Lisbon rewards the curious like few European capitals — a city of tiled façades and tumbling hills where Manueline monuments, medieval quarters, panoramic miradouros, world-class museums and river beaches all sit within easy reach. Here are the 20 attractions worth building your trip around, each with prices, opening hours and tips to skip the queues.
€8Belém Tower
Area
Belém
Category
Landmark
“Go right at opening or in the last hour — the spiral tower staircase is single-file and queues badly midday.”
€12Jerónimos Monastery
Area
Belém
Category
Monastery
“Buy a combined ticket with Belém Tower online and enter the church (free) separately to skip that queue.”
FreeAlfama
Area
Alfama
Category
District
“Get deliberately lost before 10:00 — laundry strung between houses, fado drifting out, and almost no crowds.”
€15São Jorge Castle
Area
Castelo
Category
Castle
“Come for the last two hours before closing to catch sunset over the city from the ramparts.”
€3.20Tram 28
Area
Central
Category
Experience
“Board at Martim Moniz at 08:00 for a seat — after 10:00 it's standing-room only and prime pickpocket territory.”
FreePraça do Comércio
Area
Baixa
Category
Square
“Climb the Arco da Rua Augusta (€4.50) for a rooftop view straight down the square to the river.”
€€Time Out Market
Area
Cais do Sodré
Category
Food Hall
“Go at 11:30 or after 15:00 to grab a shared table — noon and 8pm are a scrum.”
FreeLX Factory
Area
Alcântara
Category
Creative Hub
“Visit the Ler Devagar bookshop with its flying-bicycle sculpture, then eat at the Sunday market brunch.”
€25Oceanário de Lisboa
Area
Parque das Nações
Category
Aquarium
“Book the first 10:00 slot to have the giant central tank almost to yourself.”
FreeBairro Alto
Area
Bairro Alto
Category
District
“Come by day for the tiled streets and shops, then again after 22:00 when the whole quarter becomes one street party.”
FreeChiado
Area
Chiado
Category
District
“Have a coffee standing at the counter of A Brasileira, then find the bronze Fernando Pessoa on the terrace outside.”
€5.30Elevador de Santa Justa
Area
Baixa
Category
Landmark
“Skip the ticket queue — reach the top viewpoint free from Largo do Carmo behind, and just pay for the walkway.”
FreeMiradouro da Senhora do Monte
Area
Graça
Category
Viewpoint
“Arrive 30 minutes before sunset with a bottle of vinho verde — it's the highest and most romantic terrace in the city.”
FreeMiradouro da Graça
Area
Graça
Category
Viewpoint
“The kiosk-café under the pines pours cold beer and petiscos — grab a table for the castle-and-river view.”
€8National Tile Museum
Area
Xabregas
Category
Museum
“Don't miss the 23-metre panorama of pre-earthquake Lisbon upstairs, and the gilded chapel hidden inside.”
€10Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
Area
Avenidas Novas
Category
Museum
“The ticket also covers the modern-art collection and the free gardens — a whole calm afternoon for €10.”
€11MAAT
Area
Belém
Category
Museum
“You can walk up and over the museum's curved white roof for free — the river view is the real draw.”
€1.40Pastéis de Belém
Area
Belém
Category
Institution
“Skip the takeaway line — walk through to the vast tiled back rooms and eat them warm, dusted with cinnamon.”
€10Padrão dos Descobrimentos
Area
Belém
Category
Monument
“Take the lift to the top for a bird's-eye view of the giant compass-rose mosaic laid in the pavement below.”
€5Sé Cathedral
Area
Alfama
Category
Cathedral
“Frame the classic shot of tram 28 rattling past the twin Romanesque towers from the street outside.”
