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8 Top Family Activities To Do in Lisbon

For the past several years, Lisbon has witnessed a boom in their tourism industry and is now one of the hottest travel bucket-list cities in Europe. Not only is it a gorgeous city with its famous tile building facades and streets, it is an up-and-coming foodie destination. Here is our family’s list of favorite activities in Lisbon, Portugal.

  1. VISIT JERÓNIMOS MONASTERY

Jerónimos Monastery is a former monastery and an UNESCO World Heritage Site. There are two parts to this monastery: the church and the cloister. No entrance fee is required for the Church of Santa Maria, which houses the tomb of the famous Portuguese explorer, Vasco da Gama. Outside, to the immediate left of the church, there will be two lines to enter the cloister area. The longer line will be for the people who need to purchase tickets and the significantly shorter line will be for the people who have already purchased tickets. We recommend that you spend the money for entrance to the cloister so you can admire the ornate hallways and beautiful open spaces.

TIP: Make sure to go the the Jerónimos Monastery before the Tower of Belém if you plan on going inside the Tower of Belém . We bought tickets for both locations at the Archeology Museum which is in the building adjacent (left side) to the Jerónimos Monastery. There was no line at the time and we were able to bypass the long ticket purchasing line at both the Jerónimos Monastery and at the Tower of Belém.

2. VISIT THE TOWER OF BELÉM

The iconic Tower of Belém is one of Lisbon’s most famous tourist attractions and is also another UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is just a short 15-20 minute walk from the Jerónimos Monastery. There will be two lines for entry. The ticket purchasing line on the left was exceptionally long so make sure you follow my tip above to buy the ticket at the Archaeology Museum.

Some people claim that it is not worth spending the money to enter and climb to the top of the tower. I partly agree. It is definitely not a must-do if you are short on time. There were some nice views at the top but the interior of the tower was not very impressive. Regardless, make sure to spend some time marveling at the beautiful exterior architecture of the tower and capturing gorgeous photos at this scenic location.

3. VISIT THE MONUMENT OF THE DISCOVERIES

This famous monument is very close in distance to both the Jerónimos Monastery and the Tower of Belém. It is only an eight minute walk from the monastery. We made a quick stop here on the way to the Tower of Belém. It is on the northern bank of the Tigris river and has statues of 33 famous Portuguese explorers on it.  It pays tribute to Portugal’s Age of Discovery between the 15th and 18th century.  We chose not to enter into the monument (there is an entrance fee) and just enjoyed the structure from the outside.

4. EAT PASTEIS DE NATA

Pasteis de nata is a Portuguese egg tart pastry that is filled with creamy custard. It is one of the trademark desserts of Portugal and we recommend that you eat as much pasteis de nata as possible during your stay in Lisbon. It is the most delicious when it is still warm. We had pasteis de nata from several famous bakeries but our favorite ones were from Pasteis de Belém .

TIP: Pasteis de Belém is located only minutes away from the Jerónimos Monastery so make sure you stop by when you are there. Be prepared to wait in a long line. It will be worth it. Buy more than you think you want. Trust us.

5. EAT AT THE TIME OUT MARKET

Our family loves eating at food market halls where we can pick and choose different foods to try from different vendors. The Time Out Market contains at least 24 different restaurants and 8 different bars along with other stalls selling different types of goods. The main part of this food market has restaurants and other shops aligned around a large square with plenty of seating in the middle.

TIP: One place here that you should not miss is the booth that sells the tinned preserves of different fish and shellfish. It is called Conserveira de Lisboa and for those who love canned sardines, this place offers many different varieties with pretty packaging. These cute cans make great souvenirs to bring back home.

6. EAT AT CERVEJARIA RAMIRO

Cervejaria Ramiro may be one of the most popular restaurants in Lisbon and for good reason. This restaurant was made even more famous by being featured in the Lisbon episode of Netflix’s “Somebody Feed Phil”. They are known for their fresh delicious seafood. We had perfectly cooked scarlet prawns, clams in garlic butter sauce and surprisingly, the best steak sandwich I have ever eaten. You must end your meal with this steak sandwich! Be prepared to stand in a long line.  It will be worth the wait. Our lunch here was our favorite meal in Lisbon.

TIP: You can purchase beer from a machine outside while you wait in line.

