Most people here in Europe associate Portugal with beaches, nice weather, and good food. But if you have been following our blog for a while, you probably know that we are not that much into sun-tanning on the beach… In fact, our favorite travel destinations for families usually involve nature and sightseeing.
So when I think about our recent trips to Portugal with kids, I have some very different family-friendly experiences in mind that I want to share with you.
This is a selection of all kinds of fun things to do in Portugal with kids that don’t involve swimming, playing on the beach, visiting zoos, aquariums, or other traditional family activities. Find out!
See also: Our 10-day Portugal trip itinerary
In no particular order, below is a list of some of the best things to do in Portugal with kids. This selection is based on our experiences that the kids enjoyed the most. You know, the kind that they keep on talking about long after the trip…
Best experiences to have in Portugal with kids:
1. Ride a tuk-tuk
If you ask our kids what they liked the most in Portugal, they will unanimously vote for the tuk-tuk ride. It was the very first time they ever rode a tuk-tuk, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen all three of them so excited! Ever.
So if you are traveling to Portugal with kids, make sure you take them for a tuk-tuk ride. You will find them in Lisbon, Porto, and Sintra.
TIP: negotiate your trip and the rate in advance.
2. Walk the city walls of Obidos
Obidos is a small medieval town just an hour north of Lisbon. It’s also one of the best towns to visit in Portugal, so definitely worth a visit!
Walking the old city walls in Obidos was one of the most unforgettable experiences in Portugal for kids. Just be careful, especially with kids, as the walls have no rails on one side.
3. Explore the gardens of Quinta da Regaleira in Sintra
Sintra has so many castles and palaces that it might be difficult to choose which ones to visit. There is one castle, however, that you really shouldn’t miss if visiting Sintra with kids, and that is Quinta da Regaleira.
Actually, it’s not that much the castle that kids will love the most. The garden of Quinta da Regaleira is a real paradise for little explorers!
Your kids will love walking in dark secret tunnels, exploring hidden passageways, jumping over stones over water at a hidden waterfall, or climbing the spiral staircase of a 27m deep well…
LEARN MORE: Best Places to See in Sintra & Sintra Itinerary + Tips for Your Visit
4. Ride Lisbon tram nr. 28, Nazaré funicular, Porto gondola, and take the kids for a boat ride
If there is one thing we learned from our trips with kids, is that children love all kinds of transportation. The more varied the better. I already mentioned the tuk-tuk rides. But there are many more fun experiences involving different means of transport that you shouldn’t miss if traveling in Portugal with kids.
Here are some of our family’s favorite transport-related activities in Portugal:
- Ride a historic tram in Lisbon or in Porto.
- Take a funicular to the O’Sitio district in Nazaré. Read more about it here: Visiting Nazaré fishing village in Central Portugal.
- Ride a gondola in Porto.
- Take the kids on a sailing cruise in Lisbon (you can book this highly-rated sunset cruise here) or find the full selection of Lisbon boat tours here. You can read more about our experience here: How to spend a perfect day in Lisbon with kids.
5. Visit the caves Grutas de Mira de Aire
Grutas de Mira de Aire is a must-see place to visit if traveling in Central Portugal with kids.
Descend 110m below the ground and explore more than 600m of incredible underground chambers. This is something the whole family will love for sure!
Oh, and don’t worry about having to climb back up – there is an elevator to take you back to the surface.
6. Taste traditional Portuguese custard cakes Pasteis de Nata
Traveling is also about getting to know the local food! And if there is one food that should be on every Portugal bucket list, it’s the most popular dessert in the country – Pastel de Nata (plural: Pasteis de Nata).
Our kids are becoming more and more difficult when it comes to new culinary experiences, but they all really enjoyed the Portuguese custard cakes, pasteis de nata.
7. Discover some of the most amazing viewpoints of Portugal
This will probably come as no surprise: our kids love climbing staircases and visiting old towers. The higher, the better.
Here are some of our favorite towers to climb and viewpoints not to miss in Portugal with kids:
- Elevador de Santa Justa in Lisbon.
- O Sitio district in Nazaré
- Dom Luís I Bridge in Porto (the bridge has two levels, the views from the top are priceless).
- The Cathedral tower of Evora.
- Pretty much anywhere along the Algarve coast, especially Ponta da Piedade and the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail.
8. Explore an old convent
Museums, churches, and other kinds of religious buildings are not always a big success when traveling with kids.
However, Portugal has some amazing places, especially monasteries, that any kid will love to explore.
Our favorites were the monasteries of Alcobaça and Batalha. Not a chance your kids will get bored here!
9. Get lost in the most beautiful forest of Portugal – Mata Nacional do Buçaco
If you like off-the-beaten-path destinations, nature, and history, make sure you take the kids to the Bussaco forest in Luso, Central Portugal.
