Hi friends! I’m coming to you from the mountains of Colorado, but I want to talk to you about Belém, Portugal. For those of you who don’t know, Belém actually means Bethlehem in Portuguese, so kind of a cool connection there.
It is one of my favorite spots in Portugal, to be totally honest with you. I love Lisbon, I love going into Lisbon, but if I’m with kids, I think Belém gives you the most bang for your buck. Let’s talk about how!
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The Famous Belém Tower
First, you have the all-famous Torre de Belém, or the Belém Tower. Of course, you’ll see all variations of that name. It looks like a little chess piece just put right there on the coast near the River Tejo (the Tagus River), which is kind of like the ocean, river, ocean… it’s a little confusing, but it’s both.
It is where they used to receive the ships, and it is an incredible thing to go see and you may or may not drive by it. You may see it if you’re driving along the coast from Lisbon to Cache Paix, for example, which is another great place to go visit with kids.
You can go inside, however, right now it is under construction. It’s under some restoration, and it has scaffolding all around it. However, that’s supposed to be done by the middle of 2026, so you don’t have to wait very long.
If you go inside, make sure you get your tickets. There are tickets sold on-site. I would recommend those over buying them online, because online you’re going to pay a surcharge. If you plan on visiting, here’s some information about the prices:
- Price for adults: €17 plus a €2 fee.
- Price for kids, seniors, disabled, and students: €7.50 plus a €1 fee.
- Children under 6 years old: Free
You can just go to a ticket booth right there next to the Torre de Belém. It’s like a little mirrored box, you just need to get there before it closes, and it closes before the tower does! I did go inside once with a friend (I did not go with my kids). It is kind of fascinating for adults. It’s really tight quarters to go up, and really tight quarters to go down, but I really enjoyed the views.
Trying Portugal’s Famous Pastel de Nata
You must try a pastel de nata when you’re in Portugal. It is the most famous dessert in Portugal, and the most famous shop selling pastéis de nata is Pastéis de Belém (pastéis is just the plural version of pastel, okay, in Portuguese).
Is it my absolute favorite? No, I like pretty much all pastéis de nata. As long as they’re warm and fresh, I find them all to be very enjoyable. They are so good and warm and crunchy. It was really delicious!
But it is definitely worth a visit to go to the Pastéis de Belém bakery. There is a café, and you can have lunch. You can see pastéis de nata being made in real time. You also can just get some takeaway and go eat it in the park, if it’s a beautiful day in Portugal, which it often is.
Parks and Spaces in Belém, Portugal for Kids
You have a giant park, like I just said, near there, across from the monastery. I highly recommend letting your kids run around, taking a picnic. It’s beautiful walking around. You can see the tower right from there, and then, of course, you have the monastery, which is the other big iconic symbol in Belém, the city.
Actually, there are a few different green spaces here that make it so easy to spend the whole day. Right in front of the monastery is the Jardim do Império, which has that beautiful fountain and the big coat of arms made of hedges. It’s a great spot for photos. Then, right across the street toward the river, you have the Jardim Vasco da Gama.
This is where I love to take the kids because it’s massive and very open. There is plenty of room for them to burn off that pastel de nata sugar rush! It’s a very local vibe: you’ll see families hanging out, and it’s just a great place to sit on a picnic blanket and enjoy the breeze coming off the River Tejo. If you’re traveling with a stroller, these parks are much easier to navigate than the narrow, hilly streets of central Lisbon, which is a huge win in my book. There’s even a playground nearby if your kids still have energy after all the walking!
The Jerónimos Monastery
I have actually never been inside the Jerónimos Monastery. Monasteries are not at the top of my list to go with kids, and none of my family has had much of an interest. However, it’s stunning from the outside! I believe it’s stunning from the inside too, but you really can’t get tickets on-site, and I’ve just never planned a trip. So make sure you book your tickets online before you go, because it is not one that you can just do on-site.
However, my parents went inside the monastery a few months ago and turns out there is no furniture and while the architecture is stunning, kids really won’t care. So, my advice as a mother is, if you’re traveling with kids, skip the inside of the monastery! Peak inside the working church instead or just enjoy photos in front outside.
Unless it is really appealing to your family to see the architecture inside, I’d say you can probably skip the monastery itself and focus on the other wings of the building! Also, consider that entrances to the monastery are €18 per person.
On the side of the monastery, which I have been to, there is a Maritime Museum (the Navy Museum). I went with my kids, and there is a full-size warship inside. So my kids loved that. Well, it’s like a model, I guess, but it is really, really cool, and my kids liked that. There’s a lot to do in Belém!
Visit the Belém Planetarium
Right next to the museum is the Planetário de Marinha, or the Belém Planetarium. If you have kids who are into space (or if you just need a break from the sun!), this is a must-visit. It’s actually one of the most advanced planetariums in Europe.
