Marge1

Is it advantagous to take a walking tour through Belem or can it be done without a guide.
Thanks for your response.

peppermintpatti

Hi Marge, I think it can easily by done without a quide. I thought it was pretty simple to find and get to each of the sights. Wear good walking shoes, because even though they look close together they seem to move farther away from you as you are walking to them! If you have a good guide book, I think you will be fine. The coach museum has really good signage, and to me was very interesting. For the Monastery it would help to take your quide book, as I don't recall there being much signage there. Make sure you visit the Pastry shop while you are there! Have a great trip! pp

adrienne

You don't need a guided tour for Belem. You can take tram #15 from Praca do Comercio. The tram stops in front of the Coach Museum. The monastery is on the same side of the street a bit farther on - it's huge - you can't miss it.

Across the street is a lovely park with benches to relax a bit and there are restaurants/cafes.

There wasn't any signage in the Monastery so pages from a guide book would be helpful.

thursdaysd

Agree - guide completely unnecessary - take a guide book instead.

Sher

A good guide book will provide walking itineries for Lisbon. Though there are companies that provide that service.

Also, lreynolds, who posts here and spends a lot of time in Lisbon has a nice walking tour. She may see this and post for you.

Marge1

Thanks to all for the advise.I'll bring my guide book with me.
You just saved me mucho Euros.

lreynold1

Hi, Marge,
As Sher mentioned, I put together a route for what I think is a good walking tour of Lisbon. Depending on how much you stop and how slow you go, it can be up to a two day affair. It doesn't include Belem, but virtually everything a tourist wants to see in Belem is along the same street. There are a lot of choices out there, though, so it's a full day if you want to see more than the monastery and the Torre de Belem. The coach museum, Belem pastries, and Monument to the Discovery are on most people's list, and I also like the archaeological museum (small but some very nice things), my husband likes the huge nautical museum, and we both like the Cultural Center of Belem, though I am not wild about the art collection there, just a matter of taste.

My suggestions for walking are on this link (with an update at the end from my most recent trip):

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-of-lisbon.cfm

Hope you have a great trip. Laurie

utrechtman

if walking in lisboa, wear your most comfortable shoes!!! the seven hills and 7 billion cobblestones are a major workout for the legs and feet! We found that being in good physical shape was a plus for any significant walking in lisboa. Have fun!

elina

Eyewitness has a great Lisbon guide with many walking tours in different parts of the town, Belem included. We walked all f them a year ago. We also used the excellent train/metro/tram/bus network to the full. No need for a guide anywhere. Get a Lisbon card from the tourist info, it saves you money. With it most of the public transportation is free.