Torre de Belem Review

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Torre de Belém

  • Address: Av. de Brasília, Belém, Lisbon
  • Phone: 21/362-0034

Fodor's Review:

The openwork balconies and domed turrets of the fanciful Belém Tower make it perhaps the country's purest Manueline structure. It was built between 1514 and 1520 on an island in the middle of the Rio Tejo, and dedicated to St. Vincent, the patron saint of Lisbon. Today the chalk-white tower stands near what has become the north bank—evidence of the river's changing course. It was originally constructed to defend the port entrance, but it has also served as a customs control point, a telegraph station, a lighthouse, and even a prison from the late-16th through the 19th century. Cross the wood gangway and walk inside, not necessarily to see the rather plain interior but rather to clamber up the steep stone steps to the very top. From here you have a bird's-eye view of the river and central Lisbon. However, the best view of the torre itself is from the top of the nearby Padrao dos Descobrimentos.

  • Cost: EUR 3
  • Open: Tues.-Sun. 10-6:30
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