We are deep in planning mode for our next trip. This time we will be heading to Portugal. We'll be flying into Porto and taking the train down to Lisbon. Once again, The Banks' will join us on our adventure and we couldn't be more excited. Here is a look at the itinerary or at least our options:
Porto
1. Ponte de Dom Luís I
Address: Ribeira
Completed in 1886 by a student of Gustave Eiffel, the double-decker bridge's top deck is now reserved for pedestrians as well as one of the city's metro lines; the lower deck bears regular traffic. Both afford wonderful views
Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/portugal/the-north/porto/sights/bridge/ponte-dom-luis#ixzz2JLeNPBEv
2. Clerigos Church and Tower
Hours: Daily 9:30-13:00 & 14:30-19:00
Porto’s towering landmark, with a 225 step climb to sweeping views over the city.
3. Sao Francisco Church
Daily Oct-Feb. 9:00-17:30
Gothic church dripping with Baroque gold.
4. Strolling the Cais da Ribeira
Porto’s picturesque riverfront with its arcades and colorful traditional homes
5. Cruising down the Douro (leave from the Ribeira waterfront)
Hours: daily 10:00-20:00
Lazy one hour cruises up and down the river, offering the city’s top views
Lisbon
1. Museu das Crianças — the Children’s Museum. Located inside the grounds of the Jardim Zoológico de Lisboa, this is a compact and well set-up museum that’s perfect for young kids. Organized as a series of rooms, each with a central activity, the only difficulty we ran into was that the explanations of everything are only in Portuguese. Fortunately the helpful staff stepped in several times to translate, and many of the activities are self-explanatory. We spent an hour and a half exploring. An excellent way to spend a rainy afternoon. Directions: Take the Metro Linha Azul (Blue Line) in the direction of Amadora Este and get off at the Jardim Zoológico stop. The entrance to the museum is on the right after you walk into the main gates of the zoo. Note that there are limited hours in the winter; when we visited the museum was only open on weekends.
2. Castelo de São Jorge — Saint George’s Castle. Perched on a hill and visible from almost everywhere in the city, the remains of this castle are a great place for kids to explore: there are lots of turrets and stairways and courtyards and it’s all outside and very informal, so it’s not your usual “be careful and don’t touch anything” kind of castle visit. The neighbourhood around the castle is interesting too — lots of tiny winding streets to explore. Indeed the ride up on the tram is half the fun of the visit (you can also take a special shuttle bus, #37, from downtown that drives up closer to the castle than the tram stop). Stunning views of the city and the river.
3. Oceanério de Lisboa — the Oceanarium. I’m usually not a big fan of aquariums, but this is a pretty good one, and certainly the best of the ones I’ve visited (the Havana Aquarium probably ranks as the most depressing). It’s located on the Expo 98 site in the eastern area of the city. The building itself is impressive — it juts out into the water and is reached by an interesting series of ramps. Inside there is a large central tank that you see at many junctures as you tour through the facility; on the walls opposite are a series of smaller aquariums and displays illustrating particular oceans of the world. There is a strong emphasis on habitat preservation. The route through the Oceanarium is dark in places, so if you have kids who are averse to that (or, indeed, averse to crowds, as it can get close in places), you might want to give this a pass. But otherwise it’s a good stop. Directions: take the Metro Linha Vermelha (Red Line) to the Oriente station; the Oceanarium is located on the waterfront, accessed by walking through the large shopping mall across the street.
Ocenário de Lisboa, Parque das Nações , Lisbon.
Phone: +351 218917002 or 06
Tickets
Family Ticket (2 adults and 2 children up to the age of 12): €29; children under 3: free; children between 4 and 12: €6; children and adults between 13 and 64: €12; 65+: €6,50 (ask for discount admissions) .
Opening hours:
From 10am to 8pm – last entry: 7pm (Summer)
From 10am to 7pm – last entry: 6pm (Winter)
Open on 25 December from 1pm to 6pm and 1 January from 12pm to 6pm.
Getting to the Museum :
Bus: 5, 10, 19, 21, 28, 50, 68, 81, 82, 85
Metro: Red line to “Oriente”, which is the last station.
