Santa Maria de Belém church
The monastery nave, its palm vaults and the royal tombs — without paying for the cloister.
Duration
20 min – 30 min
Best time
Early morning
Open
Closed Monday
Entry price
Free
This is the nave of the monastery, and it has its own door, free of charge. Six slender twenty-five-metre columns carry a vault that opens like a palm at the top — it held through the 1755 earthquake, which flattened the rest of the city.
Two tombs frame the inner doorway: Vasco da Gama on one side, the poet Luís de Camões on the other. They were laid there in 1880, four centuries after one and three after the other.
Getting there
Same building as the monastery, door on the left as you face the front. Tram 15E, Mosteiro dos Jerónimos stop.
What to bring
- Covering clothes
- Dry bag
Rules on site
Covered shoulders expected — it is a working church. Sunday morning mass closes the nave to visitors.
Checked on 28 August 2026 at The Better Vacation — Jerónimos Monastery tickets
Other places in Lisbon
Jerónimos MonasteryManueline at its purest, and the tomb of Vasco da Gama.
- Belém TowerThe sentinel of the Tagus, standing out over the water, from where the caravels sailed.
Alfama on footThe oldest quarter, all slopes, stairs and washing at the windows. Getting lost on purpose is the right method.
Sintra for the dayRomantic palaces and damp forest forty minutes away by train. Book the Pena Palace entry in advance.