Lisbon attractions in detail
1.Belém Tower
The Torre de Belém is the image every visitor carries home — an ornate little fortress rising straight out of the Tagus, built between 1514 and 1520 to guard the harbour mouth and to send Portugal's caravels off toward the Age of Discovery. It is a jewel of the Manueline style, that uniquely Portuguese late-Gothic exuberance, with rope-like stone carving, armillary spheres, Moorish-influenced watchtowers and a stone rhinoceros beneath one corner turret. Inside, a cramped spiral stair climbs past the governor's room and gun deck to a terrace with river views back toward the city. It's compact, so 45 minutes covers it, but the single-file staircase means queues build fast — arrive at 09:30 or in the final hour. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1983, it pairs naturally with the Jerónimos Monastery and Pastéis de Belém a short walk away, so most people fold all three into one Belém morning before the crowds and the heat arrive.
Hours
Tue–Sun 09:30–18:00 (closed Mon; last entry ~17:30)
Price
€8; free first Sun of month; under-12s free
Getting there
Tram 15E or bus 728 from Praça do Comércio; or CP Cascais line to Belém, then a 10-min walk
Insider tip: Go right at opening or in the last hour — the spiral tower staircase is single-file and queues badly midday.
2.Jerónimos Monastery
The Mosteiro dos Jerónimos is the high-water mark of Manueline architecture and the single most impressive building in Lisbon. Commissioned by King Manuel I in 1501 and funded by the pepper-and-spice wealth pouring in from Vasco da Gama's sea route to India, it took a century to complete and survived the great 1755 earthquake almost intact. The south portal is a riot of carved saints and maritime motifs, but the showstopper is the two-storey cloister — honey-coloured limestone lacework wrapped around a serene courtyard, arguably the loveliest cloister in Europe. The adjoining church, free to enter, holds the tombs of Vasco da Gama and the poet Luís de Camões beneath soaring palm-tree vaulting. A UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the Belém Tower, it draws long queues, so book a timed ticket online and go early. Allow an hour for the cloister and church, then reward yourself with a warm custard tart at nearby Pastéis de Belém.
Hours
Tue–Sun 09:30–18:00 (closed Mon)
Price
€12 cloister; church free; combined with Belém Tower ~€16
Getting there
Tram 15E from Praça do Comércio to Belém; or bus 728 / CP Cascais line to Belém station
Insider tip: Buy a combined ticket with Belém Tower online and enter the church (free) separately to skip that queue.
3.Alfama
Alfama is the soul of Lisbon — the tangle of steep, cobbled alleys that spills down the hill between São Jorge Castle and the river, the one part of the city that largely survived the 1755 earthquake. Its name comes from the Arabic al-hama (springs), a reminder of the Moorish centuries, and it still feels like a village: washing lines strung between pastel façades, caged canaries on windowsills, tiny grocers and family tascas, and the sound of fado leaking from doorways after dark. There are no real 'sights' to tick off beyond the Sé Cathedral and a scatter of miradouros — the point is to wander without a map, following stairways and archways until they open onto a sun-struck terrace with the Tagus glittering below. Ride tram 28 through it, climb to the Miradouro de Santa Luzia for the classic tiled-terrace panorama, and come back after dinner for a fado performance in one of the intimate restaurants. Watch your footing on the polished calçada, and your bag on the busiest tram.
Hours
Streets always open; fado houses from evening
Price
Free to wander
Getting there
Tram 28E through the heart of it; or Metro to Santa Apolónia, then walk uphill
Insider tip: Get deliberately lost before 10:00 — laundry strung between houses, fado drifting out, and almost no crowds.
4.São Jorge Castle
Castelo de São Jorge sits at the very top of Lisbon's highest central hill, and the climb is repaid the instant you reach the walls: the whole city cascades below in terracotta and white down to the wide silver Tagus, with the 25 de Abril bridge to the right and the Alfama rooftops directly beneath your feet. The site has been fortified since Roman and Visigothic times, taken by the Moors, and reconquered by Afonso Henriques in 1147 — the story that gives Portugal its founding myth. Today you can walk the restored ramparts and eleven towers, wander gardens patrolled by strutting peacocks, peer into archaeological remains of earlier settlements, and use a camera obscura (periscope) that pans across the city in real time. It's more about atmosphere and views than furnished interiors, so allow around 90 minutes. Tickets have crept up in price, so buy online to skip the queue, and time your visit for late afternoon when the light turns the city gold.
