Portugal Roadtrip: Lisbon and Cascais

If there’s one tip I’d give to families planning a trip to Lisbon, it’s this: consider staying in Cascais instead. Just a short train ride from the city, Cascais offers the best of both worlds and, for us, made the whole trip feel easier and more enjoyable with kids. Once a fishing village and later a royal retreat, Cascais has beautiful sandy beaches, wide promenade, palm trees, an old fort, stunning old buildings and turns a city break into feeling like a proper holiday. This was our third trip to Lisbon but our first as a family and each time we’ve fallen more and more in love with Cascais! It just ticks so many boxes. Here’s a roundup of our trip and some suggestions for what to do if you’re planning a trip:

Cascais //

~ On our first visit to Lisbon, for our third wedding anniversary in July 2017, it was a heatwave so we ended up taking the train to the beach a couple of times to escape the heat in the city, we loved it so much that we’ve been back since & on this trip with the kids decided to base ourselves here.

~ it’s perfect having the beach days with kids & is such a kid friendly small town with so much to it. We had an amazing Airbnb & mixed up eating in & out {a very impressive brand new Auchan is only a 2 min walk from the train station}. We parked our car and didn’t end up needing it for anytime during our trip because the train was so easy.

~ the trains run every 20 minutes to Lisbon, cost just €2 and are so easy, it’s the end of the line both ways so you can’t go wrong. You can get off at Belém too.

~ there are a few beaches to choose from & you’re close to Sintra for spectacular royal palaces & majestic forests {we didn’t have time to fit it in on this visit but have done in the past}.

- Don’t miss a walk around the coast, Estoril beaches and the buggy friendly promenade, Jardim do Visconde for a sweet park with carousel, the daily market {closed mondays}, Santini Gelato, and the buzzy streets just up the hill from Burger King that come alive in the evening, Honest Greens, Mar Do Inferno for seafood, Nata for fab pastel de Natas, WEEL frozen yogurt and Youth jewellery.

STAY

We spent 4 nights in this centrally located, bright, sunny airbnb 2 bedroom apartment. It was quiet enough despite being on a main street and very easily walkable to everywhere in Cascais including the train station in around 10 minutes. I’d definitely recommend, we always find that staying in an apartment can make travel easier with kids than a small hotel {the exception to this can be a big family friendly resort!}. LINK here.

Lisbon favourites 💛

~ Miradouro de Santa Luzia has a gorgeous view point / Portas do Sol is next door & then nearby there’s a great playground under orange trees with a view point at Recolhimento

~ visit the San Jorge castle, a well preserved Medieval fort with amazing views across the city. Be aware that it is a steep walk uphill to reach it. Look out for the peacocks roaming around.

~ wander around Alfama, Lisbon’s oldest neighbourhood. Look out for the epic flea market if it’s a Tuesday, we went on trips pre kids.

~ visit Belém for an afternoon, the famous Pasteis de Belém for pastel de natas {although I think Manteigeria & Fabrica da Nata are up there too}, see the Tower de Belem in the water & the famous monastery.

- We combined this with the LX factory for cool restaurants/arty shops but be aware it’s not v buggy friendly

~ the Time Out market has some of the best food & don’t miss gelato Davvero just a couple of streets away. The park outside is lovely with a playground too.

~ see or ride the Bica furnicular & wander around Barrio Alto & Chiado - these are the ‘main’ areas of Lisbon where you’ll find all of the main shops, see the classic trams and tiled buildings.

~ Praca do Commercio plaza is worth seeing.

~ the MAAT museum looked really cool and great for kids. We didn’t have time in the end. I also really wanted to go the Tile museum & book to paint our own tiles there in a workshop but the slots had sold out so book in advance.

~ ride or spot the famous tram 28 but be aware of pickpockets. Or if too busy, tram 12 is a shorter route better for families.

~ Fauna & Flora is a great brunch spot with 3 different locations.

~ watch the sunset at Miradour Santa Catarina, Jardim de Rio across the water or if you’re kid free, Park was the coolest rooftop bar we went to a few years back

- Pre kids we hired bikes and cycled along the river path

~ Jardim de Estrela has large, beautiful gardens and is a real oasis in the city if you want to escape the streets for a while.

- The Science centre is out of this world. Will share more on that below.

It’s a very walkable city if you’re prepared for some hills then just jump on an electric tram or the train or Bolt {their version of UBER} or cycle down the river to get to Belém.

Pavilhão do Conhecimento - Centro Ciência Viva Science Museum

This was such a highlight of our trip to Lisbon, and we ended up spending three hours there — it was perfect for a rainy morning. The Pavilhão do Conhecimento – Centro Ciência Viva (Lisbon Science Centre) and the nearby Lisbon Oceanarium are located in the Parque das Nações part of the city, so they’re a bit harder to reach from Cascais; we ended up taking a BOLT to save time, but it’s a fantastic, modern addition to Lisbon. The area is full of family-friendly spots, like volcano fountains, a marina, and Capricciosa, a great pizza restaurant nearby.

We bought tickets when we arrived and asked for a timeslot for Tcharan! — the Circus of Science Experience, which was an absolute highlight for our kids. This hands-on, circus-themed exhibition feels like an American children’s museum: bright, colourful, and full of opportunities to explore, experiment, and play. Kids can climb, balance, run across a musical floor, navigate mirror mazes, and discover playful science modules like the whimsical Casa Inacabada, all while learning without even realising it. There was also a PIXAR exhibition on in the basement during our visit which was cool to see how they make the films and animate the characters.

Our next stop was Comporta!

Follow along with all of the Portuguese blog posts HERE.