Portugal for

Families

t Admiring all things aquatic at Oceanário de Lisboa

Rainy-Day Activities

Parque das Nações, in Lisbon, has plenty of child-friendly attractions, including water fountains to play in, a cable car and the Oceanário de Lisboa. Here you’ll find a vast array of fish, as well as puffins, penguins and sea otters. For kids who love cars and trains, a visit to Lisbon’s Museu da Carris includes a trip around the huge site in a traditional tram, as well as the chance to climb into old buses, horse-drawn trams, coaches and trucks. No football fan will want to miss Funchal’s Museu CR7 – better known as the Cristiano Ronaldo Museum. Inside is a huge array of trophies, golden boots, video clips showing some of Ronaldo’s best goals and plenty of correspondence from his fans.

Get Outside

Small children will enjoy wandering around Coimbra’s Portugal dos Pequenitos, with its recreations of some of Portugal’s best-known monuments, including an impressive replica of Tomar’s Convento de Cristo, and regional houses, all in miniature. For thrill-seekers, Madeira’s Monte Toboggan is a hair-raising ride down a steep hillside in a wicker basket. The descent is made safe by the carreiros (toboggan-drivers), dressed in white with straw boaters, who use their rubber-soled shoes to control the speed and direction of the basket. A fun way to get from A to B!

Fun on the Water

Portugal’s beaches have more to offer than sun and sand. Pedalos and inflatables can be hired and watersports centres rent out paddleboards, kayaks and windsurfing equipment for older kids. Setúbal, on the Lisbon Coast, is the best place to go dolphin watching. The pod of wild bottlenose dolphins are so friendly that they often swim alongside the boats.

Insider tip

Go Halves

Few restaurants in Portugal have children’s menus, but almost all will serve a meia dose (half portion) of a dish on request. Ordering tapas (petiscos) is a great way to encourage fussy eaters to try different foods.