LisbonLisboaPortugal.com
The best independent guide to Lisbon
LisbonLisboaPortugal.com
The best independent guide to Lisbon
Palacio Nacional de Belem, Lisbon Guide
The Palacio Nacional de Belem has been the home of the Portuguese Royal family since 1723 and today, it serves as the official address of the Portuguese president. The palace, painted in a distinctive pink colour, is one of the grandest buildings in Belem. However, it may disappoint visitors as it is not open to the public. Although the Belem National Palace is the official residence, few presidents have chosen to live here, with most preferring to stay in their own homes.
The pink Palacio Nacional Belem
The entire palace complex incorporates 5 buildings but the main 17th century palace is L shaped with one end facing over the Praça Afonso de Albuquerque which can be viewed from the Rua de Belem. The main entrance is further along the Rua de Belem, towards central Lisbon. It is identifiable by a pink guard house and black iron gates, which are guarded by military sentries in traditional uniforms.
History of the Palacio Nacional de Belem
The Palacio Nacional de Belem was initially constructed during the 16th century by Manuel, a rich merchant, on a small hill overlooking the Rio Tejo (River Tagus) beach. Over the past 500 years, the area in front of the palace has undergone major transformations, some influenced by human activity and others by nature. The Rio Tejo beach was dredged to form the docks and harbors of Belem then later siltation and changes with currents expanded the northern bank.
The Palacio Nacional de Belem was integrated into the royal court when King John V purchased the palace in 1723 to serve as a holiday retreat. This was in an era when the nobility were escaping the issues of living in an urban area during the 18th century and the area of Belem became fashionable. The palace survived undamaged during the 1755 earthquake along with the king's grand renovations of the interior unlike the Ribeira Palace which was completely destroyed. The palace remained a royal residence and towards the end of the 19th century was used to housing foreign visitors.
The pretty national palace of Belem
With the dethronement of the king in 1912, the Palacio Nacional de Belem became the official residence of the President, though most have preferred to stay in their own private residences. More recently President Ramalho Eanes lived in the Palace but both Mário Soares and Jorge Sapaio used it merely as a work place.
How about a small group tour?
One of the best ways to discover Lisbon and to meet fellow travellers is to join a guided tour. We have worked with Getyourguide.com for the last six years, and some of the best tours of Lisbon include:
Discover more of Lisbon with our most popular guides
If you've found our content valuable, we'd welcome your support.
The digital publishing landscape has evolved significantly. As a small independent publisher, we face growing challenges. Search engines increasingly favour paid content over organic results, while AI-generated content often reproduces original work without attribution.
To support our work, please consider bookmarking this page (press Ctrl + D) for quick access. If you find an article helpful, we'd be grateful if you'd share it with friends on social media.
For specific questions, please see our Reddit community at r/LisbonPortugalTravel.
Should you notice any outdated or incorrect information, please contact us at [email protected]
Thank you for helping us continue to provide valuable content in an increasingly challenging digital environment.
A complete list of all of our Lisbon articles
- 
If you've found our content valuable, we'd welcome your support.
The digital publishing landscape has evolved significantly. As a small independent publisher, we face growing challenges. Search engines increasingly favour paid content over organic results, while AI-generated content often reproduces original work without attribution.
To support our work, please consider bookmarking this page (press Ctrl + D) for quick access. If you find an article helpful, we'd be grateful if you'd share it with friends on social media.
For specific questions, please see our Reddit community at r/LisbonPortugalTravel.
Should you notice any outdated or incorrect information, please contact us at [email protected]
Thank you for helping us continue to provide valuable content in an increasingly challenging digital environment.