Belém sightseeing, Lisbon

Favorite thing: The Lisbon card is a card that gives you free public transport, free entry to many monuments and museums and discounts on even more places.
The card can be a good deal if yuo plan to do a lot of sightseeing in little time and plan to travel a lot around the city.
The price of the Lisbon card is:

Adults 1 day 16,00 €
Adults 2 days 27,00 €
Adults 3 days 33,50 €

Favorite thing: If you're staying in Lisbon over the weekend, make sure you visit Belem on a Sunday as all of the attractions are free to enter between 10am and 2pm. I found it a bit of a struggle to visit all of them in this time and so had to pay for the National Coach Museum but if you do manage to cram in the Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Museu Nacional de Arqueologia, Museu de Marinha, Belem Tower and National Coach Museum in this time, you could save yourself €24!

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Favorite thing: The Tower of Belem, called Torre de Belem in Portugese, was built to honor Vasco de Gama the great explorer. Built in the 16th century today it is a UNESCO site. If you want to know more history go to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bel%A9m_Tower. When we visited we could not enter as they were doing reconstruction or repair work.

Fondest memory: WE did meet up with a Portugese Army unit that was in Belem Park to do some type of celebration, we did not manage to understand from the soldiers we spoke with, lack of communication skills on my part (don't know Portugese :o(((
But did get a nice photo of Tal with a pair of soldiers.

Favorite thing: Belèm is a district of Lisbon. It is located six kilometers from the city center.

One of its main attractions is the Jeronimos Monastery (1502-1551); a huge white building with a magnificient carved portal and a big two-storeys cloister. Not far from the monastery there is the Discovery monument (see tip). After quite a long walk you arrive to the Tower of Belèm. It was built between 1515 and 1520. This is the only monument built completely in Manueline style in Lisbon.

Belèm is located alongside the river Tagus. You can go there by tram n. 15 from Commerce Square.

Favorite thing: In Belèm; along the Tajo river, you can see this 52 m. high monument.

It was built in 1960 in memory of the 500th anniversary of Prince Hernry's death.

Several famous people are carved on this huge caravel shaped sculpture; Henry The Navigator, Vasco Da Gama and many others.

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Favorite thing: This tower was built to serve as a lookout point over the Tagus river and to defend the port of Lisbon. It was used as a fortress, a prison, a lighthouse and also as a telegraph office and a custom post.

The tower of Belèm is the only monument built completely in Manueline style in Lisbon, even if some of its decorations date from the renovation of the 1840. Its construction begun in 1515 and ended in 1521.

Favorite thing: There are a couple of museums of special interest inside the Jeronimos Monastery. One is the Maritime Museum, showing Portuguese caravels and other aspects of the discoveries, the other is the Archeological Museum, with prehistoric, Roman, and Moorish finds from throughout the country.

Favorite thing: The Discoveries Monument is a reminder that Lisbon was a starting point for many of the world's great 15th century voyages of discovery. There are great bird's-eye views of the historical Belem district from above.

Favorite thing: Most of my stay in Lisbon was all around Belem. This is because I was told before I left that this is where the attractions are. Also, I took an hotel in Belem. So, it was easy to do the tour of most of the touristic place on foot. The monument in this picture was taken in the belem park, which is very well positioned close to the water front.

Fondest memory: Across the monument lies the Presidents house, and the whole place was quite and the feeling is just great. Lots of flowes, trees good company of other tourist that are having a look in the woods.

Favorite thing: When you continue by walking upriver (somebody said it´s not so far away, but it took a lot of time!) from Belém towards the city center, you reach the Discoveries Monument with figures of all the famous portuguese explorers, poets and painters.