14971497–1499 · Belém, Lisbon

Vasco da Gama's sea route to India

The ornate south portal of the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, Lisbon — Photo: Jakub Hałun. CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Vasco da Gama's fleet left Restelo beach in Lisbon in July 1497, rounded the Cape of Good Hope and reached Calicut in India in May 1498. The voyage opened a direct sea route between Europe and Asia, launched Portugal's trading empire in spices and enslaved people, and helped pay for the Jerónimos Monastery, where da Gama is buried.

Maritime History
Colonial & Imperial History
Lisbon, Portugal

Sites

Site 1: Jerónimos MonasteryManueline cloister and the tomb of Vasco da Gama.Map ↗
Site 2: Belém TowerRiverside fortress built to guard the departure point.Map ↗
Site 3: Padrão dos Descobrimentos1960 monument with a pavement map of Portuguese voyages.Map ↗