The Portugal Itinerary with Kids You Can’t Miss
Are you thinking about going to Portugal with kids? First, let me start by saying…GREAT CHOICE! Seriously, if you haven’t officially made up your mind yet, I can tell you that you will not be disappointed if you decide on a Portugal family vacation.
Portugal is one of the most family-friendly places we’ve visited with our boys. And if you’re really considering taking your little ones to Portugal, don’t miss this post on what I wish I would’ve known about going to Portugal with kids.
But since you came here for an itinerary, you might be wondering, “What things are there to do with kids in Portugal? Where should we visit? Where would we stay?” I got you.
When we visited Portugal, we went during the “off-season” in November with our 6, 4, and 2-year-old boys. Now, I get to share every detail of that trip with you!
This itinerary will take you on a journey around Portugal that lasts just over a week and guarantees the kids AND parents will have a blast.
Keep reading to see my super-detailed Portugal with kids itinerary!
Disclosure: You may see affiliate links throughout this post, which means these are the things I handpicked! If you purchase something through these links, I will get a small commission at absolutely no extra charge to you. And that sure means a lot to me, so thank you in advance!
The Ultimate Portugal Itinerary with Kids
HOTELS WE LOVED
THINGS THAT MADE THE TRIP EASIER
Day 1: Arrive in Lisbon, Portugal
Depending on where you’re flying from and how big (or small) the time change is, your arrival day might look different than ours did. For our trip, we took an overnight flight from the U.S. to Lisbon and arrived around 12:30 PM.
By the time we made it through the airport, picked up our Lisbon Card, and got to the hotel, it was around 2:30 PM. Since our room was ready, we decided to take a quick nap before heading out to dinner.
On that very first night, we wanted something quick and easy for dinner, so we headed over to Time Out Market. Having multiple choices was a perfect first meal in Portugal.
After dinner, we strolled around the city to check it out and landed at Commerce Square, which is beautiful at night!
Where to Stay in Lisbon with Kids
I highly recommend staying at Martinhal Chiado Lisbon when in Lisbon with kids. We’ve traveled quite a bit with our kids (including going to Disney often if you couldn’t tell by my blog…ha!), and we’ve never come across as kid-friendly as a hotel as Martinhal.
All I can say is…wow! They dot every “i” and cross every “t” when it comes to covering the details of traveling with kids. And that made our trip so easy.
We booked a two-bedroom, two-bathroom room that included a large living room, a full kitchen, and a washer/dryer. Any sort of baby/toddler gear that we needed (including a crib, diaper pail, high chair, and baby bathtub) was provided. Plus the kitchen was stocked with milk, juice, and snacks when we arrived.
While there was plenty of space in our room, there was also a kids’ play area on the main level that we took advantage of for some downtime and playtime each day. Martinhal also offers a paid kids’ club option if you want some time to explore the city without the kids, but we always took them along with us.
Breakfast was also included each morning. And it. was. delicious! Perfect start to our days during our time in Lisbon.
Martinhal Chiado Lisbon
Day 2: Day Trip to Sintra
This day was a little up in the air. Instead of setting this day trip in stone prior to our arrival, we waited for the weather forecast.
We knew we wanted to visit Sintra. But we also knew that we really wanted nice weather during our visit (if possible). And day 2 of our trip just so happened to have the best weather!
Would I have done it on day 2 if the weather was forecasted to be great every day? Honestly, I probably would have done it on day 3 or 4 instead. It’s a long day with LOTS of walking, so it kind of wore us out right off the bat, resulting in a later start than we would’ve liked the next day.
But would I have skipped this day all together because of how long it was and how much walking we had to do? Absolutely not! It was one of our favorite days!
Getting to Sintra from Lisbon (and from Sintra to Lisbon!)
We chose to take the train from Lisbon to Sintra (and back again), and it was super easy. We had the Lisbon Card (which we picked up from the airport upon arrival), which includes all public transport plus the train ride to/from Sintra.
If you don’t have the Lisbon Card, it’s still very easy (and cheap) to purchase a round-trip train ticket at the station.
We left from the Rossio train station in Lisbon at 8:11 AM, and it took 40 minutes to get to Sintra.
Things to Do in Sintra with Kids
Once we arrived in Sintra, we jumped on the bus to Pena Palace. We had purchased our tickets online in advance, so we were able to walk right in with very little wait when we got there.
