Fodor's Expert Review Torre de Belém

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the openwork balconies and domed turrets of the fanciful Belém Tower make it perhaps the country's purest Manueline structure. It was built between 1514 and 1520 on what was an island in the middle of the river Tagus, to defend the port entrance, and dedicated to St. Vincent, the patron saint of Lisbon. Today the chalk-white tower stands near the north bank—evidence of the river's changing course. Cross the wooden gangway, walk inside to admire the cannons, and descend to the former dungeons, before climbing the steep, narrow, winding staircase to the top of the tower for a bird's-eye view across the Tagus River.