7. VISIT THE NATIONAL TILE MUSEUM

Lisbon is a city that is dazzling with beautiful tiles. You can be walking down the street and come across an ornately decorated tile building whose beauty will stop you in your tracks. The rich history and culture of tile is celebrated at the National Tile Museum. Refer to my post on the National Tile Museum for more information.

The National Tile Museum of Lisbon, Portugal

8. TAKE A DAY TRIP TO SINTRA

If you are staying at least two full days in Lisbon, we strongly recommend that you use one of those days to visit the nearby city of Sintra. It is only a 25-30 minute drive away from Lisbon. Make sure to visit both the Pena Palace and the Quinta da Regaleira while you are there. Refer to my article on the Pena Palace for more information.

Day Trip to Sintra: Pena Palace

 

LESSONS LEARNED:

As with every travel destination, there is never enough time to do everything one wants. One of our favorite places was the city of Sintra. Next time we visit Lisbon, we would like to spend at least one night at Sintra so we could enjoy more time at the Pena Palace, Quinta da Regaleira, and the surrounding areas. For our next visit to Portugal, we plan to travel to the city of Porto and to the religious city of Fatima.

EXPERIENCES GAINED:

Our family loved our time in Lisbon. It was a city that embraced tourists and was eager to show off its charm and beauty. Prior to coming here, I was concerned about the possible language barrier since I barely speak any Portuguese. However, there are a lot of people in Lisbon that speak at least a little English so we were able to get by with their limited English and my hopeless Portuguese language skills. I hope that you will have the opportunity to experience the hospitality and beauty of the charming city of Lisbon.

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Day Trip to Sintra: Pena Palace

You have probably seen photos of Pena Palace on Instagram. It looks like a real-life fairy-tale Disney castle surrounded by green forest. The palace is painted with vibrant bright and pastel colors and has multiple towers while sitting on a hill surrounded by lush green landscapes.  It is an UNESCO World Heritage Site as well as one of the Seven Wonders of Portugal.

After seeing pictures of Pena Palace on the internet, I knew that it would be a must-see for us when we visited Lisbon in June. I perused through many websites and blog articles that provided information on how to get there: buses, Uber, train, tourist groups, etc. At the end, we opted to book a tour called Sintra Full Day Tour: Let the Fairy Tale Begin. This tour would also take us to Quinta de Regaleira, Cabo da Roca, and the seaport city of Cascais.

We were greeted at our hotel lobby by our guide Mauro at around 8am.  He was a native Portuguese citizen who spoke fluent English. We also discovered that he spoke multiple other languages including Spanish and Italian. We made a stop to pick up another family of four nearby who spoke Italian.  They had two sons who looked like they were about 5 and 7 years old.

It was a very quick 30 minute drive to Sintra. Mauro provided us with interesting information about the city of Lisbon and general facts about Portugal on the way, switching seamlessly between English and Italian. It was nice to be matched with another family.

We arrived at the Pena Palace about 30 minutes before they opened at 9:30am. There were already people waiting at the ticket office and a tour group was standing in line at the entrance. Mauro guided us on which tickets to purchase and waited at the entrance to hold our place in line.  He instructed us to buy the family package for the Park only (26 euros) instead of the Palace and Park combination family package (49 euros).  Once the ticket office opened, we were able to quickly purchase our tickets and head in directly to the palace.

Once inside, we embarked on a pleasant uphill stroll to the palace.  It was a relatively easy walk for everyone in our party, including the two younger Italian boys.  There was also an option to purchase tickets for a hop-on hop-off shuttle for 3.5 euros.  I would consider buying this if I had infant or toddler children or elderly parents with me.  There was also an option to purchase an audioguide for 3 euros.  The weather was significantly cooler than it was in Lisbon. It was a perfect 70F degrees which made the experience even more enjoyable.

The Pena Palace was even more beautiful and enchanting in real life than how it looked in photographs. It combined Muslim and Christian artistic components, often displayed side-by-side in the architecture. The views were also breathtaking from the top of the castle as we looked out at the neighboring forests.  There was also a cafe where we ordered espressos for the parents and hot chocolate for the children.

It soon got very crowded at the palace and the line to enter the interior of the palace quickly became extremely long. I was relieved that Mauro recommended against the inside tour. We spent about 2 hours total here.   We then headed over to Quinta de Regaleira and to the beautiful seaport city of Cascais.  These places will be discussed in future blog posts.  Mauro then concluded the tour and offered to drop us off at our hotel around 5pm.

