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Belem Monastery

Posted by esimonson18 on 12/25/25 10:33 PM

Hi!
I am planning on visiting Portugal in mid July which I know it is high season. I am planning my section on going to Belem and really want to to go to the monastery. I was reading Rick's guidebook and he recommends going after 4pm due to crowds but when I looked online the monastery is only open until 5:30 and I don't think that would be enough time. Does anyone have any suggestions about when to visit for least amount of crowds (obviously I know there will be many people due to when I am going) but just trying to avoid the worse of it.

Thanks!

Posted by Allan

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

12/26/25 03:25 AM

5553 posts

We were there in late September 2024 on a rainy day and arrived at 10am to a sign that said the wait time to get in was 2 hours. We also counted 28 tour buses in the parking lot. We came back at 4:00 and waited in line for 15 minutes. I think we spent about an hour and had seen enough, but if it's of interest to you then even around 3 would be better than during prime tour bus hours.

Posted by Carrie

Chicago

12/26/25 12:08 PM

3959 posts

My advice for popular sights is arrive BEFORE they open.

Looking at my trip report from last year, I arrived at the Monastery 35 minutes before it opened and was first in line.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/solo-in-lisbon-portugal-my-trip-report

It’s great to be one of the first inside to get some nice pictures without crowds of people in them.

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