art. These works belonged to a private collector, José Berardo, who gathered this collection over the last two decades, and they have been visible in this museum since 2007. It notably features works by Calder, Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, Joan Miro, Mondrian, Andy Warhol, Pierre Soulages, Jackson Pollock, Modigliani, Francis Bacon, Cindy Sherman…

Children playing under the colored sails of the Belém Cultural Center courtyard.

Bronze sculpture of a woman with a deer and dogs in front of a large painting.

Modern art mobile hanging above an interior spiral staircase.

Museu Coleção Berardo

Praça do Império 1449-003 Lisboa

In the Belém district

Open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 AM to 7 PM

The tip: admission to the museum is free for everyone

Visiting the National Coach Museum

This magnificent museum, dedicated to antique carriages of the Portuguese monarchy, just reopened its doors last May in a design building perfectly adapted to the conservation and exhibition of its extraordinary collection. A must-visit if you are a fan of beautiful museums and beautiful objects!

Golden ceremonial carriage displayed at the National Coach Museum in Belém.

Royal gala carriage displayed at the National Coach Museum in Lisbon.

Red and black ceremonial carriage displayed at the National Coach Museum in Belém.

Golden sculpture of a horse and mythological figures in the National Coach Museum.

Golden and red royal carriage displayed at the National Coach Museum in Belém.

Museu Nacional dos Coches

Avenida da Índia 136, 1300-300 Lisboa

2026 opening hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 6 pm; last admission at 5:30 pm. Closed on Mondays.

Admission only: official standard price of €15 in 2026.

The Fever offer below includes an adult ticket and an English audio guide on your phone. Bring a smartphone and headphones. Tickets are non-refundable and cannot be changed; the package price is shown when booking.

Book your visit → For a more transparent world…If you book through this link, we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. A way to support our work and future travel reports.

Visiting the Jerónimos Monastery

This magnificent Portuguese monastery, in the Manueline (late Gothic) style, is a monumental testimony to the wealth of Portuguese discoveries around the world. This monastery is definitely worth a look, and you should take at least 1 or 2 hours to visit the interior and discover its magnificent cloister, a real little architectural jewel with a beautiful collection of sculptures. In one of the cloister’s hallways, one can also find the tomb of Fernando Pessoa, a Portuguese writer and poet, since 1985.

Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon, sculpted details and dome under blue sky.

Exterior detail of the Jerónimos Monastery, Belém, Lisbon, with vegetation.

Detail of the dome and pinnacles of the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, Lisbon.

Ornate Gothic vault of the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, Lisbon.

Cloister of the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, Lisbon.

Mosteiro dos Jerónimos

Praça do Império, 1400-206 Lisboa

2026 cloister hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 9:30 am to 5:30 pm; last admission at 5 pm. Closed on Mondays.

Admission only: official standard price of €18 in 2026; free for children up to and including age 12.

The Civitatis offer includes admission with an English audio guide depending on the option. It does not bypass the queue to enter the monument. Tickets are non-refundable and cannot be changed; the package price is displayed when booking.

Book your visit → For a more transparent world…If you book through this link, we receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. A way to support our work and future travel reports.

The Belém Tower

This tower built in the 16th century on the banks of the Tagus was intended to guard the entrance to the port of Lisbon. You can also visit the interior if you wish, which I unfortunately did not have time to do… it will be for next time…

Belém Tower in Lisbon with wooden pier on the water.

Belém Tower in Lisbon, iconic monument on the water.

Belém Tower in Lisbon on the rocky shore with the sea and hills.

Belém Tower

open every day from 10 AM to 6:30 PM

Av. Brasília, 1400-038 Lisboa

pricing: €6 / free on the first Sunday of every month, for children under

12

The famous Pastéis de Belém

In front of this old and very famous confectionery, hundreds of people wait every day to be able to taste its delicious little Portuguese custards, delicately dusted with icing sugar and cinnamon. The shop produces more than 22,000 every day, which will be entirely devoured during the day anyway (at the same time, these little treats don’t keep for more than 48 hours, what a good excuse!). The Portuguese always eat them in pairs. Why? Simply because when you’ve eaten one, you inevitably want to have a second one…

Pastéis de Belém, espresso and salt shakers on a table with Portuguese patterns.

Pastel de Nata, Pastéis de Belém coffee, cinnamon and icing sugar.

Restaurant interior with blue and white tile wall, table and chairs.

Bustling café interior with a waiter carrying a tray and seated customers.

Pastel de nata sprinkled with icing sugar and cinnamon on a blue and white plate.

Lisbon restaurant interior with blue and white tiles and simple tables.

Lisbon restaurant interior with tables, chairs and traditional Portuguese tiles.

Pastéis de Nata on a plate, with Pastéis de Belém napkin box.

Empty restaurant lounge area with golden wall lamp and table for four people.

This address is indeed very popular with Lisboetas and tourists because it is only there that you will be able to feast on these specialties of Belém, the recipe for which is kept secret and known to only 6 people! I am extremely lucky, however, since I had the opportunity to go behind the scenes of the establishment to discover the manufacture (after the secret mixing of the ingredients for the dough of course) of the famous pastéis.

The other recipes that you will find in Portugal called Pastéis de Nata are actually copies of this original recipe inherited from the monks of the Jerónimos Monastery very close to the pastry shop (this explains that)… And honestly, I am not a great connoisseur in terms of pastéis, but I don’t think I’m overstating it by saying that those of Belém are actually inimitable… So if you are passing through Lisbon, this must be a mandatory stop on your trip!

Pastry chef handling freshly baked Pastéis de Belém in Lisbon.

Pastry chefs preparing dough in a professional kitchen near molds.

Pastry chef handling pastéis de nata at Pastéis de Belém.

Preparation of pastéis de nata in Lisbon with several trays of filled molds.

Golden Portuguese puff pastry tarts in baking molds.

Pastéis de Belém sign, since 1837, blue shopfront.

Staff serving pastries and bottles in a historic Lisbon shop.

Pastéis de Belém sign, Oficina do Segredo since 1837.

Antiga Confeitaria de Belèm

84-92 rua de Belem – Lisbon

Open Monday to Sunday from 8 AM to 11 PM and until midnight during the summer

I hope that with all this I will have made you want to discover this district of Lisbon, and if you too have your own favorite addresses and tips, do not hesitate to share them in the comments!