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Hi.

Welcome to my blog. I write about life as an expat mother in Lisbon, Portugal.  Happy reading!

Lisbon Highlights

Lisbon Highlights

Amanda Gentine
Lisbon Life

(Photos to come soon...!)

Since I’m looking down the pike at the two-year marker of time that we’ve lived in Lisbon, I now feel qualified to write a post of my favorite spots in Lisbon! Highlights for me usually involve coffee, food, and drinks, so most of what is here falls into those categories. Plus, with two small kids, we don't do anything that requires standing in lines or listening to tour guides. With that in mind here are some recommendations for what to do and where to go in Lisbon!

On the weekends, we spend every Saturday morning at our horse barn, Centre Equestre Joao Cardiga.  We frequently eat lunch there as well since, on the weekends, the owner grills fresh fish in a Portuguese wood-burning BBQ, and it is exceptional. If you want a complete change of pace from Lisbon, I don’t think you’d be disappointed by going there!

When we explore or go out, here are our favorite places:

Parks and Gardens

  • Monsanto park. We drive into Lisbon’s “green lungs,” park the car, and walk onto any one of hundreds of trails. There are also two kids’ parks within Monsanto: Serafina and Alvito. Within Serafinayou will find Hello Park.  Alvito is a massive, 3-level playground, divided according to equipment appropriate for different ages and stages. There is a restaurant in Monsanto, Monte Verde, with ample outdoor seating and a playground, beyond which is a great trail with circuit training equipment along the way. Our kids love trying every circuit obstacle!
  • Closest to our house is Jardim Estrela. Without a doubt, this is the best park in Lisbon (I am partial, but most people would agree with me!). The park has lush vegetation, ponds, peacocks and ducks galore, kids’ play areas, and activities that take place throughout the year.  There are also two restaurants/quiosquesin the park: Esplanada do Jardim da Estrela and Gengibre da Estrela. The former is all organic and mostly vegetarian with good food and horrible service. The latter is run by a group of young and friendly Brazilians, serves great (enormous) toasted sandwiches, pastries, good coffee and fresh-squeezed juices. The best asset of both is the ability to sit outside in the park with a morning coffee or mojito.
  • There are three other parks worth mentioning: Principe Real, Amoreiras, and Jardim Teofilo Graga in Campo de Ourique. All of them have restaurant/kiosks serving a range of possible foods and drinks (the quiosque in public spaces is one of the best aspects of Lisbon urban design, in my opinion!). Principe Real has an organic market every Saturday morning, craft/artisan markets other Fridays or Sundays, a playground, and a gigantic cedar tree under whose expansive branches you can sit on one of many benches. Amoreiras also has wide-reaching trees, a playground, and a quiosque. There are also two museums around Amoreiras park: the water museum, detailing the history of Lisbon’s aquaducts; and a photography museum with frequently changing exhibits. Finally, the park in Campo de Ourique is great for kids ages 6 and under. This makes sense because the neighborhood is very family centered, and this is where you’ll find the majority of kids’ toy, clothing, and shoe stores.
  • The Botanical Gardens in Principe Real are recently re-opened. It’s a great place to explore with kids, and a great place to sit in the shade and feel completely removed from the city if you need a respite from the sun and noise.
  • Park Eduard VII is another large park to explore. Go to Estufa Fria, which is a huge covered green house with various biospheres (see my Nov. 24thpost: Urban Greenhouse). Just below Estufa Fria is a kids’ playground and a pizza restaurant right nearby.

