A special way to get to know foreign cities and countries is a visit to a bakery or pastry shop. The variety of different types of bread and the selection of the most diverse pastries regularly lure my captain on a discovery tour to the most beautiful pastry shops in the world. One of them he found in Lisbon, namely the Pastéis de Belém. The good: from the cruise ship, it is very easy to reach by bike or on foot. Here is the captain’s shore leave recommendation: “Breakfast in Lisbon”

“Pastéis de Belém pastry shop is certainly not any longer an insider’s tip, but always worth a little trip for me when in Lisbon. You have to be there early enough, before the big tourist rush. Then you can sit in the large, blue-and-white tiled rooms at simple, old tables together with Portuguese and get to talk.

The pastry shop is named after their famous puff pastry tartlets which in the rest of Portugal are known as Natas. In Pastéis de Belém their taste is unique! Crispy dough, fluffy, velvety vanilla filling, you sprinkle cinnamon and sugar over it, if you like. In addition the typical Portuguese milk coffee, the Galão – yes, that’s a way to begin the day.

The best thing to do is to leave the ship early in the morning. Bicycles can be rented at the terminal or you can walk the first part of the way to the Praça de Commercio, where you find several bike rentals. Take two to three hours by bike for the excursion. Of course you can also walk the path, no problem at all during a normal port stay. The route is relatively well developed for bicycles, there are some well-paved sections and some with cobblestones.

Leaving the terminal, turn left and follow the coastal promenade to the tower of Belém (Torre de Belém). You choose your own pace, always driving along the river Tagus, past the Praça de Commercio (Trading Place), the ferry harbors where the river ferries depart, the Museum of Ancient Arts. Just after passing under the bridge of April 25th, you will see the futuristic MAAT (Museum of Art, Architecture and Technique), pass the Monument to Seafarers and Explorers and soon arrive at the Tower of Belém and its park.