Belém and the Tejo

This experience traces Lisbon’s riverfront through Belém, where Tejo (Tagus) River once marked the edge of empire. This district was the departure point for voyages during the Age of Discoveries, when ships sailed toward Africa, Brazil and India. You begin in a traditional bakery to taste pastéis de nata, custard tarts made from a recipe linked to the nearby monastery. From there, you visit Mosteiro dos Jerónimos — a defining example of Manueline architecture. Its cloisters and church were built with wealth from maritime trade and house the tombs of Vasco da Gama and Luís de Camões. Cross the lawns toward Torre de Belém, a fortified tower that once guarded the mouth of the Tejo. After a wine and oyster tasting — grounded in the Tejo estuary’s long history as a rich fishing ground — you board a private boat along the Tejo toward Terreiro do Paço, arriving at Lisbon’s grand river square. The journey concludes with a ginjinha in hand, facing the water that shaped the city’s history.

You get a rare perspective of Lisbon’s historic riverside districts as you explore Belém both on foot and from the river through a private boat trip, seeing its monuments as sailors once did when returning home along the Tejo (Tagus). Belém’s monuments are widely visited, but few experiences situate them along the same axis that framed Portugal’s maritime expansion — religious ritual, imperial ambition and everyday continuities that grew from it. Inside Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, Manueline architecture expresses maritime language in stone — symbols of a kingdom turned toward the sea. The monastery and Torre de Belém functioned as spiritual and symbolic landmarks framing the departure of voyages that would reshape Europe and the Atlantic world. Rather than presenting the Age of Discoveries as a distant chapter, the tour situates it within Lisbon’s evolving story — empire, earthquake, dictatorship, reinvention. Tastes along the way root that history in the sensory life of the city today.

Rita is a Lisbon-based guide and storyteller with a deep connection to the Tejo River. Trained in law, theatre, and literary tourism, she approaches Lisbon as a layered narrative shaped by history and personal anecdotes. Her background in performance and writing allows her to bring monuments, architecture, and food into the conversation, guiding guests through Belém and Terreiro do Paço with clarity, context, and a strong sense of storytelling that extends beyond standard historical commentary.

Bring comfortable footwear suitable for cobblestones and light walking, a bottle of water, your camera or smartphone for photos, a hat and sunglasses, and a light jacket.