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Friday, August 18, 2023

Visiting UNESCO World Heritage (and other) Sites in Portugal


Jerónimos Monastery (Hieronymites Monastery) in Belém
Jerónimos Monastery (Hieronymites Monastery) in Belém

There were a few places we wanted to see in Portugal when we started planning our trip.  But as we researched on things to do and places to see, we were pleasantly surprised to discover there was so much to do in Portugal. And as it turned out, we could have used a few extra days. We had a packed itinerary, mostly doing day trips from Lisbon to these fabulous sites.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) designates World Heritage sites for having "cultural and natural heritage around the world considered to be of outstanding value to humanity" (https://whc.unesco.org/en/about/)

 Here are some of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites we visited and how to get there:


 

Luiz I Bridge, and Monastery of Serra do Pilar from Ribeira Square
Luiz I Bridge, and Monastery of Serra do Pilar from Ribeira Square
 

Jerónimos Monastery (Hieronymites Monastery) —We got the Lisboa card for the trip to Belém. The card covers transit and as well admission to Jerónimos Monastery (and Belém Tower among other attractions). No need to line up to get tickets. Just show/scan your Lisboa card at the entrance. Jerónimos Monastery is a former monastery of the Order of Saint Jerome, commissioned by King Manuel. The monks were tasked to pray for the voyagers and the king. It is one of the most beautiful structures I have seen. Why have I never heard about this before? Now, it is something I will never forget and will be difficult to top in my list of most amazing structures. The interiors were so intricately carved, and the columns even have individual designs (coil rope, sea motifs, etc). I could not get enough pictures and yet those I have cannot seem to do it justice. We were very lucky that there were not a lot of people at that time, so it added to the serenity of the place. It was just utterly majestic, and I can imagine it was a perfect place for contemplation. Right outside, is the Santa Maria de Belém Church, another beautiful church where the tomb of Vasco de Gama lies. This is worth seeing. There is no admission fee to this church.

To get here: tram, bus or tuktuk from Lisbon centre

 

Jerónimos Monastery
Jerónimos Monastery

Jerónimos Monastery
Jerónimos Monastery


tomb of Vasco de Gama @Santa Maria de Belém Church
tomb of Vasco de Gama @Santa Maria de Belém Church


While not UNESCO sites, you may want to visit other places and attractions in Portugal.


As you are already in the Belém area, you may want to check out the Monument to the Discoveries (Padrão dos Descobrimentos). This is just a block away from the monastery. There is an underpass to get to the other side.


Monument to the Discoveries
Monument to the Discoveries

 Tower of Belém—from the 16th C, built using lioz limestone to commemorate Vasco da Gama's expedition and stands to remind us of the great powerhouse that Portugal was during the Age of Discoveries. Here you are supposed to scan your Lisboa card by the ticket booth/kiosk in the park before going to the boardwalk to the tower. The tower had only one narrow staircase and 93 steps to get through 4 floors. The line-up was mostly to wait for your turn to pass through the staircase. It is not handicap accessible. The ground floor had many windows, cannons and pits where the prisoners were thrown into. The exterior was quite ornate, and the interiors boasted vaulted ceilings and a balcony with a killer view.

To get here: walk, tram, bus or tuktuk from Jeronimos Monastery. You have to cross the overpass


Torre de Belém
Torre de Belém


from the bastion of Torre de Belém
from the bastion of Torre de Belém

from the balcony of Torre de Belém
from the balcony of Torre de Belém

ribbed ceilings of Torre de Belém
ribbed ceilings of Torre de Belém

cannons of Torre de Belém
cannons of Torre de Belém

 Other attractions you may want to check out that are not UNESCO sites include:


At Belém--the Museu Nacional dos Coches (National Coach Museum). It has such a fantastic collection of ornate ceremonial coaches and horse-drawn carriages. Such a delight to find these were very well preserved. This is near the Belém tram/bus stop.