Hours
Daily 09:00–21:00 (Nov–Feb until 18:00); last entry ~30 min before
Price
€15; residents & under-12s reduced/free
Getting there
Tram 28E to the top, then a short climb; or bus 737 from Praça da Figueira to the gate
Insider tip: Come for the last two hours before closing to catch sunset over the city from the ramparts.
5.Tram 28
Line 28 of Lisbon's tram network has become an attraction in its own right — a fleet of beautifully preserved 1930s Remodelado trams, all polished wood and brass, that grind and rattle up gradients no modern vehicle could manage. The route threads the classic postcard neighbourhoods: from Martim Moniz it climbs through Graça and its miradouros, squeezes down the impossibly narrow lanes of Alfama past the cathedral, rolls across the elegant grid of Baixa and up again through Chiado, Bairro Alto and Estrela to Campo de Ourique. For the price of a normal ticket it's the best sightseeing tour in the city, but its fame is also its problem: by mid-morning the little carriages are jammed and worked by pickpockets, so board early at a terminus, keep valuables zipped and in front of you, and consider riding a stretch rather than the whole line. Tap a rechargeable Navegante card to pay €1.85 instead of the €3.20 onboard fare.
Hours
Daily ~06:00–22:30, every 10–15 min
Price
€3.20 onboard; €1.85 with a Navegante/Viva Viagem card
Getting there
Terminus at Martim Moniz (Metro green line) or Praça Luís de Camões
Insider tip: Board at Martim Moniz at 08:00 for a seat — after 10:00 it's standing-room only and prime pickpocket territory.
6.Praça do Comércio
Praça do Comércio is Lisbon's front door — a monumental U-shaped square, arcaded on three sides in Pombaline yellow and open on the fourth straight onto the Tagus, where the city's ships once docked and kings once landed. Laid out after the 1755 earthquake as the centrepiece of the Marquês de Pombal's rational new Baixa, it's dominated by an equestrian statue of King José I and closed at its northern end by the triumphal Arco da Rua Augusta, whose rooftop viewpoint gives a lovely look back over the plaza. Locals still call it Terreiro do Paço (Palace Yard) after the royal palace that stood here before the quake. Today the arcades hold cafés, the excellent Lisboa Story Centre and the ViniPortugal wine tasting room, while the marble river steps are a favourite spot to sit at sunset. It's free, central and unmissable — the natural place to begin a walk up pedestrian Rua Augusta into the heart of the Baixa grid.
Hours
Always open; arch viewpoint ~09:00–19:00
Price
Free; Rua Augusta arch ~€4.50
Getting there
Metro blue line to Terreiro do Paço; or tram 15E/25E along the riverfront
Insider tip: Climb the Arco da Rua Augusta (€4.50) for a rooftop view straight down the square to the river.
7.Time Out Market
When Time Out took over half of the 1892 Mercado da Ribeira in 2014, it invented a format the world has since copied: a single vast hall of communal tables ringed by stalls from the city's most celebrated chefs and restaurants, so a group can eat croquetes, a steak from a Michelin kitchen, fresh sushi and a pastel de nata all at once. Names like Henrique Sá Pessoa, Marlene Vieira and Manteigaria run counters here, alongside seafood, francesinhas, wine and craft beer bars. It's slick, buzzing and undeniably touristy — prices are higher than a neighbourhood tasca and the noise at peak times is intense — but the quality is genuinely high and it's an easy, low-commitment way to sample a lot of Portuguese cooking in one sitting. The traditional produce market still trades in the other half of the building in the mornings. Come off-peak for a table, and it sits right by Cais do Sodré station and Pink Street for the night that follows.
Hours
Daily ~10:00–24:00 (kitchens vary)
Price
Dishes €7–18; no entry fee
Getting there
Metro green line or CP Cascais line to Cais do Sodré, directly opposite
Insider tip: Go at 11:30 or after 15:00 to grab a shared table — noon and 8pm are a scrum.