4. KidZania
With passport in hand, the check in signals the beginning of the adventure. It is time to leave for the place where children rule: the city of KidZania. The name is a compound between the Latin suffix “ania”, meaning “land of”, and “kid”, plus a Z for “zany”. Here children can let their imagination run wild and become anything they like, such as a teacher, doctor, painter, or even a writer, from among 60 professions available to them. Work is to be taken seriously and it is up to the children to manage their own money, in the currency of KidZos. Those who are thrifty can deposit it in a bank account and, if later on they want to go to the supermarket, hairdresser, rent a car etc., can withdraw it from an ATM. In the 6,500 sq m the city occupies there is space for an airport, a bank, cafés, power stations, security, a recycling station, as well as a night club, a dentist, medical emergency teams, and several schools teaching modelling, driving, cooking or painting. In the sports section, there is a football stadium and a basketball court where the little players can burn their energy. The more curious can try out the photography and the magic studios. And those who are into experiments can try the factories that produce cereals, ice-cream or juices. Among the many other attractions Europe’s first and only KidZania features are a television channel, a newspaper, a magazine, a theatre, a supermarket, a fire station, and even a university.
Information
Address: Dolce Vita Tejo – loja 1054, Avenida Cruzeiro Seixas 7, 2650-504 Amadora.
Phone: +351 21 154 55 30
E-mail: info@kidzania.pt
Tickets:
Children under 2: free; between 3 and 4: €11; between 5 and 15: €18,5; adults €10; 65+: €8.
Opening times :
From 11am to 8pm (Saturdays and Sundays in September and October)
(check their website for each month’s opening hours: http://www.kidzania.pt)
Getting there :
Bus: Rodoviária de Lisboa: 231; Vimeca: 128, 137, 142
5. Children’s Science Museum
To put on a space suit and enter a space rocket, to drive a car with square wheels, or to follow the clues of a crime by examining blood and cigarette ends, all of this is possible at the Pavilhão do Conhecimento – Interactive Science Museum, where learning about science and technology can be great fun. The museum has a variety of displays and activities for children. Until the 2 October, little detectives can become forensic scientists and examine hair, blood, fibres, larvae, footprints and fingerprints in search of a killer. For the younger ones, between the ages of 3 and 6, the “playing with science” area will take them to the moon, including wearing a space suit and accessing a space rocket. There is also plenty of work to be done at the unfinished house, where kids can put on a safety vest and hard hat and work on the task assigned to them. From building walls with bricks and foam panels, to carting materials with wheelbarrows, buckets and pulleys, there is always some work to be done. In the “watch, make and learn” display, the children can try driving a car with square wheels, one of the over 40 experiments on natural phenomena, science and technology which both children and adults can put to the test. There are countless activities, and the museum’s originality has already attracted several personalities such as Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Heinz Fischer, and José Sócrates. Reopened to the public in 1999, this space saw a total of 2,543,914 visitors during Expo’98, when it was the Pavilion of the Knowledge of the Oceans.
Information
Address: Pavilhão do Conhecimento – Ciência Viva, Parque das Nações, Alameda dos Oceanos, Lote 2.10.01,1990-223 Lisboa
Phone: +351 21 891 71 04 or 00
Fax: +351218917171
E-mail: info@pavconhecimento.pt
Tickets :
€15 Family (2 adults and 2 children up to the age of 17); children under 2: free; between 3 and 6: €3; between 7 and 17: €4; adults: €7; 65+: €4 (ask for discount admissions).
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Friday: from 10am to 8pm
Weekend and holidays: from 11am to 9pm
Closed on Mondays, 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January.
Getting to the Museum:
Bus: 5, 10, 18, 19, 21, 25, 25a, 28, 44, 50, 68, 81, 82, 85, 114, 208, 210
Metro: Red line to “Oriente”, which is the last station.