After taking in the beauty that is Pena Palace, we walked downhill to the Moorish Castle. And this is where the walking really started to get intense.
You take quite the walk just to get from the entrance of the Moorish Castle to the actual gate where they scan your tickets. Then you’re off to explore this castle that was built in 711 AD. While you don’t have to walk the entire thing, we somehow just kept chugging along and did.
Once we were done, we hopped back on the bus to the historic center of Sintra. We grabbed a quick drink of Ginjinha (or at least the adults did!) and ate some sweets, then we walked over to Quinta da Regaleira.
While we had every intention to eat lunch in downtown Sintra, it just didn’t work out. So we grabbed some food at the cafe at Quinta da Regaleria and then made our way around the grounds (don’t miss the Initiation Well!).
For our full Sintra itinerary with kids, click here.
It’s good to note: we did NOT bring a stroller on this trip (other than for the airport)! There were too many hills and stairs – especially in Sintra. Instead, we brought a toddler sling for our littlest guy (and even our middle guy!), and it worked out perfectly.
How long will you spend in Sintra?
Remember when I said it was a long day? By that, I meant it was pretty much the whole day. We left Lisbon at 8:11 AM and returned just after 5:00 PM. The boys were troopers!
When we got back to Lisbon, we grabbed some dinner at a super touristy restaurant (but at that point we didn’t care!), then headed straight back to the hotel to get some rest.
Day 3: Check Out Belem
While Belem is actually a neighborhood in Lisbon, this almost felt like a day trip in itself. We got a late start this day since we were tired from the day before, but since attractions open a little on the later side, it wasn’t a big issue.
As we walked to the tram station, we took a quick stop at Pink Street to grab some fun photos. Since we were there in the morning, we had the area to ourselves which was really neat. I may be a mom of boys with LOTS of blue around our house, but my favorite color is pink, so this was a “must-see” for me!
Getting from Lisbon to Belem
We were all about using public transport when able on this trip, especially since our Lisbon Card covered it all. To get from Lisbon to Belem, we jumped on Tram 15 around 10:00 AM. And about 23 minutes later, we arrived in Belem.
The tram was standing room only, as lots of other tourists were on their way to Belem, too. Hindsight, we would’ve left about an hour earlier than we did, but we needed the rest after a busy day in Sintra the day before.
Things to Do in Belem with Kids
We started our day in Belem with kids by grabbing some pasteis de nata from Pasteis de Belem. And I can’t say I regretted it! Those things were delicious!
We were lucky enough to walk right in with no line. Although I didn’t feel like we got to Belem super early by any means, it must have been early enough to avoid the crowds. We were also there during the off-season, so that played a big role in fewer crowds, too.
If you’re traveling during a busy season, I would recommend getting to Pasteis de Belem much earlier, as the lines can get long.
Jeronimos Monastery
After grabbing some morning treats, we headed over to Jeronimos Monastery. The monastery was built in the early 1500s and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Our Lisbon Card covered the entry fee into the monastery, but what we didn’t realize is that we were about to get priority entrance, too!
We weren’t quite sure if we needed a separate entry ticket on top of our Lisbon Card, so my husband went to ask the security guard at the front of the line. When the guard saw that we were traveling with young kids, he let us right in! Yep…we got to skip the huge line.
I was initially bummed that we didn’t get our butts out of bed early to avoid the crowds, and it turned out that we got to avoid them anyways. That’s one of the huge bonuses of traveling to Portugal with kids.
“Beautiful” really doesn’t capture how amazing the Jeronimos Monastery really is. We were in awe the entire time. Plus since they limit the number of people in there at any single time, you don’t feel crammed in at all, allowing you to really take it all in.
Padrão dos Descobrimentos (AKA Monument to the Discoveries)
After leaving the monastery, we walked through the park across the street and took an underground tunnel to get to the Padrão dos Descobrimentos (AKA Monument to the Discoveries).
This monument opened in 1940, so while it hasn’t been around for too long in the grand scheme of things, it celebrates Portuguese exploration from the 15th and 16th centuries. And it’s pretty impressive in person!
It was the perfect place to enjoy those pasteis de nata we bought earlier and gaze out at the Tagus River, the Ponte 25 de Abril (25th of April Bridge), and the Cristo Rei (Christ the King) monument.
