Belém riverside: monastery, tower and custard tarts: a walk in Lisbon

The Age of Discovery sights strung along the river, with the original custard-tart bakery and a free rooftop walk at MAAT to finish.

Best time: Tuesday to Sunday morning (national monuments close on Mondays)

The route, stop by stop

1
Jerónimos Monastery
Cloister; 60-75 min.
UNESCO-listed 16th-century monastery paid for by spice-trade money; the two-storey Manueline cloister is the showpiece and Vasco da Gama's tomb is in the church.
2
Pastéis de Belém
Tarts at the tiled tables; 20 min.
The 1837 bakery that claims the original monks' recipe for pastéis de Belém; the tarts have a crisper shell than elsewhere.
3
MAC/CCB Museum of Contemporary Art
Contemporary art or just the CCB garden terraces; 30-90 min.
The contemporary art museum inside the Belém Cultural Centre, built on the former Berardo collection with 20th-century movements from surrealism to pop art.
4
Monument to the Discoveries
Compass-rose map in the pavement; 15 min.
The 52 m riverside monument to Henry the Navigator and the explorers; the giant marble compass-rose world map in the pavement in front is free.
5
Belém Tower
Timed entry, max 60 people per half hour; 45 min.
The 1510s Manueline fortress-tower on the river, with a carved rhinoceros and stone rope-work. It reopened on 27 May 2026 after a year of restoration, with entry capped at 60…
6
MAAT - Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology
Walk over the roof for the bridge view; 20 min.
A wave-shaped riverside building linked to a converted power station; the walkable roof is a free sunset spot facing the 25 de Abril bridge.