They’ll love this ancient forest with something different and exciting to explore behind every corner.
Take a picnic and make this one of the most memorable family day trips in Portugal!
10. Admire Portuguese azulejos
It would be unthinkable to visit Portugal without falling in love with the traditional Portuguese tiles – azulejos.
Children will love looking for new patterns or discovering some ancient stories on the walls of residential buildings, churches, train stations, and old castles…
Take the time to really explore this unique kind of art with your kids.
11. Visit Costa Nova – the most colorful town of Portugal
Take your kids to Praia da Costa Nova. This little coastal town with colorful striped houses was a favorite with our boys.
Walking between these striped houses is like walking inside a fairytale book. It’s like no other place in Portugal (or anywhere else for that matter).
In summer, this is a popular seaside resort with a nice beach that families will love. Don’t miss this little picturesque town!
12. Visit a local market
Our kids love visiting markets. There is so much to see, to touch, to taste…
We visited a couple of markets in Portugal with kids and all of them were great. But there was one that left them speechless – a local seafood market in Costa Nova (Central Portugal).
The boys didn’t know where to look first – there was a huge variety of fish, but also octopus, shrimp, crab… And then there were eels, hundreds of eels, alive and crawling, waiting for a buyer to take them home for dinner. The kids couldn’t believe their eyes!
On subsequent trips, we also visited local markets in Funchal (Madeira) and in Lagos (Algarve), and it didn’t disappoint. Our kids just love traditional markets in Portugal!
13. Explore Porto by night
One of the best parts of any vacation for our kids is being able to stay up late. They love exploring new places at night!
Our favorite place to explore late in the evening in Portugal was the Cais da Ribeira waterfront area in Porto.
Not only does it have some incredible views, but you will also find a really great atmosphere here. There are nice and family-friendly restaurants and lots of street performers. The whole family loved it!
14. Buy a Portuguese hat
We try not to buy many souvenirs when we travel, but it’s something our kids look forward to on every trip. I guess all kids do…
If you buy one souvenir in Portugal for your kids, make it a hat. It’s the best 5 Euros you can spend! Not only will it protect them from the harsh sun, but it will also make all the vacation pictures so much more stylish. 😉
As I’m updating this guide, I have to say that the Portuguese hats we bought have proven to be a great investment. The hats we bought on our first trip to Portugal lasted several years. But then some of them became too small and others got dirty. So now every time we go back to Portugal with kids, we buy some new hats.
15. Visit a real-life Disney castle – Pena Palace
Portugal is home to many castles, but there is one that kids will definitely remember long after the trip. The Palace of Pena in Sintra is probably the most colorful castle in the world. It’s like walking into a real-life Disney castle!
TIP: Try to visit early in the morning, or a few hours before the closing time. Pena Palace is one of the most popular day trip destinations near Lisbon and it’s always crazy busy here.
In addition to Pena Palace, there are a few other stunning castles in Sintra that are great for families. Exploring the enchanting gardens of Quinta de Regaleira, walking on the centuries-old walls of the Moorish Castle, and the fairytale-like atmosphere at Monserrate Palace will make your visit unforgettable!
LEARN MORE: Best Things to Do in Sintra
16. Look for street art
City trips can be tiring for children. Looking for street art is a great way to keep the kids busy and involved when exploring some of the biggest Portuguese towns like Lisbon or Porto.
But also many smaller towns in Portugal have some really nice street art. You just have to make an effort to look for it.
You will be amazed at how much street art there is, and the kids are really good at finding it!
17. Enjoy the most spectacular coastal scenery
No list of the best things to do in Portugal with kids would be complete without mentioning its most family-friendly region, the Algarve.
There are some amazing water parks and amusement parks here and tons of other great things to do in Algarve for families. But without a doubt, the main reason to visit Algarve is its stunning coast!
The colorful steep cliffs, sea caves, and grottos will take your breath away. And yes, it’s something that any child will be impressed by as well!
There are many ways to enjoy the beautiful Algarve coast. You can just drive around and stop at a few viewpoints, visit some of the Algarve’s nicest towns, spend some time exploring the most beautiful beaches in Algarve, or take a boat tour to see the sea caves.
Our boys’ favorite was a speedboat tour to see the Benagil Cave and kayaking at Ponta da Piedade. They also loved surfing, paragliding, and so many other amazing water activities.
Whatever you choose, the whole family will absolutely love it!
So if you are looking for a more traditional family vacation in Portugal with beaches and lots of water fun, Algarve is a great choice as well. Via the links above and below, you can find more information about some of the nicest places in this area. And if you only have a few days and want to see all the top spots, check out our recommended Algarve itinerary.
LEARN MORE: Top Places to See in Algarve & Best Things to Do in Albufeira & Best Things to Do in Lagos
So, this is our selection of some of the best and somewhat unusual things to do in Portugal with kids.
