You will need a lot of patience if you want to visit this 16th century fortification tower, undoubtedly Lisbon's most recognizable landmark. Only 150 people are allowed inside the Belem Tower at a time, so expect to queue outside for up to 2 hours. Despite this, it's hard to give this UNESCO World Heritage Site a miss given its historical significance to Portugal. It has been a symbol of Portugal's maritime prowess and colonial power, serving as the departure point for most of the discovery voyages that took Portugal's navigators to many previously uncharted territories around the world during the Age of Discovery. Apart from its historical significance, the tower's architecture is also a noteworthy reason to put up with the long queue. A prominent example of the Portuguese Manueline style, the Belem Tower features impressive stonework and turrets on a rectangular 30-metres tower and oddly-shaped bastion protruding out to the Tagus River. Patient visitors are rewarded with access to virtually the entire structure, including the ground floor with its 16 windows and cannons, the bastion and the 4-storey tower leading up to the roof terrace for a spectacular view of the Tagus River and the iconic 25 de Abril Bridge. This attraction is included in the Lisboa Card, but nevertheless, you would still need to redeem for a ticket at the ticket kiosk in the park about 100 metres away before getting into the queue.

During my visit, online tickets were not available so there were long lines even before the ticket window was open. Was able to snag a ticket at opening time, then we were lined up in front of the tower and the line did not move for 30 minutes due to capacity reasons. Once it was my time to get inside, each floor was guarded by an attendant due to having a single staircase throughout the tower. I recommend to explore the tower as you go up since the top wasn't really worth it. I personally aimed to the top was not allowed to explore the lower floors until I line up again at the bottom. The balcony views were amazing but the tower was pretty empty inside, except the cannon collection at the bottom.

What a waste of time. We waited one hour on a not busy Wednesday then even when inside the queue to climb to the tower top was long. Also there is no top of the tower you only reach a 4th floor room and are not allowed to the outside top crenellations. Massive disappointment and staff completely disinterested and unable to move visitors along. My advice, take a photo, then go and visit the monastery or the maritime where you will have a much more interesting visit

The Tower of Belém is a symbol of Lisbon and a must stop for anyone visiting the city. The tower itself is small, but the detail in the architecture and history behind it make it fascinating. Climbing onto the terrace was an unforgettable experience, overlooking the river and the city. I recommend going early to avoid the crowds and take the time to read about your role at the time of the discoveries. It’s impressive to think about what one of the first places explorers saw when they returned from their trips was like.

It’s a really beautiful tower, and it’s fascinating to see Portugal’s maritime history, as it was once used as a defense fortress. The architecture is stunning, and you can also enjoy a great view of the river and the surrounding area. The only downside is the extremely long queue – we waited about 30-45 minutes. Once you’re inside, there’s another queue on each floor to go up, which makes the experience feel a bit less smooth, even though I understand the reasoning behind it. That said, it’s free with a Lisboa Card!

Great facility that the king had built so that he could see the ships coming and going. It's worth climbing up the floors. Tip: Buy a Lisbon City Pass, which can be purchased for 24, 48 & 72 hours, and includes public transport and many sights, such as this one. The tickets at the kiosk were already sold out for that day, but with the Lisbon card we were still allowed to queue and visit the tower.

Two hours in a row, standing up, to see a couple of completely empty rooms in the tower, plus you couldn't even climb to the top. The visit inside is done in 10 minutes on the clock, so I recommend you avoid the line and see it from the outside. However, from the outside it has its charm.

Beautiful from the outside and pretty to see from your sunset cruise of Lisbon BUT do not pay to go inside. Do NOT pay to wait on line and most definitely DO NOT go up the spiral staircase …. My reasons …. We waited on line well over an hour as they only let about 20 people go in at a time as they wait for others to exit. Then the stairs all the way up is 20 stairs at a time and then u go out for a second on some of the floors and some you can’t go out and then u wait on line for the next 20 stairs and the next 20 stairs and it was the same going down since there is only one spiral staircase for entrance and exit . It’s like being in a rat maze. When we finally got out we felt like we were getting out of prison after 20 years. Again nice to see don’t waste your time to go in !!

You should take a day for Belem. We took the tram line 15a to Belem and got off 2 stops behind the monastery and were on foot in just under 10 minutes at the Torre de Belem which you should definitely see, One tip we had bought the Lisboacard since the entrance is included. It's less worth it for the view inside. Afterwards, walking along the river to the discovery monument and again thanks to Lisboacard free lift ride up and enjoyed the great view. Walking distance 5 minutes then went to the monastery and church and looked at us both and highly recommended (lisboacard free admission) and to top it all off we treated ourselves to the original Pasteis de Belem in the original cafe and at what I think is a good price/performance ratio. All in all a nice eventful and tasty day. Tip: You can interrupt the round trip here and get off directly under the bridge and walk to the LX Factory in just under 5 minutes.

The Torre de Belém is a great historical place and really beautiful to look at, especially when the weather is good. Belém is easy to get to from the city by train, but you have to get there early! We were there an hour after it opened and the line was already over an hour long. Belém seems to be where EVERY tourist in Lisbon goes for a day and the crowds are hard to keep track of. Unfortunately, we didn't go into the tower because the long wait in the blazing sun wasn't worth it. The same (perhaps even more extreme) applies to Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. We then strolled along the promenade between the two buildings in glorious sunshine, which was still worth it. And on the way back to the city, you can stop off at the LxMarket halfway, which is definitely worth it! Conclusion: Only the very early bird gets his money's worth! P.s. In any case, the LisboaCard is worth it, as it allows you to use buses and trains for free and entry is free.