8.LX Factory
LX Factory occupies a tangle of old textile and printing works tucked beneath the towering 25 de Abril bridge in Alcântara, reborn since 2008 as the city's creative quarter. Cobbled lanes between the brick warehouses are lined with independent boutiques, design studios, tattoo parlours, coworking spaces, rooftop bars and some of Lisbon's most Instagrammed restaurants, the whole place layered in bold street art and murals. The must-see is Ler Devagar, a soaring former printworks turned bookshop with towering shelves and a sculpture of a bicycle 'flying' overhead on a printing press. There's a lively Sunday market, plentiful brunch and dinner options, the Landeau chocolate-cake counter and Rio Maravilha's rooftop for sunset drinks over the river. It's free to explore and easy to fold into a Belém day, since it sits between the centre and the monuments. Come mid-afternoon to browse, stay for dinner, and don't miss climbing up to a terrace for the bridge and river views.
Hours
Shops ~11:00–20:00; restaurants & bars later; Sunday market
Price
Free to wander
Getting there
Tram 15E or bus to Alcântara; or CP Cascais line to Alcântara-Mar
Insider tip: Visit the Ler Devagar bookshop with its flying-bicycle sculpture, then eat at the Sunday market brunch.
9.Oceanário de Lisboa
The Oceanário de Lisboa, built for the 1998 World Expo, is consistently rated among the best aquariums on earth and is the city's top attraction for families. Its genius is architectural: a single enormous central tank holding five million litres of seawater, viewed from two levels and surrounded by four habitats representing the Atlantic, Pacific, Indian and Antarctic oceans, so sharks, rays, tuna and a much-loved sunfish drift past no matter where you stand. Smaller galleries house sea otters, puffins, tropical reef fish and an acclaimed temporary exhibition (recent ones designed with Takashi Amano's nature-aquarium philosophy). It's beautifully curated, calm and genuinely absorbing for two hours or more, engaging enough for adults and mesmerising for kids. Book a timed ticket online — it's busy year-round — and go for the earliest slot to beat the school groups. Afterwards, the surrounding Parque das Nações, with its riverside promenade, cable car and modern architecture, makes an easy, pram-friendly afternoon.
Hours
Daily 10:00–20:00 (Nov–Mar until 19:00); last entry 1h before
Price
€25 adults; €17 children; family tickets available
Getting there
Metro red line to Oriente, then a 10-min walk through Parque das Nações
Insider tip: Book the first 10:00 slot to have the giant central tank almost to yourself.
10.Bairro Alto
Bairro Alto is Lisbon's Jekyll-and-Hyde neighbourhood. Laid out in the 16th century on the hill above Chiado, by day it's a quiet grid of steep, narrow streets lined with tiled houses, vintage shops, tattoo studios, record stores and traditional fado restaurants, largely shuttered and sleepy. After dark it transforms completely: dozens of tiny bars fling open their doors, drinkers spill onto the cobbles with plastic cups, and the whole quarter becomes a roaming open-air party that runs until the small hours. It's the heart of Lisbon going out — cheap, chaotic and famously friendly — and it sits right beside Chiado's elegant cafés and the Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara, one of the best free viewpoints in the city, reached by the vintage Glória funicular. Visit twice: once in daylight for the shops, ceramics and old fado houses, and again late in the evening to bar-hop between the crush. It's loud and can get grubby, so keep an eye on your things and pace yourself.
Hours
Streets always open; bars from ~21:00 until ~02:00
Price
Free to wander
Getting there
Ascensor da Glória funicular from Restauradores; or tram 28E to Chiado, then walk up
Insider tip: Come by day for the tiled streets and shops, then again after 22:00 when the whole quarter becomes one street party.