We opted not to go to the top of the Monument to the Discoveries, as our next stop was Belem Tower, and we already knew we wanted to climb to the top there. The views are very similar, though, so if you have someone in your party with mobility issues, consider going to the top of the Monument to the Discoveries instead. There’s an elevator there, whereas, at Belem Tower, you’ll be taking the stairs.
Belem Tower
The last main stop of our time in Belem was Belem Tower. The tower was built in the early 1500s as a gateway to the city of Lisbon, a point of embarkation and disembarkation for Portuguese explorers, and a defense against possible invasions. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.
To get to Belem Tower, we took an easy walk along the river on a walking path from the Monument of the Discoveries. Once we arrived, we had to take a pit stop at the ticket office to validate our Lisbon Card. There was a separate line for Lisbon Card holders with no wait.
Again, when traveling with young kids, you can go right up to the security guard and skip the long line at the entrance!
Inside the tower, we made our way to the top. To get there, there’s a spiral staircase, but our boys had no issues with it. We took in the view and explored the tower (my boys especially loved wandering around the bunker with all the canons), then grabbed some lunch.
We quickly realized that, even though we were in Lisbon during the off-season, the restaurants were still very busy, so we had to walk around a bit to find a restaurant that could seat us.
Back to Lisbon
After a late lunch, we jumped back on Tram 15 and returned to our hotel for a bit. That night, we headed over to see the Santa Justa Lift. We did not want to stand in the long line or pay the money to go on the lift, so we just took the stairs to see the views from the top and the bottom of it.
After dinner, we grabbed some more treats (as I’m writing this, I’m realizing how much our trip revolved around eating treats!) and enjoyed the live music in the area. What a cool spot at night!
Day 4: Enjoy Lisbon with Kids
This was our last day in Lisbon! And here’s the thing. When we travel with kids, we make a list of “must-sees” and “nice-to-sees.” I can tell you that although we got to a lot of our must-sees, we could have easily spent more time in Lisbon to see a bunch of stuff we missed.
So in this section, I’m going to tell you what we did. But I’m also going to add in stuff I wish we could have done. That way if you have extra time in the city or if you don’t need or want to take midday breaks like we did, you have some more options!
Let’s start with what we were able to get to:
Parque Eduardo VII
We took a metro ride to this park, and we were so happy we did! First of all, the park is gorgeous! I mean, look at the hedges…so cool!
But it also had a kids’ playground area that our boys really enjoyed. We always try to plan some activities solely for the kids, and this ended up being a good one. We all got to relax and enjoy the beautiful weather. Taking some time away from the busyness of vacation was really nice.
Squares
Lisbon is FULL of beautiful squares. And I was amazed by the black and white cobblestone patterns at each of them.
Wandering around the city and coming across these squares wasn’t only something nice to see, but it also allowed the boys to run around and get some energy out.
On this day, we visited Praca dos Restauradores, which had a beautiful monument as its centerpiece.
Some of our favorite squares that we came across during our time in Lisbon included: Praca do Comercio (Commerce Square), Praca do Municipio, Praca do Rossio (Rossio Square), and Praca de Luis de Camoes.
Restaurants We Loved in Lisbon with Kids
Since day 4 was a little more laid back, we didn’t feel like we had to rush to find something quick to eat. And that meant we were able to take some time to pick places we really thought we would enjoy!
For lunch, we ate at Ginjinha Popular near Praca dos Restauradores. This is where we finally got to try bifana and vegetable soup, and it. was. amazing. It was also one of the cheapest meals of our trip, so bonus points for that!
Dinner was more on the expensive side, but totally worth it in our eyes. We ate at Pharmacia Felicidade, which is a tapas restaurant with really neat cocktails. Plus it had a beautiful view of the bridge in Lisbon.
It wasn’t the most kid-friendly restaurant out there, but since we were ordering plates to share, we were able to easily find things our boys would eat. In fact, they even tried and liked octopus (to our amazement!).
It was a nice compromise between a foodie restaurant we loved as adults and a restaurant the kids enjoyed, too. And if you visit during the warmer (or less rainy) months, they have a really cool outdoor seating area.
And now what we weren’t able to get to (but would have loved to see!):
Carmo Convent
Ok, this one could have easily fit into our day, but we made a big mistake. We didn’t check the opening hours. And unfortunately, Carmo Convent wasn’t open on the day we were checking out the city. What a bummer!
This was pretty high on my priority list because: 1) It looks incredible. -and- 2) It’s a big part of Lisbon’s history.
