I had an appointment in Lisbon. It’s a 3 hour drive so I decided to spend the weekend and purchased tickets to Belem Tower and Jeronimos Monastery in advance for Saturday.

I had visited both these sites my very first time in Lisbon, in 2004, when I was visiting with my daughter. I had also purchased tickets to both sites a year and a half ago when I was on a longer road trip of central Portugal. When I arrived at the monastery last year, I barely got out of my Bolt, before I was told by an armed guard to “hurry up and get off the sidewalk and go to the other side”. I was surprised and said, but I have tickets. “No, we’re closed” and learned there was a meeting of NATO and President Macron was inside.

I asked about the tower and was told, no, that’s fine, that’s open, so I walked down there. But that site was closed due to a wildcat strike. Both tickets were non-refundable (purchased through Viator or GetYourGuide) but they did refund my money when they confirmed both sites were closed for those different reasons.

I was please to return to Belem Tower after over 20 years. I had actually forgotten we had visited here, I certainly remember seeing the outside but didn’t remember visiting until I was wandering through the inside of tower. It was built in the 16th c by Francisco de Arruda during the reign of Manuel I, to protect the port and serve as a customs entry. It offers beautiful views of the port and city.

I walked down to the monastery after visiting the tower. I spent some time in Jardim da Praca do Imperio, the lovely large garden in front of the monastery.

Even in October, the monastery was very busy. After the garden I got in line early for my timed tickets. They were still letting in people for the 1500 time but I got in line for 1530, right at the front of the queue. The construction for Jeronimos Monastery started in 1501 and it was over 100 years before it was completed. It was the monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome. Vasco de Gama is buried in the church, which, unfortunately, was closed for a private function. The church is free entry, no timed entry. Many Portuguese royalty were also buried inside the church in the 16th c. It was funded by a tax on the yearly profits from commerce with India and China, mostly spices.

Both Belem Tower and Jeronimos Monastery are UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

I visited the lovely Jardim Alphonso de Albuquerque on the walk back to my rental. I also saw the Chafariz da Junqueira, an old historical landmark on my walk, with beautiful decorative tiles and a fountain.

The next day I looked for some new sites I hadn’t seen yet in Lisbon and visited the National Palace of Ajuda. This is the only royal palace open to the public in Lisbon. It was free entry for residents on Sunday. The rooms and furnishings are so beautiful. I was in awe throughout most of the palace. I want the king’s bedframe but it is so ornate it would be difficult to dust and keep clean and I don’t have 100s of servants. Believe it or not, I deleted more than half of the photos I took but still had to include many, to show the stunning parquet floors, the painted ceilings, and furnishings. The huge banquet room and the throne room are both very impressive.

The Royal Treasury Museum or Museu Tesouro Real is behind the palace. €11.00 or €7.50 for under 24 and seniors. They have a guide available via QR code. There are good signs in Portuguese and English throughout the museum, though, so I really didn’t access after downloading.

There are some stunning pieces inside the museum, including a crown of stars, large gold nuggets, and a huge silver dining set with holographic displays of royalty and information about the coordinated actions of the servants for the banquets. They had special chests to pack up and store the items for travel. There was a tiara frame where all the jewels had been reused for other items in new settings; I’ve read this happens often with jewelry but it was interesting to see the “empty” piece.

After the treasury I walked down the hill to the Botanical Garden of Ajuda. Obviously, few gardens are at their best in October but it was still a lovely visit. They have free roaming peacocks. There were still roses and black-eyed Susan’s and Birds of Paradise in bloom, banana trees and more. They had a large group of volunteers working on the upper beds. The garden was created in 1768 and was the first botanical garden in Portugal. There used to be over 5000 species but many were destroyed during the French invasion in 1808. It was restored in 1993.

Restaurants

I was just a few blocks from the Lx Factory. It’s an event space but with many restaurants and stores. I walked down here for dinner twice. It had a craft fair in the back parking lot Saturday and Sunday. It’s in a great location in central Lisbon with the 25 de Abril Bridge overhead.

• La Ruda – Lx Factory. Very good Mexican. Always hard to find in Portugal.
• El Chanta – Lx Factory. A nice selection of craft beer and other cocktails, Argentinian food.
• Nood Alcantara – I had some great coconut noodles here, friendly service.
• Time Out Market – Huge selection from the many many restaurants inside. Always crowded.

*** All photos property of Lisa, not to be copied or reproduced ***