6. Zoo
Dolphins’ bay, the feeding of sea lions or pelicans, birds in free flight, or the reptile house are only a few of the attractions the Lisbon Zoon has to offer. Among mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and arthropods, there are over 2,000 animals belonging to 360 different species. Not even adults will be able to resist the countless young that are born every year and delight visitors. In 2010, the Lisbon Zoo saw the birth of 113 offspring from 47 different species. The okapi, closely related to the giraffe, was one of those born in the Zoo in October 2010. In that same year, only two of the same species were born in Europe, and the Lisbon okapi was the only one to have survived. Also in 2010 the Lisbon Zoo saw the birth of three white tigers, a rare species on the planet where it is thought there are only between 100 and 130 individuals, all of which under human conservation. This year the Zoo witnessed the birth of the second largest species of land mammal, the white rhinoceros, which already weighed 50kg. The animal can grow up to be two metres tall, four meters long, and four tonnes in weight. The Lisbon Zoo is a nice day out for the entire family, where several shows with different animals take place throughout the day. For those who are tired of walking there is always the option of touring the Zoo either up in the cable car or on the train. Children can also enjoy themselves at the amusement park. Those interested in helping the animals can join a sponsorship programme and become one of their sponsors. There are 12 animals that even have an identity card. Get to know “Primavera” the elephant, “Simba” the lion, “Vicky” the dolphin, or “Barnabé” the giraffe.
Information
Address: Praça General Humberto Delgado, Sete Rios, Lisbon
Phone: +351 217 232 920
E-mail: info@zoolisboa.pt
Tickets – Permanent exhibition :
Children under 2: free; children between 3 and 11: €12,50; children and adults between 12 and 64: €17; 65+: €13,50 (ask for discount admissions).
Opening hours:
From 10am to 8pm (Summer)
From 10am to 6pm (Winter)
Getting there:
Bus: 16, 31, 54, 70, 96 (aeroshuttle), 701, 726, 746, 755, 758
Train: Sete Rios station.
Metro: Blue Line – Jardim Zoológico station.
7. Tower of Belem (Torre de Belem)
Av. de Brasilia
Santa Maria de Belem, Belem, Portugal
8. Monastery of Jeronimos (Mosteiro dos Jeronimos)
Praca do Imperio, Belem, Portugal
9. Streetcar 28 to Sao Jorge Castle
Vintage trams take passengers on a scenic trip from the city center at sea level up through the narrow maze of streets towards St. George Castle.
10. Hop on, Hop off Bus Tour
http://www.city-sightseeing.com/tours/portugal/lisbon.htm#tourlandingpositio
Porto
1. Ponte de Dom Luís I
Address: Ribeira
Completed in 1886 by a student of Gustave Eiffel, the double-decker bridge's top deck is now reserved for pedestrians as well as one of the city's metro lines; the lower deck bears regular traffic. Both afford wonderful views
Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/portugal/the-north/porto/sights/bridge/ponte-dom-luis#ixzz2JLeNPBEv
2. Clerigos Church and Tower
Hours: Daily 9:30-13:00 & 14:30-19:00
Porto’s towering landmark, with a 225 step climb to sweeping views over the city.
3. Sao Francisco Church
Daily Oct-Feb. 9:00-17:30
Gothic church dripping with Baroque gold.
4. Strolling the Cais da Ribeira
Porto’s picturesque riverfront with its arcades and colorful traditional homes
5. Cruising down the Douro (leave from the Ribeira waterfront)
Hours: daily 10:00-20:00
Lazy one hour cruises up and down the river, offering the city’s top views
Lisbon
1. Museu das Crianças — the Children’s Museum. Located inside the grounds of the Jardim Zoológico de Lisboa, this is a compact and well set-up museum that’s perfect for young kids. Organized as a series of rooms, each with a central activity, the only difficulty we ran into was that the explanations of everything are only in Portuguese. Fortunately the helpful staff stepped in several times to translate, and many of the activities are self-explanatory. We spent an hour and a half exploring. An excellent way to spend a rainy afternoon. Directions: Take the Metro Linha Azul (Blue Line) in the direction of Amadora Este and get off at the Jardim Zoológico stop. The entrance to the museum is on the right after you walk into the main gates of the zoo. Note that there are limited hours in the winter; when we visited the museum was only open on weekends.
2. Castelo de São Jorge — Saint George’s Castle. Perched on a hill and visible from almost everywhere in the city, the remains of this castle are a great place for kids to explore: there are lots of turrets and stairways and courtyards and it’s all outside and very informal, so it’s not your usual “be careful and don’t touch anything” kind of castle visit. The neighbourhood around the castle is interesting too — lots of tiny winding streets to explore. Indeed the ride up on the tram is half the fun of the visit (you can also take a special shuttle bus, #37, from downtown that drives up closer to the castle than the tram stop). Stunning views of the city and the river.
