Lisbon Belém walking tour

This scavenger hunt has a difficulty level of NORMAL.

Buy either an individual or a group ticket. The ideal group size is 3 to 6 people, but it is not limited to this. Children are welcome and will enjoy most of the challenges.

After purchase, to begin your Lisbon Belém walking tour, you will need to be near the Torre de Belém, Av. Brasília, 1400-038 Lisboa, Portugal. This is the start location.

Once there, stand outside, log in to this website, and begin your hunt, or go to My Account and follow the instructions.

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 BCE, with a Phoenician trading post. Its name was Olissipo.

The Roman Empire took control of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) around 200 BCE and kept it until 409 CE. By 200 BCE, there were already 30,000 inhabitants; Lisbon was a Christian city then.

Then, Gothic and other barbarian empires and kingdoms conquered and ruled the area one after 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, 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 was 154,000. Mosques were either destroyed or converted into churches. The Arabic spoken here for 400 years disappeared quickly.

Modern History

During the Age of Discovery, Lisbon launched several naval exploration expeditions. Among its explorers was Vasco da Gama (1460-1469), the 1st Tale of Vidigueira, the first European to reach India by sea in 1498, bypassing the southern tip of Africa. The exchange agreement with India, along with 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 for 60 years, starting in 1580. 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 the city’s bridges is highlighted in this Lisbon Belém neighbourhood.