Padrão dos Descobrimentos

Nothing on the Lisbon riverfront is more photographed than the Padrão dos Descobrimentos. The monument rises from the water's edge at Belém in the shape of a ship's prow, its sides lined with larger-than-life figures who seem to be stepping aboard, and at its head stands Prince Henry the Navigator holding a model caravel. Behind him come the figures of the Age of Discoveries: navigators such as Vasco da Gama, Pedro Álvares Cabral and Ferdinand Magellan, kings, missionaries, cartographers, the poet Camões and the chronicler Zurara, among others. The idea first appeared as a temporary structure for the Portuguese World Exhibition of 1940, and the permanent monument in concrete and limestone was inaugurated in 1960 to mark five hundred years since Henry's death. In front of it, set into the pavement, is a huge compass rose with a marble map of the world showing the routes and dates of the Portuguese voyages, a gift from South Africa; it is best seen from above. That is the reason to buy a ticket. Inside the monument a lift and a short flight of stairs take you to the top, where a viewing terrace looks along the river to Belém Tower, across to the Cristo Rei statue and the 25 de Abril bridge, and back over the gardens to the long façade of Jerónimos Monastery. The lower floors hold an exhibition space and an auditorium used for temporary exhibitions and short films on Lisbon and its history. The monument is run by the city's cultural company and opens every day, with a few holiday closures.

It is worth knowing what you are looking at. The Padrão was built under the Estado Novo dictatorship, which used the story of the Discoveries as national myth, and the monument celebrates exploration in the heroic terms of its era. It says nothing about the people the voyages conquered or the slave trade that followed, and modern visitors, Portuguese ones included, increasingly read it as a monument to how the regime wanted the past remembered as much as to the past itself. The temporary exhibitions inside have sometimes taken up exactly those questions. None of that makes the sculpture less striking. Walk all the way round before going in: the eastern and western sides carry different groups of figures, and the prow seen from the riverside path, with the river behind it, is one of the great images of Lisbon.

Working the visit: the ticket is modest and the visit short, about forty-five minutes including the view and whatever exhibition is on. The top terrace is small, so it can feel crowded at busy times; go early or late in the day. Clear days give the best views, and in the late afternoon the light falls warmly on Jerónimos and the riverside. From the top, look straight down at the compass rose and map, then trace the routes with the dates. There is no café inside, but there are kiosks and cafés along the waterfront and in the gardens opposite.

Fitting it into Belém: the monument is on the riverfront between Jerónimos and Belém Tower, a few minutes' walk from each, and reached by pedestrian tunnel or footbridge from the gardens and Belém station. Take the train from Cais do Sodré or tram 15 from the centre. A natural order is Jerónimos at opening, then the Padrão, a riverside walk to your timed slot at Belém Tower, and custard tarts at Pastéis de Belém to finish. MAAT and the river promenade continue to the east if you have energy left.