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In August I took my two oldest for a week in Portugal. We spent a few days on the coast in Comporta (read more about our days there here) and then drove the one and half hours back to the city of Lisbon for a few days.
Here is what we did in Lisbon Portugal
Packing Essentials:
Portugal was truly an incredible trip – it was relatively affordable compared to other European cities, the people were kind and I found the language barrier quite easy to navigate as English tended to be the language everyone gravitated to. I loved that we were able to do a few days at the beach and enjoy a slower pace while adjusting to the time change before heading into the city. Our days in Lisbon were packed full of fun adventures, good food (I’m all about the food!), and great memories. I am breaking up what we did each day below and including a few tips for navigating the city and even a day trip to Sintra.
One thing I am going to say up front some of the sidewalks in Lisbon have very steep hills and the marble sidewalks can be a bit slippery. Keep an eye on littles, hold hands, and wear good shoes (with a tread)! These sneaks are great for walking in cities and go with everything.
Kids Travel Favorites:
Day 1:
We checked into our hotel, The Lisboans Apartments. This quaint apartment hotel was truly a hidden gem. You get the feeling of living like a local with all the conveniences of a 5-star hotel! Another amazing part of the Lisboans Apartments is the incredible restaurant (Prado) and wine bar (Prado Mercearia) located below the apartments. I cannot recommend this spot enough! The location was great – walkable to pretty much everything we did.
Once settled in and unpacked we went on our first adventure in the city – a Tuk Tuk tour. This tour came highly recommended by my friend Sarah Tucker. This was a great way to explore the city and get our bearings while also learning a bit of the history. My kids LOVED this activity and still are talking about it.
After the two-hour tour, we headed back to Lisboans and stopped in a Prado Mercearia for an aperitif. A cheese plate and a chilled glass of Portuguese red wine. I had no idea how wonderful Portuguese wine is!
For dinner, we walked to Rocco. Truth be told, I gravitated to this restaurant just for the decor and it did not disappoint. Each wall, floor, and ceiling are covered in bold art, prints, and textile. It was heaven. The food was also spectacular – the menu was full of traditional Italian favorites like handmade pasta, fresh seafood, and delicious desserts. We enjoyed one of the best burrata salads I have had and then treated ourselves to a truffle pasta that was finished off tableside in a large parmesan wheel. We enjoyed a slow walk home and stopped for a little gelato at Grom before heading to bed.
Day 2:
We woke up early and enjoyed our fresh breakfast – each morning the Lisboans will place a bag of fresh milk, oj, bread, and a surprise pastry (that I would tuck in my purse for an afternoon treat for the kids!) They also stock your fridge every day with fresh butter, berries, jam, granola, and yogurt. I loved having this available to us so we didn’t have to go out every morning for breakfast.
Today’s agenda included a scenic walk to the flea market (Feira da Ladra), to pick up a few treasures. Portugal is famous for its ceramics – many traditions have been passed down through generations of artisans. I took home a set of plates, and a few mugs, and my daughter bought a blue ceramic bird as a souvenir.
For lunch, we stopped at a kiosk by the Statue of Saint Vincent, which while simple, may have been one of my favorite moments of the trip. We sat looking out over the city, playing go fish, eating olives and simple but delicious tuna sandwiches.
We then hopped in a cab to visit the Museu Nacional do Azulejo – the tile museum. It is filled with stunning examples of tile artwork from Portugal and around the world. You can take a guided tour to learn more about the history of tiles, or wander the galleries on your own. It’s a great way to get a glimpse of the beauty and craftsmanship of tile art! One thing I wished we planned ahead was to take the tile-making class that they offer. Noting here – that there is nothing more I love than a museum gift shop! I picked up the adorable needlepoint tile kit.
We finished day two with a more traditional dinner at Pateo at Bairro do Avilez.
Day 3:
We decided to take a day trip to Sintra which is a little town located about 30-40 min outside of Lisbon. There is a train you can take but we just took an uber. A quick shout-out to these inflatable booster seats that I bought for the kids – we have used them quite a bit on this trip. Sintra is known for its royal palaces, castles, and gardens but most specifically the colorful Pena Palace.
Here are my tips for navigating Sintra to view the Pena Palace:
- Book your tickets ahead of time.
- Once in the town try and find a tuk-tuk to take you up the hill – you can walk but it is FAR and steep.
- Our driver dropped us off at the gardens instead of the main gate so we meandered through the gardens on our way up which was beautiful and saved some time.
- If you do not care about touring the inside of the castle FOLLOW THIS TIP. Walk past the very very very long line of people (they are waiting in line to view the inside of the castle) and enter the gift shop. Walk through the gift shop to the stairs, head up to the cafe, and out into the outside areas of the palace. You’ll save yourself hours of waiting and will still get to view the incredible architecture and views over all of Sintra.
- We did walk back to the town – took us a bit but it was all downhill.
We uberd back to Lisbon and stopped at Time out Market for some dinner and to pick up a few souvenirs. The market is one giant food hall with tons of local restaurant stalls and shops. It’s a great option for lunch, dinner, or even just a snack break.
Day 4:
This was our last day in Lisbon – so we spent the day exploring and walking around the city. We started off with some shopping. Stopping into Comur to learn about a Portuguese delicacy – Sardines. I wanted to take them home just for the sake of the cute branding 😊 We then toured the Carmo Convent, the convent was built in the 14th century in but was destroyed in 1755 in an earthquake. Its ruins are now a museum of archaeological artifacts and religious art.
On our way to lunch, we took the Santa Justa Lift – is an iconic elevator built in 1901. It takes you from the Baixa neighborhood to the Bairro Alto district. There are actually quite a few hidden elevators throughout the city connecting higher and lower streets – we found two but let me know if you stumble upon more. We had lunch back at Lisboan at their restaurant Prado. It was a farm-to-table meal with local favorites! One of my favorites of the trip!
The rest of the day we took an uber out to see Belem Tower, walked over to see Jerónimos Monastery, and picked up a Pastel de Nata at the famous Pastéis de Belém. Pastel de Nata is a traditional Portuguese egg custard tart pastry. They are sweet and absolutely delicious.
We wandered over to LxFactory to explore and grab a quick bite for dinner. It was fun to peek into the unique stores, coffee shops, and galleries.
A few notable things that we did not have the chance or time to do in Lisbon:
- ride the tram 28 – they tend to be very crowded but is a great way to explore the city
- Eat at a few more traditional restaurants – many spots close for the month of august
- Visit the aquarium – it came highly recommended