They have these giant dome shows where you lay back and look up at the stars. What’s really helpful for travelers is that they offer shows in multiple languages, so check the schedule for English sessions. It’s a great way to sit down for 45 minutes while the kids are totally entertained by the cosmos. It really makes the whole monastery complex feel like a full-day destination because there is something for the history buffs and something for the science-loving kids.
Here are the prices for the Planetarium:
- Kids (4 to 12 years): €3,50
- Adults (13 to 64 years): €7,00
- Seniors (+65 years): €3,50
- Families (2 adults + 2 kids): €18,00
Belém’s Monument and River Views
You can also go up on the big monument next to the Torre de Belém, called the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries). You can see the beautiful river that leads out to the ocean, the River Tejo, and you can just have a fabulous day walking around.
To be honest, the architecture of Portugal is stunning in a lot of places, and that’s no different in Belém!
The Quake Museum with Kids
My final tip is one of my most favorite things that we did there. My kids have been there, the ones who went longest to private school have all been to this place on a field trip. It’s called Quake – Lisbon Earthquake Museum.
Just a slight bit of history about Lisbon: there was a huge earthquake and fire in Lisbon, which completely destroyed the city. It was in the 18th century, and there was first an earthquake on All Saints’ Day on November 1st. So,because of this, all the candles were lit in all of the churches causing them to fall over. The churches caught on fire.
It was a complete disaster, and then there was a tsunami. Now, because of the earthquake, fire, and tsunami about an hour later, a huge part of the population of Lisbon was killed, and most of the architecture of Lisbon was destroyed. So, that’s what this museum is all about. They talk all about this event. They have interactive rooms. You even can go in a room and feel what different earthquakes feel like. You learn about earthquakes in various cities, and then they do a heavy focus on Lisbon and the recovery process.
Marquês de Pombal, who helped rebuild the city, has his palácio which is actually very close to where we live. So, we had a lot of connections there, but we took my parents, who don’t have those connections, and they thought it was a really good museum as well.
If you’d like to visit the museum, find the prices here:
- Adults (+12 years): €23,5 per person
- Kids (6 to 12 years): €20 per person
- Seniors (+65 years): €22.50 per person
- Families (2 adults + 2 – 4 kids): €15.60 per person, applies only from 4pm to 6pm.
The Royal Treasury Museum
A final tip for maybe older kids or adults is to visit the Royal Treasury Museum (Museu do Tesouro Real) within walking distance of everything else I’ve mentioned. My parents went and absolutely loved it. It’s not super expensive, and you can see some of the royal jewels of Portugal.
How to Get to Belém from Lisbon
I highly recommend that you visit Belém. It’s easy to access by train from Lisbon. You can go all the way from Lisbon to Cascais. You’re gonna pass the stop next to our house, so wave hello! And it’s very easy to get on, very easy to ride.
The train usually runs about every 20 minutes from the station in Lisbon, which is called Cais do Sodré. So just grab some tickets from there, make a day of it, walk by the beach, have a great time, and soak up this beautiful place called Portugal.
What to Bring to Belém with Kids
- Comfortable Walking Shoes: I cannot stress this enough about visiting Belém, it’s basically a workout for your feet as you’ll do a lot of walking. Make sure you and the kids have sturdy walking sneakers or sandals with great grip. I always recommend a pair that’s already broken in so you don’t end up with blisters halfway through the day!
- Sun Protection: Portugal gets a lot of sunshine, and when you’re walking along the river toward the Belém Tower, there isn’t much shade. I always pack a high-SPF sunscreen for the kids and some polarized sunglasses. A lightweight, packable sun hat is also a total lifesaver to keep the sun off their faces while you’re waiting in line for pastries.
- A Lightweight Daypack: You’ll want a good lightweight backpack to carry all your essentials. I like to bring a few reusable water bottles to keep everyone hydrated, plus some wet wipes (because let’s be real, pastéis de nata are delicious but very flaky and sticky!).
- Portable Power Bank: Between taking photos of the monastery and using GPS to find your way around, your phone battery will drain fast. I always carry a slim portable charger in my bag to make sure I don’t lose my map (or my ability to take videos of the kids!) before the day is over.
- Pre-booked Monastery Tickets: As I mentioned, you really need to purchase these online ahead of time. I keep a digital copy on my phone, but having a printout in a travel organizer is a great backup just in case your battery dies or the local Wi-Fi is spotty.
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Be sure to check out some of our other posts. We are expats who have been in Portugal for four years, as of March 2026. We have five kids, and we love living here. So you can check out all of our recommendations on our blog.
Talk to you soon. Happy exploring!
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