3. Oceanério de Lisboa — the Oceanarium. I’m usually not a big fan of aquariums, but this is a pretty good one, and certainly the best of the ones I’ve visited (the Havana Aquarium probably ranks as the most depressing). It’s located on the Expo 98 site in the eastern area of the city. The building itself is impressive — it juts out into the water and is reached by an interesting series of ramps. Inside there is a large central tank that you see at many junctures as you tour through the facility; on the walls opposite are a series of smaller aquariums and displays illustrating particular oceans of the world. There is a strong emphasis on habitat preservation. The route through the Oceanarium is dark in places, so if you have kids who are averse to that (or, indeed, averse to crowds, as it can get close in places), you might want to give this a pass. But otherwise it’s a good stop. Directions: take the Metro Linha Vermelha (Red Line) to the Oriente station; the Oceanarium is located on the waterfront, accessed by walking through the large shopping mall across the street.
Ocenário de Lisboa, Parque das Nações , Lisbon.
Phone: +351 218917002 or 06
Tickets
Family Ticket (2 adults and 2 children up to the age of 12): €29; children under 3: free; children between 4 and 12: €6; children and adults between 13 and 64: €12; 65+: €6,50 (ask for discount admissions) .
Opening hours:
From 10am to 8pm – last entry: 7pm (Summer)
From 10am to 7pm – last entry: 6pm (Winter)
Open on 25 December from 1pm to 6pm and 1 January from 12pm to 6pm.
Getting to the Museum :
Bus: 5, 10, 19, 21, 28, 50, 68, 81, 82, 85
Metro: Red line to “Oriente”, which is the last station.
4. KidZania
With passport in hand, the check in signals the beginning of the adventure. It is time to leave for the place where children rule: the city of KidZania. The name is a compound between the Latin suffix “ania”, meaning “land of”, and “kid”, plus a Z for “zany”. Here children can let their imagination run wild and become anything they like, such as a teacher, doctor, painter, or even a writer, from among 60 professions available to them. Work is to be taken seriously and it is up to the children to manage their own money, in the currency of KidZos. Those who are thrifty can deposit it in a bank account and, if later on they want to go to the supermarket, hairdresser, rent a car etc., can withdraw it from an ATM. In the 6,500 sq m the city occupies there is space for an airport, a bank, cafés, power stations, security, a recycling station, as well as a night club, a dentist, medical emergency teams, and several schools teaching modelling, driving, cooking or painting. In the sports section, there is a football stadium and a basketball court where the little players can burn their energy. The more curious can try out the photography and the magic studios. And those who are into experiments can try the factories that produce cereals, ice-cream or juices. Among the many other attractions Europe’s first and only KidZania features are a television channel, a newspaper, a magazine, a theatre, a supermarket, a fire station, and even a university.
Information
Address: Dolce Vita Tejo – loja 1054, Avenida Cruzeiro Seixas 7, 2650-504 Amadora.
Phone: +351 21 154 55 30
E-mail: info@kidzania.pt
Tickets:
Children under 2: free; between 3 and 4: €11; between 5 and 15: €18,5; adults €10; 65+: €8.
Opening times :
From 11am to 8pm (Saturdays and Sundays in September and October)
(check their website for each month’s opening hours: http://www.kidzania.pt)
Getting there :
Bus: Rodoviária de Lisboa: 231; Vimeca: 128, 137, 142
5. Children’s Science Museum
To put on a space suit and enter a space rocket, to drive a car with square wheels, or to follow the clues of a crime by examining blood and cigarette ends, all of this is possible at the Pavilhão do Conhecimento – Interactive Science Museum, where learning about science and technology can be great fun. The museum has a variety of displays and activities for children. Until the 2 October, little detectives can become forensic scientists and examine hair, blood, fibres, larvae, footprints and fingerprints in search of a killer. For the younger ones, between the ages of 3 and 6, the “playing with science” area will take them to the moon, including wearing a space suit and accessing a space rocket. There is also plenty of work to be done at the unfinished house, where kids can put on a safety vest and hard hat and work on the task assigned to them. From building walls with bricks and foam panels, to carting materials with wheelbarrows, buckets and pulleys, there is always some work to be done. In the “watch, make and learn” display, the children can try driving a car with square wheels, one of the over 40 experiments on natural phenomena, science and technology which both children and adults can put to the test. There are countless activities, and the museum’s originality has already attracted several personalities such as Bill Clinton, Bill Gates, Heinz Fischer, and José Sócrates. Reopened to the public in 1999, this space saw a total of 2,543,914 visitors during Expo’98, when it was the Pavilion of the Knowledge of the Oceans.
