I had very conflicting feeling when I was here. One, is the joy of traveling, being in a new country and a new UNESCO Site. Two, the not-so-positive feeling of being in the land of Vasco-da-Gama! This very site, Jerenimos Monastry is the last resting place of Vasco-da-Gama.
Why the not-so-positive feeling? Well, being an Indian, our history of being a colony began with Vasco-da-Gama! While the Indian civilization dates back to as old as 7000 BCE and proof for Indian products in Egypt, dating back to 3000 BCE, international commercial connections had always been there and done fair! But it was in 1498, when Vasco-da-Gama landed in Kerala, and tried to not pay the custom duties or pay the value for pepper, situation changed, and then began the rough history of India being invaded & colonized by one country after another till 1947 when we were finally independent! ![]()
Though called a tower, Belem Tower is a rather short one with 3 levels in it. At any given point of time 120 people are let inside the tower. Mostly its 60 pre-booked tickets/Lisboa card holders and 60 drop-ins. So technically there is no way to skip-the-line unless you're there on an off-season, mid-week day! There isn't much in the ground floor to see (but there was a temporarily closed section and I don't know what was there). Like most historic towers, this too is not wheelchair friendly and has a spiral staircase to climb it. Modern technology has been put in good use here with timed ascending and descending slots making less awkward half-way encounters! There are 4 floors before reaching the top of the tower. The view from atop the tower is awesome with a stunning view of the 25 Abril Bridge and the huge sculpture of Jesus Christ! This is called National Sanctuary of Christ the King, the looks very similar to Rio's Christ, the Redeemer. ![]()
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After this we entered the main church where the tomb of Vasco-da-Gama is located. Since the main church is free of cost, there is always a long queue here and it isn't possible to skip-the-line!!! The first things that fascinating me were its pillars and the ceiling. The pillars were tall and detailed - I mean, really tall till the ceiling of 2nd floor and the octoganal pillars were filled with such intricate relief sculptures in Renaissance theme. For this mind-blowing height, and the magnificent size of the room (30m wide x 25m tall), there are only 6 pillars! This is one of the largest rooms made in medieval times with the least number of pillars. Apart from these 2 we wanted to see quite a lot more in Lisbon including Santa Justa Lift, Carmo Convent Ruins, History of Lisbon Mural and Castelo de S. Jorge. However the 1.5hr flight delay proved costly plus the sudden weather change that got Atyudarini cranky, we had to skip all of that. However we headed to MAAT Museum whose terrace is publicly accessible and has a stunning view of 25 Abril Bridge! However, the longest and the most fascinating bridge in the city is the Vasco-da-Gama bridge which we only saw from the sky!!!Also we had a look at the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, a monument built in 1940, to celebrate the voyages done by various people like Vasco da Gama. There is a huge world map in front of it on the floor with years marked on it at various places indicating when a voyager from Portugal reached there. Ofcourse the earliest is Calicut (Calecute), India in 1498! Even though we had only 1 day in Lisbon, Lisboa card was good for us because, it not only included the tickets of these 2 sites, local public transport, but also the train to Sintra. Since we stayed in Sintra, we had to travel the same day, so it worked out cheaper for us (price details below).
To Get There:
The best way to get here from Lisboa city centre is by train. The nearest railway station to Belem Tower is Alges, however, it falls under Zone 2. Belem station is a short walk from the sites, but under Zone 1. If you buy a zonal ticket, you will have to get down at Belem and not Alges. However the Lisboa Card and Viva Viagem card with CP include the next zone.
It is possible to walk between the 2 sites. Auto rickshaws (tuk tuks) are also available!
Entry Tickets & Timings:
Jeronimos Church only: Free
Jeronimos Monastery: €10; Tue-Sun 10:00AM to 5:00/6:00PM (in winter/summer respectively)
Belem Tower: €6; Tue-Sun 10:00AM to 5:00/6:00PM (in winter/summer respectively)
Belem Tower & Jeronimos Monastery combined ticket: €12
Viva Viagem Public Transport card (excl. CP train to Sintra/Cascais) - 24hrs: €6.00
Viva Viagem Public Transport card (incl. CP train to Sintra/Cascais) - 24hrs: €10.55
Lisboa Card 24hrs - €20
