Lisbon, with kids!
February 17, 2020 7:05 AM Subscribe
We are planning a trip to Lisbon with two kids, 4 and 6. Any suggestions?
We will be staying in Chiado . . . and that's all we know! Would love ideas for places to go/eat, and also anything that would be helpful to know about the city when travelling with little ones.
We will be staying in Chiado . . . and that's all we know! Would love ideas for places to go/eat, and also anything that would be helpful to know about the city when travelling with little ones.
+1 for the Tejo. They'll love all the trams on display.
posted by humboldt32 at 9:45 AM on February 17, 2020
posted by humboldt32 at 9:45 AM on February 17, 2020
One option (that I loved as an adult): the Museu da Carris transit museum. So many buses and trams to explore!
posted by veggieboy at 1:35 PM on February 17, 2020
posted by veggieboy at 1:35 PM on February 17, 2020
The aquarium (and allow time to enjoy the boardwalk near it). Train ride to Sintra. Enjoy!
posted by leslievictoria at 6:15 PM on February 17, 2020
posted by leslievictoria at 6:15 PM on February 17, 2020
Lisbon is a city of hills, many quite steep. Allow extra time for little (and middle-aged) legs to rest between destinations. Sintra is a day trip and the parking can be terrible so take the train..you will not easily be able to visit it all in one day so focus on the one or two places you find most interesting. Give yourself and your kids time to wander and absorb.
posted by emjaybee at 7:47 PM on February 17, 2020
posted by emjaybee at 7:47 PM on February 17, 2020
Take the train (about 40 minutes IIRC) to Cascais for some seaside time if they would enjoy that. It's a cute little resort town with three small beaches and an excellent ice cream parlour, Santini. Bear in mind that the sea may not be that warm even on a hot day in the shoulder months.
We - grown-ups with a childlike love of novelty transport - also really enjoyed a morning traversing the city centre by riding the three funicular lines and walking between the terminals. For a less crowded vintage tram experience than the 28 or 12 (long queues and packed like a tin of sardines anytime we tried; this was in September), you might have some luck heading in the direction of Largo do Calvario and waiting for a 15 or 18 that will take you back into town along the riverfront. We did this once at an off-peak time of day and literally got one of the beautiful trams entirely to ourselves, but YMMV.
If you want to be able to eat some of the best food Lisbon restaurants have to offer, while having access to a wide range of things that might satisfy the kids, the Time Out Market allows for a wonderful pick and mix approach to meals. Go earlier in the week or at least early in the evening to make it easier to find seats. The Mercado de Campo de Ourique is a much smaller-scale, less hectic place that offers some similar food choices, and I think I remember there being a playground at the nearby Jardim da Estrela.
Thinking myself into being 4 or 6, I reckon I'd find the Castelo dos Mouros and the gardens of the Quinta da Regaleira the most compelling Sintra destinations at that age. The Castelo is because it looks like a castle out of a storybook, one about knights rather than princesses that is (though 4 might be a little young for safely doing a walk around the walls? There is a cheat mode for getting up to the highest point though - look for the sloping path that people are coming down on rather than hugging the steep steps along the wall). The Quinta is because of all the grottos and hidden passageways to explore. The Pena Park would also probably be great to roam around. But Sintra does take a bit of thought as the attractions are all quite far apart and the Pena and the Castelo are on top of a big hill; it's not easy even for grown-ups to stroll between them. The Quinta entrance is a good 15 minutes' walk from the very centre of town. There's a bus but it gets crowded and we found its circuit and ticketing arrangements a bit baffling. You'll find tuk tuks for hire in Sintra like you do in Lisbon, if you fancy that way of getting around, and Uber is also an option.
(Caveat - we don't have kids so I am guessing a bit about what might work!)
posted by FavourableChicken at 6:06 AM on February 18, 2020
We - grown-ups with a childlike love of novelty transport - also really enjoyed a morning traversing the city centre by riding the three funicular lines and walking between the terminals. For a less crowded vintage tram experience than the 28 or 12 (long queues and packed like a tin of sardines anytime we tried; this was in September), you might have some luck heading in the direction of Largo do Calvario and waiting for a 15 or 18 that will take you back into town along the riverfront. We did this once at an off-peak time of day and literally got one of the beautiful trams entirely to ourselves, but YMMV.
If you want to be able to eat some of the best food Lisbon restaurants have to offer, while having access to a wide range of things that might satisfy the kids, the Time Out Market allows for a wonderful pick and mix approach to meals. Go earlier in the week or at least early in the evening to make it easier to find seats. The Mercado de Campo de Ourique is a much smaller-scale, less hectic place that offers some similar food choices, and I think I remember there being a playground at the nearby Jardim da Estrela.
Thinking myself into being 4 or 6, I reckon I'd find the Castelo dos Mouros and the gardens of the Quinta da Regaleira the most compelling Sintra destinations at that age. The Castelo is because it looks like a castle out of a storybook, one about knights rather than princesses that is (though 4 might be a little young for safely doing a walk around the walls? There is a cheat mode for getting up to the highest point though - look for the sloping path that people are coming down on rather than hugging the steep steps along the wall). The Quinta is because of all the grottos and hidden passageways to explore. The Pena Park would also probably be great to roam around. But Sintra does take a bit of thought as the attractions are all quite far apart and the Pena and the Castelo are on top of a big hill; it's not easy even for grown-ups to stroll between them. The Quinta entrance is a good 15 minutes' walk from the very centre of town. There's a bus but it gets crowded and we found its circuit and ticketing arrangements a bit baffling. You'll find tuk tuks for hire in Sintra like you do in Lisbon, if you fancy that way of getting around, and Uber is also an option.
(Caveat - we don't have kids so I am guessing a bit about what might work!)
posted by FavourableChicken at 6:06 AM on February 18, 2020
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by zeikka at 8:21 AM on February 17, 2020 [1 favorite]