Information
Address: Pavilhão do Conhecimento – Ciência Viva, Parque das Nações, Alameda dos Oceanos, Lote 2.10.01,1990-223 Lisboa
Phone: +351 21 891 71 04 or 00
Fax: +351218917171
E-mail: info@pavconhecimento.pt
Tickets :
€15 Family (2 adults and 2 children up to the age of 17); children under 2: free; between 3 and 6: €3; between 7 and 17: €4; adults: €7; 65+: €4 (ask for discount admissions).
Opening hours:
Tuesday to Friday: from 10am to 8pm
Weekend and holidays: from 11am to 9pm
Closed on Mondays, 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January.
Getting to the Museum:
Bus: 5, 10, 18, 19, 21, 25, 25a, 28, 44, 50, 68, 81, 82, 85, 114, 208, 210
Metro: Red line to “Oriente”, which is the last station.
6. Zoo
Dolphins’ bay, the feeding of sea lions or pelicans, birds in free flight, or the reptile house are only a few of the attractions the Lisbon Zoon has to offer. Among mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and arthropods, there are over 2,000 animals belonging to 360 different species. Not even adults will be able to resist the countless young that are born every year and delight visitors. In 2010, the Lisbon Zoo saw the birth of 113 offspring from 47 different species. The okapi, closely related to the giraffe, was one of those born in the Zoo in October 2010. In that same year, only two of the same species were born in Europe, and the Lisbon okapi was the only one to have survived. Also in 2010 the Lisbon Zoo saw the birth of three white tigers, a rare species on the planet where it is thought there are only between 100 and 130 individuals, all of which under human conservation. This year the Zoo witnessed the birth of the second largest species of land mammal, the white rhinoceros, which already weighed 50kg. The animal can grow up to be two metres tall, four meters long, and four tonnes in weight. The Lisbon Zoo is a nice day out for the entire family, where several shows with different animals take place throughout the day. For those who are tired of walking there is always the option of touring the Zoo either up in the cable car or on the train. Children can also enjoy themselves at the amusement park. Those interested in helping the animals can join a sponsorship programme and become one of their sponsors. There are 12 animals that even have an identity card. Get to know “Primavera” the elephant, “Simba” the lion, “Vicky” the dolphin, or “Barnabé” the giraffe.
Information
Address: Praça General Humberto Delgado, Sete Rios, Lisbon
Phone: +351 217 232 920
E-mail: info@zoolisboa.pt
Tickets – Permanent exhibition :
Children under 2: free; children between 3 and 11: €12,50; children and adults between 12 and 64: €17; 65+: €13,50 (ask for discount admissions).
Opening hours:
From 10am to 8pm (Summer)
From 10am to 6pm (Winter)
Getting there:
Bus: 16, 31, 54, 70, 96 (aeroshuttle), 701, 726, 746, 755, 758
Train: Sete Rios station.
Metro: Blue Line – Jardim Zoológico station.
7. Tower of Belem (Torre de Belem)
Av. de Brasilia
Santa Maria de Belem, Belem, Portugal
8. Monastery of Jeronimos (Mosteiro dos Jeronimos)
Praca do Imperio, Belem, Portugal
9. Streetcar 28 to Sao Jorge Castle
Vintage trams take passengers on a scenic trip from the city center at sea level up through the narrow maze of streets towards St. George Castle.
10. Hop on, Hop off Bus Tour
http://www.city-sightseeing.com/tours/portugal/lisbon.htm#tourlandingpositio
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