Torre dos Clérigos: practical guide

How opening works

The tower's own website shows a daytime schedule every day and a separate evening programme, with online booking. The tickets sold here are for a date and, when you check availability, a start time. The evening ticket asks you to go to the ticket office as soon as you arrive at the monument to change your ticket. Hours change, so treat the calendar and your confirmation as the final word rather than any printed timetable.

What to bring

Travel light. Large bags and backpacks are not allowed in the tower or the museum, and the tower offers a secure place for belongings subject to availability. Comfortable shoes suit a long spiral stair. On the evening ticket, food and drink are not allowed. Bring your ticket and a way to show it, and a camera or phone if you want the view: the balconies are the point of the climb.

How long to allow

The ticket gives the duration as about 30 minutes for the tower. Allow more if you also want the church front, the museum collections in the brotherhood's house and the first look at the building from outside. A visit that includes the church interior depends on the ticket type, so read the description on the booking page. Leave margin before your start time for finding the right door.

Access

The tower ticket is marked not suitable for people with reduced mobility and notes that there is no lift to the top. The tower's own website says the church, museum and tower are accessible to people with reduced mobility, describes an accessible route and offers a multisensory space that simulates the climb. If mobility matters, contact the tower before you choose a ticket.

Combine it with the Baixa

The tower sits in the middle of the central district, so a half day is easy to fill. São Bento railway station is known for about 20,000 azulejo tiles by Jorge Colaço. The Livraria Lello bookshop stands on Rua das Carmelitas near the tower. The Cordoaria garden and Rua das Flores are on the route of the guided old-town walk, and the Avenida dos Aliados runs up to the city hall.

Read next: How to get to Torre dos Clérigos

Before you go

A short checklist covers most of what can go wrong on the day. Each item comes from the terms of the tickets or from the tower's own pages, and none of it is difficult: it is mostly a matter of choosing the slot, leaving the heavy bag behind and checking access with the tower if you need to.

• Pick a date and confirm the start time on the booking page
• Leave large bags and backpacks behind
• Wear shoes that suit a long spiral stair
• Check access with the tower if mobility matters
• Allow extra time for the church front and the museum

Choosing between the tickets

There are three products. The day tower ticket is the climb with the church front and museum collections among its highlights. The evening ticket is for the tower only, unguided, for a small group. The guided walk lasts about three hours, includes entry tickets and a guided visit to the Clérigos Church, and does not list the tower climb. Cancellation is free until two days before the date for the tower tickets, and until 24 hours before for the walk.

Read next: Best time to visit Torre dos Clérigos

Who this isn't for

If you want a quick photograph, the church front and the tower can be seen from the street without a ticket. The ticket is for people who want the view from the top, and for people who can manage a long spiral stair with no lift. If neither describes you, the Baixa around the tower is worth the walk without it.