buttons abroad lisboa: belem

Hello everyone! Buttons Abroad was initially started off by Sita to tell you about her New Zealand trip, which was paused so we could tell you about our trip to Lisbon. However we seemed to have had a pause during the whole month of September, so what we're going to do is just carry on from where we left off. We'll finish off the Lisbon trip and then we'll rewind back to NZ! If your anything like Sita on holiday you take like a gazillion photos and then it takes a long time to go through them and pick out some to share, so apologies for the delay.

If you want to catch up on our last post and remind yourself where we left off then click here before you continue.

Belem is probably Lisbon's most historical area, it is abundant in monuments which all date from the age of discovery. If you like architecture (which we both do) then your going to love Belem. The main points of interest are Jeronimos Monastery, Padrão dos Descobrimentos (monument to the discoveries) and Belem Tower. There are also numerous museums and ajuda palace nearby. 

Jeronimos Monastery must be one of the most famous monuments in Portugal and its easy to see why. It is one of the most magnificent piece of architectural work that we have seen. The design is in the manueline style. There is a church which is free to visit but for the rest of the monastery there is a entrance fee, we think it is worth paying the entrance fee and seeing the monastery from the inside. The workmanship is truly beautiful, each carving so intricate and detailed. 

Within the monastery is the Archaeology Museum (separate entrance fee) which we did visit. Just to give you some context, we love visiting museums, especially the museums in London, so this is what we're comparing against. This museum is rather small, there were around 4-5 displays, which were quite interesting. However it is not a museum that blows you away. So unless you are itching to go, we would give it a miss. 

Across the road there's a lovely garden and fountains. Then across the road again you'll find the Padrão dos Descobrimentos, which sits on the bank of the Tagus river. The monument contains figures on both sides (different on each side) off famous Portuguese explorers/figures during the age of discovery we believe. Although don't ask us to name any of them! 

When your at the monument you have some nice views over the Tagus river and can see the April the 25th bridge and Belem Tower. You can walk down to Belem tower or you can hope on the tram. 

So Belem Tower was our next stop. The tower is another example of the Portuguese manueline style. It dates back to the 16th century and was built as a coastal defence system. There are four levels if we remember correctly! Offering views over the Tagus River and the surrounding Belem area. I think we lived in Portugal it would definitely be a nice place to go, find a spot to sit, relax, enjoy the view and read a book! 

So to conclude if you go to Lisbon, we think Belem is definitely worth a visit! Hope you found this useful! 

Sita & Radha xoxo