Museu Nacional dos Coches (National Coach Museum)
Museu Nacional dos Coches (National Coach Museum)

Fátima is a little over an hour drive from Lisbon.It is a Catholic pilgrimage site where you can see The Capelinha das Aparições (marking the spot of the apparition of the Virgin Mary in 1917 to three shepherd children, 2 of whom have already been canonized—St. Francisco and Sta. Jacinta. Sister Lucia’s beatification and canonization is in progress). Other sacred sites include the Basílica de Nossa Senhora do Rosário, and the modern church of Igreja da Santíssima Trindade. While we no longer visited these, other sites in Fatima include museums and the houses of St. Francisco, Sta. Jacinta and Sister Lucia. If you stay to the evening, there is a vigil procession. Masses and rosaries are said in several languages throughout the day.

You can take the bus or join a tour to get here.


Capelinha das Aparições (on the left) and Basílica de Nossa Senhora do Rosário (center)
Capelinha das Aparições (on the left) and Basílica de Nossa Senhora do Rosário (center), Fatima

Igreja da Santíssima Trindade
Igreja da Santíssima Trindade

tombs of St. Francisco and Sta. Jacinta
tombs of Sto. Francisco and Sta. Jacinta

And the last Heritage site we visited was-- 

Sintra—the Cultural Landscape of Sintra is designated as the UNESCO World Heritage site. In the 19th century, Ferdinand II turned the ruins of a monastery into a castle showcasing Gothic, Egyptian, Moorish and Renaissance elements all rolled into Romantic architecture—this is the Pena Palace. Nestled in the peaks of the mountains of Sintra, the multicoloured palace is quite unlike anything we have seen. It seems to be straight off of fairy tales. We took the tram to get to the Palace, which we highly recommend. However, we no longer went inside the palace as we only had a day to explore Sintra. There have been mixed reviews on the internet on whether going inside is worth it.  Surrounding the palace is a park and gardens with local and exotic foliage. Several ponds dot the park, connected by winding paths. You can pretty much explore just the park all day. It features stables and greenhouses among other attractions. It does require lots of walking, but the trails were just beautiful and peaceful. Plan for cooler climates in the area. Note: Sintra’s attractions are discounted with Lisboa card.


To get here: 40-minute train ride from Rossio (or Oriente station) or you can also take the bus. You can then take the local bus or tuktuk to get around.

Pena Palace, Sintra
Pena Palace, Sintra

Pena Palace, Sintra
Pena Palace, Sintra

Parks of Pena Palace
Parks of Pena Palace

 About a 10minute walk from the Pena Palace is the Moorish Castle, a medieval castle on the peaks of the Sintra mountains. It is said to be from the 9th century, built during the Moorish occupation. The ruins are a magnificent fortress with still-standing turrets that can be explored. It does require physical exertion so be prepared for a lot of walking and climbing huge (and sometimes narrow) stone steps. Again, it felt like it was just out of the storybook. The views of the city from the Moorish castle were just magnificent.


view of Sintra
view of Sintra

Castle of the Moors (Castelo dos Mouros)
 Castle of the Moors (Castelo dos Mouros)

Castle of the Moors (Castelo dos Mouros)
 Castle of the Moors (Castelo dos Mouros)

Castle of the Moors (Castelo dos Mouros)
 Castle of the Moors (Castelo dos Mouros)

 You can walk a little over a kilometer, take the local bus or get on a tuktuk down to the city centre where you can find the National Palace (said to be a favourite destination of Portuguese monarchs) and Quinta de Regaleira (a 16th century Renaissance-style manor). The shops and restaurants are also in the city center. From here, you can easily walk back to the train station. There are many other attractions in Sintra. I suggest you take a couple of days for this.


National Palace of Sintra
 National Palace of Sintra


Quinta da Regaleira
Quinta da Regaleira


There are so many other sites to see, but so little time for us. There are, after all, a total of 17 World Heritage Sites in Portugal to date, with 19 more being evaluated. 

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