Of course, you can also spend days and weeks at the beach with your family, spend countless hours in the pool, visit an aquarium or a zoo… Portugal has so many family-friendly activities.
I just wanted to show you that traveling with kids doesn’t always have to be about beaches and theme parks. Not even if visiting such a typical European beach vacation destination as Portugal.
I hope that you found some inspiration for your family trip to Portugal in this post!
More tips for your trip to Portugal:
- Top Things to Do in Lisbon
- Best Day Trips from Lisbon
- Portugal Trip Itinerary from Lisbon to Porto
- What to expect when visiting Portugal in April
- 1 Day in Lisbon
- Sintra Itinerary
- Nazaré Fishermen’s Village
- Benagil Cave
- Faro, Algarve
- Sagres, Algarve
- Algarve in April
- Algarve in December
- Where to Stay in Albufeira
- Best Things to Do in Funchal
- Best Places to See in Madeira
- Hiking in Madeira
- Hidden Gems of Madeira
- Best Things to Do in Sao Miguel, Azores
READ ALSO: Best European Destinations for Spring Break
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Lils
Friday 26th of April 2024
Hi, I came across your post as we will be travelling with children to Portugal this summer. I wanted to ask for your recommendation or the tuk tuk company you went with as we have a 6 year old and I read that most tuk tuk don't allow age 7 and under.
Jurga
Sunday 28th of April 2024
Hi Lils, I just checked a few tours and indeed, some of them say no kids under 7. Maybe something changed in the legislation recently. On the other hand, I also found some tours that - at least at the moment - do allow kids. Here are just a few examples: * Lisbon private tour 1 hour (ages 2+). * Private tour 1.5 hours - this one doesn't mention any age limit but I read in one review that people 'went with three small children and they loved it'. * Porto tuk-tuk tour and Douro River Cruise - they allow kids and even have discounts for them. Hope this helps.
Caroline
Sunday 26th of March 2023
Dear Jurga, I first read this article several years ago when you first posted it. It made me fall in love with your site and the idea of Portugal for a family vacation. We finally made it to Portugal last summer, after 3 years of no traveling due to the pandemic and it felt like landing in paradise. Our children were teenagers by then but we still enjoyed many of your recommendations (tuk tuk, sailing in Lisbon, Quinta da Regaleira,...) I just wanted to say thank you for the inspiration, I wish to travel to many more of your favorite destinations in the future :)
Caroline from Montréal, Canada
Jurga
Sunday 26th of March 2023
Thank you so much for your kind feedback, Caroline! I am so glad to hear that you finally made it to Portugal and that the whole family enjoyed it so much. It's a beautiful country! (where we'll spend most of our kids' vacations this year again ;). Happy travels!
Maui
Monday 2nd of January 2023
Your article was fantastic! As someone who loves traveling and did so much prior to kids, and continue to do so with kids, we are always looking for something unique, fun, interesting. AND we love natures (we are hikers at heart) and we hike 52 weeks of the year - locally and in our travels! Thank you for sharing some fun places for us to visit in Portugal|!
Jurga
Thursday 5th of January 2023
Glad to hear you found some travel inspiration in this article. Portugal is amazing! And if you want to do some family-friendly hiking, I can highly recommend trying out some of the coastal paths in the Algarve region. If visiting the islands, Madeira is a hiker’s paradise too! Enjoy your trip!
Karen
Thursday 15th of July 2021
Oh WOW! I can't tell you how much I appreciate this post. I know that my kiddos would enjoy every single one of these adventures. Even down to buying a hat! Such practical and applicable tips for traveling with kids! Thanks!
Jurga
Wednesday 21st of July 2021
Glad to hear that you found this useful, Karen. Portugal is an amazing country for a family trip and you can find plenty of fun and interesting places and activities everywhere you go. We haven't been to one single place in Portugal that we or the kids didn't like. In fact, we are just back from the Azores islands (thus the delay in our answers to all the comments) and it was another great experience. Kids loved it too. Happy travels!
Carla
Friday 5th of March 2021
Hi Jurga!
Really good article about Portugal! I’m portuguese and I think that you experienced some of the best things that the country has for families. Unfortunately, we are confined at this moment but I hope that soon, and responsibly, we will be able to enjoy these incredible experiences again!
Jurga
Sunday 7th of March 2021
Thank you, Carla. It's always nice to hear from the locals. In my opinion - and this is based on lots of trips we did with our kids all over the world - Portugal is one of the best countries in Europe for families with kids. Variety of things to see and do, good weather, friendly people, great food, and last but not least very affordable prices, this makes it an excellent family destination. And since we are not beach-goers ourselves, I wanted to show other families that there's so much more to Portugal than its famous beaches. :) And yes, can't wait to be traveling again!!!