So you are in Lisbon and you want to plan the perfect day, equal parts, “I crossed that beautiful monument of the itinerary” and “Wow, this is new and unexpected and I’m not sure what I will find.” A short train ride away is Belem, known for pastries, ports and palaces; it is a refreshing change from the tourism and trams of downtown Lisbon and the party stained streets of the Bairro Alto.
Pasteis de Belem
To start your day you may want to take in one of the biggest draws of Belem “Pasteis de Belem” which is famous for the “Pasteis de Nata”, the country’s custard tart. The beautiful tiled bakery started producing the treats when convents and monasteries exiled monks and laborers after the liberal revolution of 1820. It turns out monks aren’t just good at getting people drunk on wine and ‘spirits’, they also have a knack for sugary delights.
Rather than calling the Portuguese confection a ‘Pasteis de Nata’ they call it ‘Pasteis de Belem’ because anyone who’s tried the pastry anywhere else in the city knows they deserve to own the title. Out in front is a long line waiting to take away the treats but why not take the time to linger with your morning coffee. There are 75 tables inside and you can gawk at the bakers through a window or take their picture as if they were in a zoo. We opted to just take a photo of the tart.
Monument to the Discoveries
Are you sufficiently high on sugar and coffee? Now it is time to be on your way young explorer, the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (Monument to the Discoveries) is just a stone’s throw away. This seaside statue is complimented by a marble tiled map of the world marking all the places the Portuguese stopped on their trade faring missions of the 14th and 15th centuries. This beautiful plaza celebrates both the Portuguese as sea faring discoverers and acts as a detailed mapping of their colonial history. The monument points toward the open sea and is made of limestone from Sintra, a UNESCO world heritage site and another potential day trip from Lisbon. It is a beautifully detailed piece of history and should not be missed during a trip to Portugal’s capital.
Jerónimos Monastery
From this port you can see Jerónimos Monastery which is where the monks were stationed praying for the soul of the King before they started taking care of our sweet tooth. Also a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Monastery took over a hundred years to build, survived several different monarchs, Spanish rule and an earthquake. It’s been here about 500 years so you have at least half an hour to absorb its unique architecture.
The LX Factory
Have you had your fill of history? Are you ready for something a little more modern? The LX Factory is just a short ten minute march away and while the buildings were built when textiles were a significant industry back in 1846, today the 25,000 m2 space is akin to walking through an art gallery, with big outdoor mural projects, restaurants and lots of little art studios. The former industrial space hosts coworking Lisboa, about 150 businesses and artistic graffiti, questionable in other parts of Lisbon, which is ‘tagged’ in a less artistic way. It is also home to the coolest bookstore in town where you can buy every Fernando Pessoa book known to man.
Depending on how you are feeling after a day of touring you can spend the rest of the day leisurely eating and drinking coffee at the innumerable cafes and restaurants. Don’t forget to check out The LX Facebook page to keep up to date on workshops and outdoor markets and parties complete with DJs and new friends.