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Belem in October

Posted by (Cincinnati, OH, USA) on

My wife and I visited Lisbon last April 25 and planned to go to the Pasteis de Belem for their famous Pastel de Nata, followed by a visit to the The Cloister of Jeronimos Monastery, the Padrao dos Descobrimentos and the Torre de Belem. Perhaps because it was a national holiday, Belem was "packed". Every venue, especially Pasteis de Belem and the Cloister of Jeronimos Monastery had lines that were very, very long, and moving about 10 feet every 15 minutes. We calculated that it would take us about 2 hours (each) or more to get inside these places. While we weren't in a hurry, we were only in Lisbon for a limited time (on a cruise stop). Bottom Line: we didn't get inside any of the places we'd hoped to visit. In addition the 15E tram was a nightmare, it was running on an unusual (erratic) schedule due to the holiday, and people were packed in like sardines (excuse the tired idiom) but it was tight, people were getting grumpy, and well, you get the idea.

We'll be in Lisbon again in October (26 and 27) this time not on a cruise ship so the overall schedule will be a bit more relaxed. We'd like to try to get to Belem again, and while we don't mind some waiting in line, we don't want to spend all day waiting in line. Is Belem a destination that is usually quite crowed with long lines at every venue, or will we experience shorter lines in October?

Posted by
5687 posts

I was in Lisbon last month. I had the same experience with the trams including the 15E: some of them were so full that you could not get on even when the stopped to open the doors - so you had to wait for the next one. Sometimes buses or trams would stop unexpectedly at a stop and everyone would have to get off and onto the next one. It was a little unpredictable and frustrating. I don't think any of the days I was in town were national holidays. Lisbon has simply become extremely popular, it seems, and the city hasn't ramped up public transportation to keep up.

Will things slow down in October? No idea. I think you can just try it and hope for the best - what's your alternative? Get out to Belem early. Or take an Uber to avoid the trams entirely if need be.

You can get a pasta de nata anywhere in Lisbon. I had about a dozen of them - never got tired of them. No, I didn't an "official" pastei de Belem in Belem.

Posted by
1669 posts

Yes, Lisbon has become very popular, but your timing of 25 Abril was unfortunate. That is a holiday so lots of people who would have been working may have been visiting Belem that day. All that said, I would encourage you to purchase tickets for the monastery ahead of time. A quick search found sites from which you can do that.
Regarding Pasteis de Belem, most people who stand in line are purchasing take away Natas. If you go to the left of the line at the door, you should be able to walk into the shop. Keep walking toward the back - there are several rooms where you can sit and have coffee and pastries. I’m thinking they have something like 500 seats. It’s more relaxing and the pastries are usually still warm when they are served at the tables.
And lastly, Tram 15... it is always crowded but there are the old trams and newer ones. The newer ones are crowded but much more comfortable. A less crowded way to Belem is to take the commuter train from Cais do Sodré to Belem. It’s an easy walk from the Belem train station to the sites you want to see.
By October, these trains aren’t very crowded. And, the crowds in general are much more manageable.

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