Belém Tower

Belém, Portugal

Exterior only

Visible from the street; the inside is private.

Opening hours: Oct-Apr: Tu-Su 10:00-17:30; May-Sep: Tu-Su 10:00-18:30
Admission: Ticketed

From OpenStreetMap — confirm before travelling

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Belém Tower, officially the Tower of Saint Vincent, is a 16th-century fortification in Lisbon, Portugal, built from 1515 by architect Francisco de Arruda. Rising approximately 35 metres, this four-storey structure exemplifies the Portuguese Manueline style while incorporating Moorish-inspired minarets and other architectural influences. Constructed of local lioz limestone, the tower comprises a bastion and central tower that originally stood on a small island in the Tagus River near the Lisbon shore. It served as a point of departure and arrival for Portuguese explorers and functioned as a ceremonial gateway to the city, embodying Portugal's maritime and colonial power during the Renaissance. Since 1983, it has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site alongside the Jerónimos Monastery and remains one of Europe's most recognizable symbols of the Age of Discoveries.