Jerónimos Monastery

King Manuel I founded the monastery, and construction began on 6 January 1501. It was financed by the Vintena da Pimenta, a 5 percent tax on trade with Africa and the East that brought in around 70 kilograms of gold a year. Diogo de Boitaca designed it and João de Castilho continued the work, in the Manueline style: a richly carved late Gothic full of ropes, shells and other maritime motifs, in a local golden limestone called lioz.

The two-storey cloister, 55 by 55 metres, is covered in carving and is the highlight of a visit. In the Church of Santa Maria de Belém, a ribbed vault spans the 19-metre-wide transept without any supporting columns; the church holds the tombs of Vasco da Gama, of the poet Luís de Camões and of the kings Manuel I and John III. The building survived the Lisbon earthquake of 1755 with little damage and housed monks for more than four centuries, until 1833.

Together with the Belém Tower, the monastery has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1983. Its western wing holds the Maritime Museum and the National Archaeology Museum. On Tiqets you can choose an entry ticket, a guided tour in the morning (with skip-the-line entry) or in the afternoon, a guided tour combined with a walking tour of Belém, or entry together with a hop-on hop-off bus.

The queue is often long, so come at opening time or book a ticket in advance. Belém is a short tram or train ride west of central Lisbon, and the Belém Tower is a walk away along the river, so the two fit easily into one morning.