Belém

Belém is where Lisbon looked out to sea. This is the riverside from which Portuguese ships set off in the Age of Discoveries, and the area still has the monuments, the wide-open Tagus and the sense of grandeur to show for it. It is also the easiest place in the city to enjoy from a vintage tuktuk: broad avenues, big skies and plenty of space to stop for photos.

We start at the Jerónimos Monastery, a masterpiece of the Manueline style, with its carved stone doorways and its long white facade. From there we ride along the waterfront to the Belém Tower, then on to the Monument to the Discoveries, the great stone ship that points out into the river. Your driver explains who the figures are and what each place meant to the country. We also pass the modern curves of the MAAT museum, a reminder that Lisbon is as much about the present as the past.

And of course, the custard tarts

No visit to Belém is complete without a pastel de nata, and the district is famous for the original pastry shop that has been baking them for generations. We leave time for a stop, so you can taste one still warm and decide for yourself if the fuss is justified.

Choose between 2 hours, which covers the main monuments and a tart stop, or 2h30, which gives you longer at each place and a slower walk along the Tagus waterfront.