Free Belém Tower entry

Who gets into Belém Tower free or at half price?

Children up to 12 are free, ages 13 to 24 and 65 and over pay €7.50, and residents of Portugal (Acesso 52) and Lisboa Card holders pay nothing. Every ticket still needs a slot.

These are the categories on the official Belém Tower ticket page, run by Museus e Monumentos de Portugal (MMP). The discounts come from a national order, Despacho 13793/2024, which the monument's regulation cites. Children under 12 must be with an adult. Online, a paid ticket carries a small booking fee on top, which is why the shop shows up to €15.92.

A family of two adults, a 10-year-old and a 15-year-old pays €37.50 at face value: €15, €15, nothing and €7.50.

How does Acesso 52 work for residents of Portugal?

Anyone legally resident in Portugal with a tax number (NIF) gets free entry to 37 state museums, monuments and palaces on up to 52 days a year. For Belém Tower it can be booked online.

Acesso 52 started on 1 August 2024. The government announcement says it replaced the older rule that "apenas permitia a entrada sem custos aos domingos e feriados": free entry only on Sundays and public holidays. It covers Portuguese citizens and foreign residents alike. You show an ID document and your NIF.

The useful 2026 change is online booking. Since 20 August 2026 residents can reserve a date and time for the tower on the official shop instead of queuing at the Jerónimos kiosk, where same-day entries were often gone.

Is the Lisboa Card worth it for Belém Tower?

If you also visit Jerónimos and ride the tram to Belém, a 24-hour card at €31 already beats paying €33 for the two tickets. Just collect the card before you try to book.

The 2026-27 prices (1 April 2026 to 31 March 2027) are €31, €51 and €62 for 24, 48 and 72 hours, and €21, €28 and €35 for children aged 4 to 15. The card covers trams, buses, the metro and the Cascais-line train that stops at Belém. Children under 12 already enter the tower free, so a child card pays off through transport and other sights, not here.

The rule that trips people up is printed on lisboacard.org: the tower and Jerónimos need a time slot, and you cannot book it before you exchange your email voucher for the physical card. Then use the shop's Torre de Belém - Lisboa Card page: pick the slot, choose "LISBOA CARD" as payment and enter the code on the card. The card's own step-by-step guide says to tap the card on the validation device at the entrance, since the ticket only becomes valid then. Card holders share a limited daily quota, so book the moment you have the card in hand.

When is Belém Tower free for everyone?

On 18 April (International Day for Monuments and Sites), 18 May (International Museum Day) and during the European Heritage Days in September.

The regulation lists the three, with access "mediante as instruções da tutela", meaning MMP decides how the free tickets are handed out each time. The 60-at-once and 960-a-day caps still apply, so free days are the hardest days to get in. In 2027, 18 April is a Sunday and 18 May a Tuesday.

If you have one shot at the tower, don't build your trip around a free day. Pay €15 on a quiet Wednesday and keep the free day for the riverfront.

Is Belém Tower free on Sunday mornings?

No. The old free Sundays and holidays ended when Acesso 52 replaced them on 1 August 2024.

Older pages still repeat it, in several versions: free "on Sundays before 2pm", free "the first Sunday of every month", an adult ticket at €6 or €8, or a combined tower and Jerónimos ticket. None of that is current. The ticket is €15, and the official combos pair Jerónimos with the Coach Museum and the Ajuda Palace, never the tower. Bought separately the two Belém monuments cost €33.

If a page about the tower does not mention timed slots, it was written before May 2026. Check prices on the official shop, not on a blog. We cover the rest in our Belém Tower tickets guide.

What do tours with tower entry cost compared with the free and reduced tickets?

More, because you pay for the guide or the host. The guided tour is $56 and the entry ticket with a host $34, against €15 or less at the official shop.

Only two Viator listings include tower entry. The guided tower tour ($56, free cancellation up to 24 hours before) puts a local guide with you inside. The entry ticket with a host ($34) is the same timed entry plus a short talk outside, and it is non-refundable. Both listings use youth, senior and child age bands, so check the total for your group.

If you qualify for a free ticket, a tour only makes sense for the guiding. Lisboa Card holders should know that the private Belém walk includes a Jerónimos cloister ticket the card already covers, and stops 30 minutes outside the tower without going in. Getting to Belém on the card is in our getting-there guide. Viator prices are from-prices and move.

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