11.Chiado
Chiado is the graceful hinge between the low Baixa grid and the bohemian Bairro Alto above — historically the haunt of Lisbon's writers, intellectuals and shoppers, and still its most sophisticated central district. This is where the poet Fernando Pessoa took his coffee at A Brasileira, whose Art Nouveau interior and pavement terrace (with a bronze Pessoa seated at a table) remain a pilgrimage. Around it cluster the São Carlos opera house, the Carmo Convent ruins left roofless by the 1755 earthquake as a haunting open-air memorial, historic bookshops like Bertrand (the world's oldest), and a mix of Portuguese heritage brands and international flagships along Rua Garrett. A devastating fire in 1988 gutted much of the quarter, but a sensitive Álvaro Siza-led reconstruction restored its elegance. It's compact and made for strolling, coffee-stops and window-shopping, and it connects effortlessly to Bairro Alto's nightlife and the Baixa's squares — an easy, pleasant hour or two threaded into any day in the centre.
Hours
Streets always open; shops ~10:00–20:00
Price
Free to explore
Getting there
Metro green/blue line to Baixa-Chiado; or tram 28E
Insider tip: Have a coffee standing at the counter of A Brasileira, then find the bronze Fernando Pessoa on the terrace outside.
12.Elevador de Santa Justa
The Elevador de Santa Justa is the most eccentric way to travel 45 metres uphill in Lisbon — a filigree cast-iron tower, all riveted arches and neo-Gothic detail, that hauls a pair of polished wooden cabins between the low Baixa and the Largo do Carmo above. Built in 1902 by Raoul Mesnier du Ponsard, an apprentice of the Eiffel circle, it looks like a stray piece of Parisian ironwork dropped into the Portuguese capital and is now a national monument. A spiral stair at the top leads to a small viewing platform with a fine 360-degree panorama over the Baixa's grid, the castle, the river and the roofless Carmo Convent. The catch is the perennial queue and the modest view for the money: savvy visitors walk up to Largo do Carmo from Chiado for free, cross the top walkway, and only pay the small viewpoint fee — skipping the ride entirely. It's a charming curiosity best seen early or late; the ride itself takes under a minute.
Hours
Daily ~07:00–22:00 (viewpoint slightly shorter)
Price
€5.30 return ride; viewpoint only ~€1.50
Getting there
Metro to Baixa-Chiado or Rossio; the lift is off Rua do Ouro/Rua de Santa Justa
Insider tip: Skip the ticket queue — reach the top viewpoint free from Largo do Carmo behind, and just pay for the walkway.
13.Miradouro da Senhora do Monte
Lisbon is a city of miradouros — the terraced viewpoints that reward every hill climb — and Nossa Senhora do Monte, up in Graça, is the highest and arguably the finest of them all. From its small tiled terrace beside a tiny chapel, the whole of central Lisbon unfolds: São Jorge Castle on its own hill in the middle distance, the Baixa and the river beyond, the 25 de Abril bridge to the left and, on clear evenings, the sun sinking behind the Cristo Rei statue on the far bank. It's less trafficked than the more central São Pedro de Alcântara or Santa Luzia viewpoints, which gives it a calmer, more local feel, and it's a beloved spot to watch the sunset with a drink from the little kiosk. Reach it on tram 28, which climbs through Graça nearby, and combine it with the neighbouring Miradouro da Graça, its café-terrace a couple of minutes downhill. Bring a jacket — the hilltops catch the Atlantic breeze even on warm days.
Hours
Always open
Price
Free
Getting there
Tram 28E to Graça, then a short uphill walk; or bus 734
Insider tip: Arrive 30 minutes before sunset with a bottle of vinho verde — it's the highest and most romantic terrace in the city.
14.Miradouro da Graça
Officially the Miradouro Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen but universally known as the Miradouro da Graça, this pine-shaded terrace beside the Graça convent is one of Lisbon's most sociable viewpoints. Where some miradouros are simply a railing and a view, this one has a proper kiosk-café under the trees, so you can settle in with a beer, a glass of wine or a plate of petiscos and linger over the panorama: São Jorge Castle directly opposite, the rooftops of Mouraria and the Baixa tumbling down to the Tagus, and the bridge beyond. It draws a friendly mix of locals, students and travellers, especially in the late afternoon and at sunset, when the light softens over the terracotta roofs. It sits on the tram 28 route through Graça, a couple of minutes downhill from the higher Senhora do Monte viewpoint, so the two are easily paired. Come for golden hour, stay for a drink, and watch the city lights flicker on across the hills.