And just because I like to add historical tidbits into my posts when I can, here’s a little bit about Lisbon. November 1, 1755, was an absolute nightmare for the city of Lisbon.
The day began with an earthquake…which then sparked a tsunami…which then ended in a city-wide fire due to residents having candles lit in their homes to celebrate All Saints’ Day.
In just one day, the city was ruined and tens of thousands of people lost their lives. Carmo Convent is a stark reminder of this, as what you see today is the remains of the church from this horrible event.
Miradouro da Senhora do Monte
When doing my research prior to our trip, I came across this viewpoint, Miradouro da Senhora do Monte (Our Lady of the Hill). It’s considered Lisbon’s highest perch, and you’re able to get a panoramic view of the city from there.
While I had every intention of trying to make it there for a sunset, it just didn’t happen on our trip, unfortunately. So, please, go do it for me!
Castelo de Sao Jorge
While we were able to see Castelo de Sao Jorge from a distance, we never got a chance to visit it.
This castle was built in the mid-11th century to house military troops. There is also an archeological site on the castle grounds that shows evidence of settlements dating back to the 7th century BC.
Since the castle is situated on a hill, you’ll get an incredible view of the city of Lisbon if you have time to visit.
Oceanario de Lisboa
Now I’m not going to act like we definitely would have done this one, but I’m still going to add it in this section as an option.
When researching things to do in Lisbon with kids, I came across this one a lot. So, it got put on my “nice-to-see” list IF we had a day of poor weather. Having indoor activity options with the kids is always something I have in the back of my mind when we travel.
But we’re a family that really likes to take in the history and culture as much as possible when visiting a new place, so we often steer clear of things like zoos and aquariums.
With that being said, this place does look super cool, so if we would’ve had an all-day downpour, there’s a chance we would have visited.
Day 5: Drive to Lagos, Portugal
In the morning, we packed up our things and headed to Lagos, Portugal!
We rented a car from Hertz. My husband went to pick it up from the downtown location (although he felt like it would have been just as easy, if not easier, to just go back to the airport to get it) while I stayed back at the hotel and let the kids play (one of the huge benefits of staying at a Martinhal resort!).
The road trip was incredibly easy. The roads are great and easy to navigate with the use of Google Maps. There were also plenty of rest areas with bathrooms, a gas station, and a place to grab a quick bite to eat if needed.
In total, with a couple of stops for the boys to use the bathroom, the drive took us about 3.5 hours.
Where to Stay in Lagos with Kids
I know I bragged on Martinhal a ton earlier in this post! And we SO wanted to stay at a Martinhal resort in the Algarve region of Portugal, too. But when we were looking at options, the Martinhal resorts in that area weren’t quite where we wanted to be location-wise.
The things we really wanted to see and do were in Lagos. And we wanted to spend as little time as possible in the car getting from place to place. So, Belmar Spa & Beach Resort it was!
This resort was nice in that we were able to book a condo-style two-bedroom, two-bathroom room. It even had a rooftop terrace! The room was very well-cleaned, and they provided a crib for our littlest guy.
Breakfast was included, and although it wasn’t as good as the one provided at Martinhal Chiado in Lisbon, it still did the job.
The location was great! It was just a couple-minute walk down to Praia do Porto de Mos. And we could easily drive to and find parking at the other areas we visited.
What I didn’t realize when we booked the room is that this is actually a complex where some people live full-time…not just full of fellow vacationers like us. This is probably just me being an anxious mom that’s nervous about her kids bothering others, but I didn’t feel AS relaxed as I did at the Martinhal resorts because of that.
We never had any issues though (just me being in my head about it!). And that fact wouldn’t keep me from recommending it to others by any means.
If you really want to stick with Martinhal resorts and are okay staying in different areas of the Algarve region, check out Martinhal in Sagres and Martinhal in Faro.
Belmar Spa & Beach Resort
Day 6: Hike (or Stroll) to Incredible Sights
Ok, I know I said our day trip to Sintra was one of our favorite days of the trip. But this day might take the cake as THE best day in Portugal simply because the views during this hike were just amazing.
Right after breakfast, we drove over to Praia de Dona Ana. There was a large parking lot there, so finding parking was no big deal. From there, we “hiked” down to Ponte da Piedade.
I put “hiked” in quotes because it was really more like a stroll. There’s a long boardwalk that you can walk along, making it very easy for even young toddlers to navigate. You can hop off the boardwalk at any time for more of a “hike” feel and to get better views or you can stay along the boardwalk the entire time.
