A great stop while exploring the Belém district, the Monument to the Discoveries is best visited early in the morning or late in the afternoon to avoid the largest crowds. 

Be sure to admire the impressive marble map on the ground in front of the monument, which highlights the routes, territories, and key dates of the Portuguese discoveries. It was offered by South Africa in 1960 and remains one of the most overlooked features of the site.

History:

Built to celebrate Portugal’s Age of Discoveries, the monument features some of the most important figures of Portuguese history. At its forefront stands Prince Henry the Navigator, the driving force behind the early voyages of exploration. Behind him are navigators, cartographers, missionaries, scientists, artists, and even Queen Philippa of Lancaster, Henry’s mother, whose influence helped shape one of Portugal’s most remarkable historical periods.

Today, the monument remains one of the most recognizable symbols of Portugal’s maritime legacy and global connections.