Lisbon - timing question?

[lisabdh1]

Do you think 2 hours is enough to visit Belem Tower, Jeronimos Monastery, Monument to the Discoveries and possibly the Cristo Rei Monument? I mean to actually go inside, walk around, take in the views, get some photos. I am thinking about doing the Welcome Pickups tour after being picked up at airport and then they would drop at cruise port. I'm just wondering if that is enough time for us to visit the above. Any thoughts?

Thank you.

[Sally from Cali]

No, it is not possible to see all of those sites in 2 hours,  especially if you want to enter into each of them.

What further complicates your timeline is the time it takes to enter and move through each site (particularly the monastery and the tower). This is regardless of if you have pre-purchased tickets and despite what companies say, there are no skip the line tickets for the monastery.

The monastery alone could take up the full 2 hours between getting in, looking around and taking pictures. Moreover, while these sites are close to each other, you will still need to factor in some amount of (I presume) walking time.

 

At most, I would suggest (and still not sure it’s possible within 2 hrs), going inside the monastery and then taking pictures of the Monument to the Discoveries and the Belem Tower from the outside only (no tickets, no queues). 

If you had 4 hours, I would say you could go into 2 of them. I’ve never been inside of the Monument of the Discoveries, but by most accounts it’s not really worth it to go inside. I can vouch for the Monastery and the Tower and they’re both worth taking your time to visit. Therefore in 4 hours you could visit the Monastery, pass by the Monument, and then end with a visit of the Tower. 
 

Hope this helps you plan.

[lisabdh1]

6 hours ago, Sally from Cali said:

No, it is not possible to see all of those sites in 2 hours,  especially if you want to enter into each of them.

What further complicates your timeline is the time it takes to enter and move through each site (particularly the monastery and the tower). This is regardless of if you have pre-purchased tickets and despite what companies say, there are no skip the line tickets for the monastery.

The monastery alone could take up the full 2 hours between getting in, looking around and taking pictures. Moreover, while these sites are close to each other, you will still need to factor in some amount of (I presume) walking time.

 

At most, I would suggest (and still not sure it’s possible within 2 hrs), going inside the monastery and then taking pictures of the Monument to the Discoveries and the Belem Tower from the outside only (no tickets, no queues). 

If you had 4 hours, I would say you could go into 2 of them. I’ve never been inside of the Monument of the Discoveries, but by most accounts it’s not really worth it to go inside. I can vouch for the Monastery and the Tower and they’re both worth taking your time to visit. Therefore in 4 hours you could visit the Monastery, pass by the Monument, and then end with a visit of the Tower. 
 

Hope this helps you plan.

 

Thank you very much!! Very helpful!

 

[VitaminSea53]

Does anyone have first hand experience with Welcome Pickups?  I am thinking of booking them for 3 cities we will be visiting.  Reviews are mixed - they either love them or hate them....

[lisabdh1]

Someone on my cruise has used them previously and said they were great. I just booked them for airport to cruise terminal transfer.

[Hlitner]

Heavens no!  And you would be missing a real treat which is to have lunch at Pasteis de Belem and enjoy their incredible pastries.

 

Hank

[mom kaplan]

On 2/7/2023 at 12:49 PM, VitaminSea53 said:

Does anyone have first hand experience with Welcome Pickups?  I am thinking of booking them for 3 cities we will be visiting.  Reviews are mixed - they either love them or hate them....

We used them in Athens 3 times and have had great experiences each time. I can't speak on other cities though

[IWantToLiveOverTheSea]

Cristo Rei statue can be seen when you cruise in and out of Lisbon (opposite side from Belem).  Of course, it's not like going to the little dock, taking the boat over, and the bus to the statue.  But if you wanted to concentrate on the Belem sites, and do away with the statue, at least you'll SEE the statue if you look for it (not far from when you reach the bridge.

[erby2283]

On 2/7/2023 at 12:49 PM, VitaminSea53 said:

Does anyone have first hand experience with Welcome Pickups?  I am thinking of booking them for 3 cities we will be visiting.  Reviews are mixed - they either love them or hate them....

I used them arriving in Barcelona to hotel and in Lisbon from our apt we rented to the hotel. Both were fine. I was nervous bc I had never used them and our flight to Barcelona was delayed.  This was back in 2019 so not sure if they still do it this way but the drivers communicate through the "whats app" app.  As soon as I found out my flight was delayed, I notified them.  My driver sent me a message while I was waiting to go through customs that he was there and waiting and where to meet him. I would have no issue using them again.

[lisabdh1]

Yes, we used them and it was very easy!

[olya1972]

What is a Welcome Package? How does one book it?

[edinburgher]

Cristo Rei statue can be seen when you cruise in and out of Lisbon (opposite side from Belem)

 

And it is illuminated at night.