Hours
Always open; kiosk ~10:00–24:00
Price
Free; drinks at the kiosk
Getting there
Tram 28E to Graça; the terrace is beside the Graça church
Insider tip: The kiosk-café under the pines pours cold beer and petiscos — grab a table for the castle-and-river view.
15.National Tile Museum
The Museu Nacional do Azulejo tells the story of the blue-and-white ceramic tiles that cover so much of Lisbon, and it's a quiet delight often overlooked by first-time visitors. Housed in the former Convento da Madre de Deus, founded in 1509, it walks you chronologically through five centuries of azulejo art, from geometric Hispano-Moorish patterns through exuberant Baroque narrative panels to Art Nouveau and bold contemporary pieces. The single most remarkable exhibit is a 23-metre panorama of Lisbon in around 1700, laid out in thousands of tiles, showing the waterfront city exactly as it was before the 1755 earthquake erased it. The building itself is half the reward: a serene Manueline cloister and, upstairs, the breathtaking convent church, its walls sheathed in blue tiles and dripping with gilded Baroque woodwork. There's a pretty tiled café-restaurant in a former kitchen too. It sits a little east of the centre, so pair it with a riverside walk, and give it around 90 minutes — it's inexpensive and consistently a highlight for anyone who lingers.
Hours
Tue–Sun 10:00–13:00 & 14:00–18:00 (closed Mon)
Price
€8; free first Sun of month
Getting there
Bus 718/759/794 from the centre to Igreja de Xabregas; ~15 min east of Santa Apolónia
Insider tip: Don't miss the 23-metre panorama of pre-earthquake Lisbon upstairs, and the gilded chapel hidden inside.
16.Calouste Gulbenkian Museum
The Museu Calouste Gulbenkian houses the extraordinary personal collection of the Armenian oil magnate Calouste Gulbenkian, who chose to leave his treasures to Portugal, and it's a museum on a human scale that repeatedly astonishes. Arranged chronologically and by region, the Founder's Collection sweeps from Ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian art through Greco-Roman coins, dazzling Islamic ceramics and Ottoman textiles, Chinese porcelain and Japanese lacquer, into European painting with works by Rembrandt, Rubens, Monet and Turner. It closes with a jaw-dropping room of René Lalique's Art Nouveau jewellery and glass, made for and collected directly from the artist. A separate modern building holds the CAM collection of 20th-century Portuguese and international art, and the whole complex is set within one of Lisbon's loveliest gardens — free, tranquil, full of ponds and shade, and a favourite local escape. It's uncrowded, air-conditioned and beautifully lit, making it ideal on a hot or rainy day. Allow at least two hours; the combined ticket is exceptional value.
Hours
Wed–Mon 10:00–18:00 (closed Tue)
Price
€10 (Founder's + Modern collections); gardens free
Getting there
Metro blue line to São Sebastião or Praça de Espanha, a short walk
Insider tip: The ticket also covers the modern-art collection and the free gardens — a whole calm afternoon for €10.
17.MAAT
The Museu de Arte, Arquitetura e Tecnologia — MAAT — is the most eye-catching piece of contemporary architecture on Lisbon's waterfront, a low, undulating building sheathed in three-dimensional white tiles that ripple and reflect the light bouncing off the Tagus. Designed by British architect Amanda Levete and opened in 2016, its curved roof doubles as a public terrace and gentle ramp you can walk up and over for free, giving a superb low-level view along the river to the 25 de Abril bridge — a favourite sunset spot even for those who skip the galleries. Inside, rotating exhibitions explore the intersection of art, architecture and technology, from digital installations to design and photography. The ticket also links to the adjacent Central Tejo, a beautifully preserved early-20th-century thermoelectric power station whose vast machinery is a spectacle in itself. It sits on the Belém riverfront within walking distance of the monastery and tower, so it slots neatly into a Belém day, especially if a burst of the contemporary appeals after all that Manueline stone.
