Monument to the Discoveries, Lisbon: Tickets and Views

The Padrão dos Descobrimentos, or Monument to the Discoveries, is the giant stone prow on the Belém riverfront, with Henry the Navigator leading Portugal’s explorers towards the Tagus. It’s free to see from outside, but the lift to the top gives one of the best views in Belém.

Quick answer: a €10 ticket covers the rooftop viewpoint, the exhibition and a film (exhibition only €5). Under-12s and Lisboa Card holders go free. It’s open every day, Mondays included: 10am to 7pm from March to September, 10am to 6pm from October to February. No timed slot is needed. Allow 30 to 45 minutes.

A short history

The first version was built for the Portuguese World Exhibition of 1940, a show of national pride staged by the Estado Novo dictatorship. Designed by the architect Cottinelli Telmo and the sculptor Leopoldo de Almeida, it was a temporary iron and cement frame with plaster statues, pulled down in 1943. The monument you see today was rebuilt in concrete and stone, with statues carved in Sintra limestone, for the 500th anniversary of Henry the Navigator’s death. It was inaugurated on 9 August 1960 and stands 56 metres tall. The inside opened to visitors in 1985, with a viewpoint, an auditorium and exhibition rooms.

It presents the voyages as pure national glory, as the regime that built it intended, and many historians and visitors now point out what it leaves out, such as the slave trade and the peoples Portugal colonised, while others see it simply as a tribute to the sailors. See a quick history of Portugal.

The 33 figures

Henry stands alone at the prow, 9 metres tall, holding a model ship. Behind him, 16 figures about 7 metres tall climb each side: navigators, kings, missionaries, writers, a mapmaker and a painter. Look for:

• East side: Vasco da Gama, Pedro Álvares Cabral (Brazil, 1500), Ferdinand Magellan, Bartolomeu Dias, Diogo Cão and Saint Francis Xavier.
• West side: the poet Luís de Camões, the mathematician Pedro Nunes, the painter Nuno Gonçalves and Gil Eanes, who first sailed past Cape Bojador in 1434.
• The only woman: Queen Philippa of Lancaster, Henry’s English-born mother, on the west side.

The compass rose and world map

In the pavement in front is a compass rose 50 metres across, a gift from South Africa, inaugurated on 5 August 1960 and laid in pale lioz limestone with black and red stone. At its centre, a world map 14 metres wide marks Portugal’s main routes of the 15th and 16th centuries with dates and little ships: 1488 for the Cape of Good Hope, 1498 for India, 1500 for Brazil. It’s free to walk across, but makes most sense from the top.

Inside: the lift, the viewpoint and the exhibition

A lift takes you to the sixth floor, then a narrow staircase of 42 steps leads to the rooftop viewpoint. You look straight down on the compass rose and out over the Tagus, the Jerónimos Monastery, Belém Tower and the 25 de Abril bridge. For more high spots, see the best Lisbon viewpoints.

• Exhibition: downstairs. Until 30 December 2026 it shows PADRÃO. Casa-Obsessão, about how the monument has been pictured and used as a symbol since 1940.
• Film: a 47-minute documentary on the monument’s story, with English subtitles, shows in the auditorium on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays at 11:15am and 4pm.
• Access: the lift is wheelchair accessible and serves the exhibition, but the viewpoint isn’t, because of the steps.

Tickets and opening hours (2026)

Ticket	Adult	Ages 13–25	Over 65
Viewpoint, exhibition and film	€10	€5	€8.50
Exhibition only	€5	€2.50	€4.30

• Free: children under 12 and Lisboa Card holders. See is the Lisboa Card worth it?
• Where to buy: at the desk, or online from BOL, the monument’s only authorised online seller.
• Hours: daily, 10am to 7pm from March to September (last entry 6:30pm) and 10am to 6pm from October to February (last entry 5:30pm).
• Closed: 1 January, 1 May and 24, 25 and 31 December.

Youth and over-65 rates need proof of age.

Want a guide? The ticket desk is the cheapest way in. If you’d like the Age of Discoveries explained as you walk, see guided Belém tours, and check whether entry is included.

How long and when to go

Allow 30 to 45 minutes, or about an hour and a half on a weekend with the film. Mornings and late afternoons are quieter than midday. Because it’s open on Mondays, it’s a good Belém stop when Jerónimos and the tower are shut.

Getting there

• Tram 15: from Praça da Figueira or Praça do Comércio, about 25 minutes. Get off by the Jerónimos Monastery and walk about 10 minutes across the gardens. See Lisbon’s trams.
• Train: the Cascais line from Cais do Sodré to Belém, about 7 minutes, then walk west along the river for about 10 minutes.

Combine it with Belém

• Belém Tower: about 10 minutes west. Reopened on 27 May 2026 with timed tickets (€15); closed Mondays.
• Jerónimos Monastery: church free, cloister €18; closed Mondays.
• MAAT: east along the river, €16 for visitors from abroad, free roof walk; closed Tuesdays.
• Pastéis de Belém: custard tarts at €1.60, daily 8am to 9pm (10pm July to September).

FAQ

How much does it cost to go up the Monument to the Discoveries?

€10 for adults in 2026, including the exhibition and film. Ages 13 to 25 pay €5; under-12s and Lisboa Card holders go free.

Is the Monument to the Discoveries open on Mondays?

Yes. It opens daily except 1 January, 1 May and 24, 25 and 31 December.

Is there a lift to the top?

Yes, to the sixth floor. Then 42 narrow steps lead to the viewpoint, so the top isn’t wheelchair accessible.

Do I need to book tickets in advance?

No. There are no timed slots, so you can buy at the desk.

More: a day in Belém and the best museums in Lisbon.

See also: Belém Tower, the Jerónimos Monastery guide and Pastéis de Belém.

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