At the edge of the Tagus, you arrive at the most representative district of the Portuguese Discoveries: Belém. This is where the caravels of the navigator Vasco da Gama leave for the discovery of the sea route to India. Here, the splendor of the ancient empire is omnipresent. As, for example, the Monastery of Jerónimos (VISIT OF NEF), whose construction began in 1501 at the request of D. Manuel I and will end only a hundred years later. Built in the middle of the square of "Imperio", the monument presents architectural and decorative elements of the final Gothic period and the Renaissance, it is one of the most beautiful and grandiose monuments of the capital. To these architectural elements are added royal, religious, naturalistic and nautical emblems, thus creating a monument considered as the jewel of the Manueline style, an exclusively Portuguese style. The architectural grandeur of this monument is evident, having been recognized as UNESCO's Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Near the river, you will find another wonderful Manueline monument, also classified as World Heritage by UNESCO, the Belém Tower. Built in the 16th century on a project by Francisco Arruda, the Torre de Belém consists of a square tower with a polygonal bastion, oriented in the axis of the Tagus (external visit). We can also discover the Padrão dos Descobrimentos. This monument, dating from 1960, commemorates the fifth centenary of the death of Infante D. Henriques, paying tribute to this instigator of the Discoveries but also to the main Portuguese navigators. Belém owes its singularity to being the symbol of the "Golden Age" of the Discoveries. To walk in vast gardens as far as the eye can see, to admire the river or simply to enjoy a delicious "pastel de Nata" (Tasting included), produced since 1837. Belém is a must.
Back to your hotel.