Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
If you plan to visit both the monastery and Torre de Belém, you can save a little by pur-
chasing a €10 admission pass valid for both, or a €13 pass including the Palácio Nacional
de Ajuda.
PALACE
Palácio Nacional de Ajuda
( 213 637 095; www.palacioajuda.pt ; Largo da Ajuda; admission varies; 10am-5pm Thu-Tue) Built in the
early 19th century, this staggering neoclassical palace served as the royal residence from
the 1860s until the end of the monarchy in 1910. You can tour through private apartments
and state rooms, getting an eyeful of the crystal chandeliers, Flemish tapestries, fresco-
covered ceilings, gilded furnishings and exquisite artworks dating back five centuries.
It's a long uphill walk from Belém, or you can take tram 18 or several buses from
downtown, including 760 from Praça do Comércio.
Museu de Marinha
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MUSEUM
(Naval Museum; 213 620 019; Praça do Império; adult/child €5/2.50, free 10am-2pm Sun; 10am-6pm Tue-
Sun) The Museu de Marinha is a nautical flashback to the Age of Discovery, with its arma-
das of model ships, cannonballs and shipwreck booty. Dig for buried treasure such as
Vasco da Gama's portable wooden altar, 17th-century globes (note Australia's absence)
and the polished private quarters of UK-built royal yacht Amélia . A separate building
houses ornate royal barges, 19th-century fire-fighting machines and several seaplanes.
Padrão dos Descobrimentos
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MUSEUM
(Discoveries Monument; 213 031 950; Av de Brasília; adult/child €3/2; 10am-7pm, closed Mon in low season)
Like a caravel frozen in mid-swell, the monolithic Padrão dos Descobrimentos was inaug-
urated in 1960 on the 500th anniversary of Henry the Navigator's death. The 52m-high
limestone giant is chock-full of Portuguese bigwigs. At the prow is Henry, while behind
him are explorers Vasco da Gama, Diogo Cão, Fernão de Magalhães and 29 other greats.
Do take the lift (or puff up 267 steps) to the windswept miradouro for 360-degree views
over the river. The mosaic in front of the monument charts the routes of Portuguese mar-
iners.
Torre de Belém
TOWER
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