Other attractions and activities

  • Museu de Historia Natural e da Ciencia (the Natural History museum), also located next to the Botanical Gardens in Principe Real. You’ll feel like you step back in time walking into this museum, with specimens preserved in jars and old science labs. There are changing exhibits that have been quite decent, and in general it’s just a quirky, inexpensive place that kids seem to love.
  • Gulbenkian: This is a modern art museum near Praça de Espanha. I’ve never gone through the museum itself, but I’ve spent time in the gardens and the cafes around them. It’s a nice place to bring a blanket and sit out on the grass or have a lunch or ice cream at one of the two cafes located in the gardens.
  • The 28 Tram. If you read other blogs, most people are now saying to avoid the 28 Tram. I completely disagree! I think you need to know how to do it correctly. If you get on at any given point at any given time of the day, you’ll wait in a long line and then stand and, yes, perhaps be the target of a pick-pocket thief. However, I’ve taken this tram with my kids and guests nearly 10 times and always had a fun experience. Here’s how to do it: get on at the starting point in Campo de Ourique (Praça S Joao Bosco, near Quiosque dos Prazeres), and get on before 9:30am. You will have seats. Ride the 28 until Alfama and explore that district (the stop we like has a beautifully-tiled look-out point with a restaurant and pool).  From that stop, you can cross the street and walk up into the Castle district; the castle itself (Castelo Sao George) is just a 10-minute walk away. Or ride the tram a bit further to Graça and go to the Miradoura (look-out point), where there is, of course, a quiosque and you can have a coffee and a snack. If you ride the 28 to the end, you’ll be in Martim Moniz. This isn’t my favorite place, though the large square in the middle has seasonal events that are decent. You’ll also be off right in front of the Hotel Mundial, which now has a renovated rooftop bar (though if you follow my advice and get on the tram at 9:30, I’m quite sure the bar will be closed!). If you can find your way, start climbing stairs to enter Mouraria, where you'll find tight streets, art, and some good restaurants (Cantinho do Aziz is a good Mozambican to try!).
  • Sailing on the Tejo. My husband booked Sailing with Nigel, a sailboat ride on the river, for Mother’s Day. Their boat is in the Doca do Santos. The sailing was delightful, and it gave us a unique way to see the city. Nigel and David were great hosts, let the kids steer the sail boat, had plenty of sparkling wine, juice boxes, and snacks, and they provided some facts about the city we knew nothing about. Afterwards, I recommend having lunch at one of the restaurants on the dock. We went to Doca do Santos (yes, name of the restaurant is the same as the actual location!). It’s an inside/outside restaurant with two kids’ play areas: one indoor and one outdoor. The service was a bit slow but the food was good, and you can’t beat drinking sangria while your kids crawl on a jungle gym as you wait for your table!

Restaurants

The Portuguese, in general, not only tolerate children, but adore them! So nearly any of the places listed below can be “kid-friendly.” Restaurants in Lisbon almost never have kids’ menus, since children here eat the same food as adults. However, you can always ask what the kitchen can make for kids, and nearly every place has a child’s plate: meaning a smaller portion and price tag.

I’ve organized a list of mostly tried-and-true restaurants by location. Wherever possible, I also linked the restaurant to its Zomato page. This way you can see consistent information and reviews for each restaurant (I recommend using Zomato in Lisbon as it’s really comprehensive in Lisbon!).

Principe Real and Praça das Flores

Campo de Ourique and Amoreiras

Estrela and Santos

Chiado, Santa Catarina and Bica

Other favorites:

Coffee Shops:

Drinks:

Favorite Beaches outside of Lisbon

  • Serra de Arrabida: Galapos
  • Meco
  • Carcavelos
  • Beaches around Estoril

After almost two years, I feel like we have barely scratched the surface of discovering Lisbon. If you visit, you'll discover that Lisbon is a city of discovery. Behind ugly buildings are expansive gardens; through small passage ways are trendy restaurants; courtyards open up to upper-floor porches and bars with trees hanging overhead. Very little is marked. Even less is advertised (forget trying to find a website!). You have to walk and try and open and explore. That is the way to discover Lisbon. This list is only a start, but if you want to enjoy Lisbon, the best way to do so is without any guide (well, maybe a few places jotted down...just in case!).

 

A big swing into summer

A big swing into summer
No time like the present

No time like the present