Hotels near Jerónimos Monastery and Belém

The Jerónimos Monastery is the finest example of Manueline architecture in Portugal, begun in 1501 and paid for largely with the profits of the spice trade that followed Vasco da Gama's voyage to India. Da Gama himself is buried in the church, and the two-storey cloister, carved with ropes, sea creatures and armillary spheres, is the part people remember. Together with the Belém Tower on the riverbank, the monastery was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.

October makes a real difference here. In summer the queue for the cloister can stretch along the whole façade by mid-morning; by October it shortens noticeably on weekdays, though tour coaches still arrive in waves around 10:30 and 14:00. The monastery is closed on Mondays, including Republic Day on 5 October, so plan Belém for another day. Entry to the church is free, while the cloister needs a ticket, which you can book online to skip the ticket queue.

Belém rewards a full half day. Pastéis de Belém, on Rua de Belém since 1837, sells the city's most famous custard tarts a few doors away, and the riverside walk leads past the Monument to the Discoveries to the Belém Tower.

Pro Tip: Book the first cloister slot of the day and arrive ten minutes early, then eat your pastéis de nata afterwards, when the queue at Pastéis de Belém has usually moved inside to the seated rooms at the back.