Lisbon Belém 3-hour self-guided walking tour and scavenger hunt

Looking for something to do in Lisbon? You should try this tourist scavenger hunt to visit Lisbon’s Belém district!

It will take you from the Tower of Belém to the Afonso de Albuquerque Garden, by way of the Jeronimos Monastery and the Belém Community Center. There are challenges at every step. Each leads to another location while offering local history and trivia.

Buy now $50

What You'll See

Torre de Belém
Vasco da Gama Garden
Afonso de Albuquerque Park
National Carriage Museum
National Palace of Belém
Praço do Império Garden
Jeronimos Monastery
Marinha Museum
Lisbon Planetarium
Belém Community Center
Popular art museum
Padrao dos Descobrimentos / Monument to discoveries
Belém Lighthouse

We will visit Lisbon in the summer of 2019 and publish this scavenger hunt once it is tested.

Specifications & Requirements

Starting point: Torre de Belém, Av. Brasília, 1400-038 Lisbon Belém, Portugal.
Distance: 3.6 km / 2.23 mi
Duration: 2:30 – 3h
Method: walking is ideal
Required:
- A well-charged smartphone with a data plan
Suggested:
- Bottled water
- Local map

History

Ancient History

Lisbon is the capital of Portugal and is located on the Atlantic coast. It is a city with several hills.

Lisbon traces its history to 1200 BC with the presence of a Phoenician trading post. Its name was Olissipo.

The Roman Empire took control of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal), around 200 BC and kept it until 409 AD. There were already 30,000 inhabitants in 200 BC., Lisbon was a Christian city at the time.

Then, the gothic and barbarian empires and kingdoms conquered and ruled the area, one after the another until 711 when Berber and Arab Muslims conquered the region.

Norway briefly controlled Lisbon in 1108 during their crusade to the holy lands. The Almoravids, another Berber Muslim dynasty, commonly known as the Moors (Moors) regained control from 1111 until 1147.

In 1147, Knights of the crusade led by Afonso I reconquered Lisbon and brought it back under Christian control. The population at that time is 154,000. Mosques were either destroyed or converted into churches. The Arabic that had been spoken here for 400 years disappeared quickly.

Modern History

During the age of discovery, Lisbon launched several expeditions of naval exploration. Among its explorers is notably Vasco da Gama (1460-1469), 1st Tale of Vidigueira, the first European to go to India by sea in 1498, bypassing the southern tip of Africa. The exchange agreement with India, as well as the numerous trading posts established in Asia (Indian Ocean) and Brazil, made Portugal very rich, very quickly.

But, little by little, the French, British, and Dutch chipped away at Portugal’s trade dominance. During a succession crisis, Portugal lost its independence and fell under Habsburg-Spanish rule in 1580 for 60 years. The ensuing war for restoration lasted between 1640 and 1668.

Napoleon Bonaparte, in turn, invaded Portugal at the beginning of the 19th century, forcing Queen Maria I and Prince Regent John VI (Joao VI) to flee to Brazil for a few years.

Portugal became a republic in 1908, but fell under the dictatorial regime of Estado Novo, Salazarism, between 1926 and 1974. The Carnation Revolution led to the 3rd republic that endures to this day. One of city’s bridges is highlighted in this Lisbon Belém neighborhood.