My husband and I visited this place while in Lisbon, but we only went into the church and decided not to see the Cloisters. Even though our Lisboa Cards covered the cost, the line was WAY TOO LONG, and we lost interest. I'm glad we didn't wait since later, on day tour, some people said they did wait and see that area and (in their opinion) it wasn't that amazing. The church is very pretty, though.

We bought tickets for the cloisters online the night before and got there around 9.30am. Facing the building, the queue on the left is for the cloisters, the queue on the right is for the church. We queued for the cloisters. It took an hour and a half queueing to get it. But, the cloisters are beautiful and personally I felt it was worth it. I learned that to see the church (which was free), I would then have had to join the queue for the church, which was also long. I had a peak into it as I headed to the cloisters, it looked interesting but there was no way I was going to queue any more. Advice, buy your tickets for the cloisters online in advance, bring water, an umbrella/hat for some shade and one of those walker poles that turns into a seat if you think you’ll need it. Standing for that long in the heat with be difficult for some. Note, if the cloisters/church is at your back, and you walk over to the little park and fountain, just beyond that you can find an underpass that will bring you out close to the sea and within walking distance of Torre de Belem which is worth a visit. Handy toilet tip, if cloisters is behind you and the fountain is in front of you, there’s a large building on your right, some art exhibitions etc. If you head towards its cafe there are free toilets there.

Really breathtaking. You're only allowed to do the upper and lower cloister so the visit is pretty quick however each section has been ornately carved with master craftmanship. We purchased tickets online and joined the line on the left. Ticket or no ticket you still have to wait with everyone else. Tickets can also be purchased across the road but the kiosk is covered by trees. We went to the cloister first and then exited and stood in line for the church. I was a little let down my the church but the cloister was worth it in my opinion. We didn't wait in line for too long. We then went down the road and walked for 5 minutes to buy the original pastel de natal. Don't miss that shop!

Beautiful space to visit and we were able to walk around at our leisure. I recommend buying tickets in advance, but we were there later in the afternoon and managed to buy tickets at the kiosk. We just had to wait some time in line to get in. Don't forget to line up again after (very short) to get into the chapel and at the end you'll see the tomb of Vasco da Gama. Afterwards, it's a short walk to Pasteis de Belem if you've worked up an appetite. In the fall, make sure you bring a waterproof jacket. We experienced showers several times while in line but there are people there waiting to sell you ponchos if you're desperate.

For us, it was a relaxed stroll around the upper and lower galleries. Each column has an unique caving and there were the occasional crudely carved icon that had the appearance of graffiti. A bas-relief of Donald Trump invades one panel. On a Sunday in November it is possible to arrive at 09:00, one half hour before opening, and be the 20th on line. At 10:30 the line stretches the length of the building. The misuse of Lisbon is reflected in the 12 or so must see edifices that become mobbed simply because they have been mobbed, or because they are across the street from food. This is one of them. “Nothing like travelling hundreds of miles to immerse yourself in art for the sole purpose of killing time between meals.” Cartoon by Sarah Kempa in The NewYorker October 27, 2023.

Mosteiro dos Jeronimos is not to be missed! Stunning architecture, iconic religious site filled with history, gorgeous views and sculptures and paintings to see. I'd recommend coming with a tour guide like I did. My tour guide, Mario, was great! He was funny, thoughtful, and extremely knowledgeable and conveyed all the history and facts in an easygoing way. A tour guide will give you a sense of the historical context of the monastery, its vital importance and what it means to Lisbon.

One of my memories from my last visit to Lisbon in 2004 was the Jeronimos Monastery, a fantastic 16th century Gothic building. Both the cloister and the church (containing tombs of some Portugese monarchs and also Vasco da Gama, amongst others) are covered by the same ticket. The building is an extravagant architectural excess and was funded by a tax on trade with the Indies and Africa, the monks of the monastery being responsible for the spiritual care of the sailors. We arrived mid morning on a Sunday in November and the queue stretched the length of the cloisters! We eventually got in and a friendly ticket lady explained about access to the church (after 2PM on Sundays) and we headed up the stairs to the cloisters. The route is well marked and there are some information boards. The decorated ceilings were impressive but paled when confronted with the sculptural exuberance of the cloisters. Every surface seemed to have a design on it so although the structure was broadly symmetrical, the detail was individual. The area was naturally packed with other tourists but was still glorious to see and we followed the route around the upper floor and then the lower floor before seeing the tiled refectory and some other less memorable rooms. We didn't get to see the church as we'd spent about 45 mins in the cloister and it would have meant a 2 hour wait for 2PM but we should have really gone back there after the Maritime Museum.

Worth the visit. One thing to note is that you can buy the tickets online and even do a combination with the Belem Tower. However, if you are traveling with a senior you cannot buy the tickets online because they get 50% off.⁵

We got here around 5PM on a cloudy Wednesday, Dec 27. The building from inside and outside has a lot of history. However, we did miss seeing the tomb of Vasco de Gama. The rest of the place was very nice. A must visit if you come to Lisbon

The building is very pretty and impressive. Unfortunately, despite the fact that we came very early, it seems that many, many people came earlier... The lines were crazy, so we decided not to go inside. I can't imagine the lines during high season...