Along the way, there are a handful of beaches that you can visit (as long as you’re good with going up and down literally hundreds of stairs…but I promise, it’s worth it!).
I’ll go into every detail of this hike in a future post. But for now, just know that it’s not only doable with kids, it’s a must-do!
After our hike, we went back to the resort for our typical midday break. Then we spent the evening checking out downtown Lagos (which is a super cute town!). We had dinner at Pie Lagos…and it was delicious!
Day 7: Spend the Day at the Beach
On our last day in Lagos, we just wanted to relax and have fun with the boys. And our boys love visiting the beach, so off we went!
Since we visited Portugal in November, we didn’t have that perfect beach weather, but it didn’t stop us from enjoying our time at the beach. In fact, the boys enjoyed themselves so much that they were completely SOAKED by the end of it. Ha!
We started the day at Praia da Marinha, which is considered one of Europe’s most beautiful beaches.
I mean, it’s absolutely gorgeous there! And we had a BLAST. But we weren’t prepared.
By the end of our time there, the boys (and even our diaper bag) were soaked and covered in sand. So my plan for our next stop went down the drain, as we had to go straight back to the resort to dry off.
Now, the cool thing about writing a blog is that I get to share what we would have done even when our plans didn’t go perfectly. You get to learn from my mistakes!
So, after leaving Praia da Marinha, we would have headed over to Carvoeiro to see Algar Seco and grab some lunch. And that’s what I would recommend you do.
We really did get to do this, but it was actually the next morning. It would have made much more sense time and location-wise, though, to just do it after visiting Praia da Marinha.
While visiting Algar Seco, we got to see huge waves crashing up against the coast. There’s a cave-like structure to explore and a boardwalk to walk along. It wasn’t just the kids that were amazed by this area…us parents were too!
I would have loved to check out more of Carvoeiro if we would have had time, too. It was such a cool little town.
That night we caught a beautiful sunset at the beach, Praia do Porto de Mos, right by our hotel. Then we headed back to downtown Lagos to have dinner at Nah Nah Bah, a burger joint where we could easily find food the kids would like. Our meal was great, and we didn’t have to worry if the boys were a little loud because the restaurant was also a little loud.
Day 8: Drive to Cascais, Portugal
The final stop on this trip was Cascais, Portugal! When planning this itinerary, we wanted to be closer to the airport on our last day.
But, instead of going back to Lisbon, we noticed that the drive from Cascais to the airport really wasn’t that much longer. And that gave us an excuse to visit one last area.
Since we didn’t have much time in Cascais, we spent the evening just walking around the town and grabbing dinner followed by some gelato.
This was another area where we wish we could have had one more day so we could see even more. We would have especially loved to go to Boca do Inferno, which is a unique cliff formation in the shape of an arch that was carved out by the powerful waves in that area. We did get to see some huge waves even from the downtown area, though, so that was neat.
We just so happened to be in Cascais when Portugal was playing in the World Cup. That brought a whole different vibe to the city, and it was so much fun seeing (and hearing!) all of the excitement.
Where to Stay in Cascais with Kids
When we visited, there was actually a Martinhal property in Cascais…and we loved it! It has since been taken over by new ownership (and by “new,” I actually mean that it’s been taken back over by the company that owned it prior to Martinhal). The resort is now called Onyria Marinha Boutique Hotel.
This resort was just as amazing (if not more so) than Martinhal Chiado. Since there is more room to spread out in Cascais than there is in Lisbon, this place is huge and is comprised of several buildings.
We had an entire two-story villa to ourselves instead of just a room at this resort. The resort has an enormous outdoor and indoor play area for kids, which we took advantage of even during the one day we were there. It also has multiple pools (including an indoor pool), but we weren’t able to enjoy those since our stay was so short.
Unfortunately, since it’s under new ownership, I can’t comment on the service because it might be completely different now than when we were there since it’s under new ownership. But we had a great experience when we visited.
Onyria Marinha Boutique Hotel
Day 9: Fly Home
And with that, our Portugal family vacation is over! We had an early morning flight on our last day. So early, in fact, that we drove to the airport in the dark.
But on that drive (and to this day!), we wondered why we didn’t think to go to Portugal with kids sooner! It really was such an amazing family vacation.
If you’re looking for a family-friendly European vacation, Portugal should definitely be on your shortlist.
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