LESSON LEARNED: I was so glad that we booked a tour company for our Sintra Trip. I tend to feel a little insecure when I travel to places where I cannot speak the language, so having Mauro with us really helped put me at ease on this trip. He also provided so much information about the city, history and culture that I found to be valuable.

RECOMMENDATION: Pena Palace is a definite must-see! It was our favorite landmark in Portugal. We were mesmerized by the fairy-tale and historic beauty of this place.  I would recommend to set aside one day dedicated to Sintra and at least 2-3 hours at the Pena Palace.

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The National Tile Museum of Lisbon, Portugal

Anyone who has visited Lisbon remembers this city’s beautiful “azulejos” or decorative ceramic tiles.  There were countless times during my trip when I would be strolling down a street and stopped dead in my tracks to marvel at a random building with facades of brilliant tiles.  Hundreds, if not thousands, of buildings spread throughout the city were breathtakingly beautiful and reflected dazzling light off the azulejos. It makes sense that Lisbon proudly possesses a national museum celebrating their azulejos and their glorious history.

I had read many blogs or comments regretting the fact that they were not able to visit the National Tile Museum.  Many who had the opportunity to go referred to their trip there as the “highlight” of their vacation. I made it a point to schedule our museum trip but quickly realized why many found it difficult to make it there.  It is definitely “out of the way” from the other major attractions in Lisbon such as the Jeronimos Monastery and the Tower of Belem (close to a 30 minute drive away). It is on the east side of the city whereas most of the tourist attractions are closer to the west side of town.  It was a little difficult to fit this trip into our itinerary but ultimately we decided to go there on our first day in Lisbon, on a sunday afternoon around 4pm. We took a Uber which cost less than 4 euros (from the Alfama area) and pleasantly discovered that it was not very crowded there.

The National Tile Museum is in a quiet part of town inside a former convent called Madre de Deus.  It was established in 1965 and became a national museum in 1980. The oldest ceramic tiles are from the second half of the 15th century.  They date in age over five centuries. As we started to tour the museum, we noticed that the tiles in the first several rooms were simple, mostly geometrically patterned with limited colors.  

Continuing on our journey, the tiles started to look more detailed having depictions of people, animals, and scenery and eventually became more elaborate and opulent, some gilded in gold.

The most famous exhibit was the “Great View of Lisbon” located in a large room on the upper floor.  It was composed of blue and white ceramic tiles and reflected a panoramic view of the cityscape. It was made in 1738 and contained 1300 tiles and was 75 feet long, making it the largest tile piece in the country.  However, we could not stay in that room very long for it was definitely the warmest room in the museum, despite several portable fans they had running in there.

My favorite exhibit was the chapel dedicated to St. Anthony.  It had elaborate gold facades throughout the room with amazing gold gilded panels on the ceiling.  It was also filled with majestic religious paintings. I stood in awe at the breathtakingly magnificent artwork and we spent extra time to marvel at the beauty of this exhibit.

Basic Information:

Website:      museudoazulejo.gov.pt

Address:      Rua Madre de Deus, 4

Hours of Operation:           

CLOSED MONDAYS, 10am-6pm (Wednesdays to Sundays), 2pm-6pm (Tuesdays)

Cost:  FREE WITH LISBOA CARD

5 euros per adult, 2.50 euros for senior citizens and students

We paid 10 euros for our family of 4.

Pre-Buy:  

We did not pre-buy tickets for this museum.  There were no lines at the entrance when we arrived. Overall, I have read that this museum does not get too crowded, so I do not feel that pre-buying tickets is a must.

Time to Schedule:

I have seen other websites recommend that you spend 2-3 hours here but I felt that scheduling for 1-1.5 hours would be sufficient for families with children.  There were some fun photo cutouts where we took pictures that the kids would enjoy.

Bottom Line:

LESSONS LEARNED:  

I regret not visiting the cafe after seeing pictures of it on other websites.  It is beautifully decorated and it would have been worth it to go in and take pictures even though we were not hungry.  We also did not spend enough time exploring the more contemporary exhibits.

RECOMMENDATION:  

This was a definite MUST-SEE for me.  It was also a nice escape from the summer heat as well.