Belém Tower

Why go

Belém Tower, also called the Tower of São Vicente, is the bastioned tower at Belém that, its operator says, was built in the second decade of the 16th century as part of a defensive system for the entrance to Lisbon through the Tagus bar, an initiative of King João II continued by King Manuel I. Visit Lisboa names Francisco de Arruda as its architect and describes its heavily armed bastion protruding over the river. Museus e Monumentos de Portugal runs it together with the Jerónimos Monastery; the two share a UNESCO World Heritage listing, which is a designation and not this record, and the operator sells them on separate tickets. The operator's visit page asks visitors to buy tickets online in advance whenever possible because they often sell out and cannot be bought on the day itself, and says that, because of its exposure to the weather, the tower may close whenever visitor safety is at risk.