Jerónimos Monastery - what time shall I go?

Candidly, I don't know if there is a good time. Every time we have gone in every season, there is a looong line to enter. Amazingly, everyone in the line just deals with it.

We went in afternoon about 3 in October and lines weren’t bad. We went straight into church and waited about 10 minutes to go into the monastery. We had tickets for 4 pm but were let in at 3:15.

We had been there day before in the morning (long story) and lines were longer.

There are separate lines for the church and monastery which wasn’t true of any where else we went. There is no cost for church. It opens later than monastery and closes for lunch.

Agree with BethFl -we did the monastery around 3:30pm with very little crowds in June. Earlier in the day the line was down the street. The Maritime Museum in another wing of the monastery was really good as well as the Coach Museum down the street.

I would go first thing in the morning, as soon as you can. then it backs up! It definitely is worth seeing though. Spectacular!

For my trip last March, I was in line about 30 minutes before it opened. I was first in line, and it was nice to be able to take pictures without any people in them.

Thank you all for your help! I plan to go there around 3 pm (I wish I get be there first thing in the morning but my itinerary does not allow me so). How long would it take to look around the monastery and church?

do you need a timed ticket? if so, is it enforced? I read one place they don't care - but not sure if a legit data point

You don’t need a ticket for the church but do for monastery. Usually they sell them across the street in a mirrored kiosk. When I was there last October, the workers were on strike and the only choice was to buy online which requires you pick a time. We did go in before our scheduled time by about 45 minutes do they don’t seem too fussy about that.

Hi Scotttyd,

I am asking to plan dinner back in Lisbon after visiting Jerónimos Monastery. Just would like to know how long it takes to look around once I get in. Sorry I wasn’t clear.

Cheers!

Adding a question here instead of starting a new thread. I'm happy to buy my cloister ticket online in advance and queue up before/at 9am for the cloister entrance. But since the church doesn't open until 10:30am, does that mean I need to enjoy the cloister and rush to then re-queue for the church? Given the difference in time, I can only imagine said line will be extensive by the 10/10:15 when we finish the cloister. Is there a way to see the church interior directly by being a ticketed cloister admission? 18e seems awfully steep for the cloister especially if it means another 30-60 min wait time for the church with the "free" sightseers. Any logistics or handy tips appreciated! I'd hoped it was light the secret door from Vatican into St Peters...

That is one of the problems with visiting. You do have to line up again.

Going in the late afternoon, we did it in opposite order. We visited the church first and then monastery.

The best time to visit the Jeronimos Monastery in March will be early in the morning as the doors open at 10am and there are still no long queues. Or at the end of the day. I went early in April last year and there were no queues yet. Near the monastery there are also pasteis de belem, which are the original ones from Lisbon.

Also will be all around Belem in Lisbon on a Saturday in mid-March. Had planned to start at National Palace de Ajuda at 10:00 a.m. opening time and then around 12-1:00 p.m. Uber to Jeronimos Monastery. Would it be better to start at Jeronimos, see nearby sites including National Coach Museum and the go to Ajuda Palace mid -afternoon?

In answer to the OP's question of how much time to spend once you get inside, I think I spent a couple hours but that included the church. It was several years ago and I don't remember exactly. If you are in a rush, you could probably go through in an hour but I would allow more time. Maybe someone who visited more recently will answer.