Hours
Wed–Mon 10:00–19:00 (closed Tue)
Price
€11 full; combined with the old power station
Getting there
Tram 15E to Belém; the museum is on the riverfront near the bridge
Insider tip: You can walk up and over the museum's curved white roof for free — the river view is the real draw.
18.Pastéis de Belém
No trip to Lisbon is complete without a warm pastel de nata, and the place to eat it is the source: Pastéis de Belém, baking since 1837 to a recipe said to have come from the monks of the neighbouring Jerónimos Monastery and known only to a handful of pastry chefs sworn to secrecy. The tarts — crisp, blistered puff pastry cradling a rich, caramelised custard — arrive hot from the oven, and the ritual is to dust them with cinnamon and icing sugar and eat them on the spot with a strong bica coffee. The long queue snaking out the door is for the takeaway counter; the secret is that the café stretches back through a warren of beautiful blue-tiled rooms seating hundreds, where you can usually find a table and be served in minutes. Purists argue about whether Manteigaria in the centre now makes a better tart, but Belém has history, atmosphere and the definitive version on its side. Pair it with the monastery and tower for the perfect Belém morning.
Hours
Daily ~08:00–23:00 (seasonal)
Price
~€1.40 per tart; coffee €1–2
Getting there
Tram 15E to Belém; it's on Rua de Belém steps from the monastery
Insider tip: Skip the takeaway line — walk through to the vast tiled back rooms and eat them warm, dusted with cinnamon.
19.Padrão dos Descobrimentos
The Padrão dos Descobrimentos — the Monument to the Discoveries — rears up from the Belém waterfront like the prow of a caravel setting out to sea, a 52-metre slab of pale stone crowded with the figures of the men and women who drove Portugal's 15th- and 16th-century voyages. At its head stands Henry the Navigator, followed by explorers, cartographers, missionaries and kings including Vasco da Gama, Ferdinand Magellan and the poet Camões, all leaning forward toward the ocean. Built in 1960 for the 500th anniversary of Henry's death (on the site of a 1940 exhibition original), it's a grand, if politically complicated, celebration of the Age of Discovery. A lift and short stair climb to a rooftop viewpoint with fine views over Belém, the river and the monastery, and from up there you look straight down onto the huge compass-rose mosaic set into the plaza, a gift from South Africa marking the routes and dates of the great voyages. It stands right on the Belém riverfront, an easy addition to the tower-and-monastery walk.
Hours
Daily 10:00–19:00 (Oct–Feb closed Mon)
Price
€10 with viewpoint; ~€6 monument only
Getting there
Tram 15E to Belém, then cross to the riverfront by the underpass
Insider tip: Take the lift to the top for a bird's-eye view of the giant compass-rose mosaic laid in the pavement below.
20.Sé Cathedral
The Sé de Lisboa — properly the Cathedral of Santa Maria Maior — is the oldest church in the city and one of its most enduring images, its blunt twin bell-towers and rose window looming over the Alfama hillside as the yellow tram 28 clatters past below. Begun in 1147 immediately after Afonso Henriques took Lisbon from the Moors, and built partly on the site of a former mosque, it has the squat, castle-like solidity of a Romanesque fortress-church, reinforced over the centuries against the earthquakes that repeatedly rattled the city. The dim, austere nave rewards a quiet look, but the paid highlights are the Gothic cloister — where ongoing archaeological digs have uncovered Roman, Moorish and medieval layers beneath the arches — and the treasury with its reliquaries and manuscripts. It's free to step into the main church, cheap to see the cloister, and quick to visit, so most people pause here on the walk up to or down from the castle. The photograph of the tram framed by the towers is the reason many stop at all.
Hours
Daily ~10:00–18:00 (cloister & treasury ticketed)
Price
Church free; cloister/treasury ~€5
Getting there
Tram 28E passes the door; or walk up from Praça do Comércio
Insider tip: Frame the classic shot of tram 28 rattling past the twin Romanesque towers from the street outside.