People told us we were crazy to consider traveling to Portugal with a toddler, but we made it happen! Last summer we took our first transatlantic flight with our then two year old daughter, Mila, to visit Portugal for 10 days. We had visited Lisbon once on a layover about 7 years prior and fell in love with the city and knew we wanted to go back one day. When we found cheap tickets, we knew it was meant to be and the trip planning began! We had already taken Mila on a few other trips (Colorado and Hawaii) but this was our first time taking her on an international trip, which took a little bit more planning and coordination.

While it posed challenges, I have to say that it was truly an amazing trip. We had an incredible time and will have these memories for the rest of our lives. We see so many parents that are worried or nervous to travel with their young children. It can be done! It just takes some planning and a LOT of patience. I previously wrote a detailed blog post on all our recommendations for general travel to Europe with a toddler, so be sure to check that one out first. In this post, I’m focusing on our specific itinerary including: where we stayed, what we did, what we ate, and how we got around! If you are planning a trip to Portugal with a toddler in tow, this guide will absolutely be helpful to you! It’s still a great itinerary, in my opinion, for those traveling without kids, too!

We split our 10 days between three cities: Lisbon, Porto, and Lagos. We mostly used a rental car to get between areas, but did take a short flight from Porto to Faro to save time. We also included a 24 hour layover in NYC each way – we booked through separate airlines, which we knew could be a gamble and didn’t want to risk any delays creating problems. We also thought it would be fun to show Mila some of the NYC highlights, so this was fun.

Summary of Itinerary:

• Day 1-3: Lisbon
• Day 3-6: Porto/Surrounding areas
• Day 6-9: Algarve
• Day 9-10: Lisbon/Sintra

Where We Stayed:

We used a combination of points/free nights and paid hotels for the trip. There are millions of blogs out there detailing “point hacking” so I won’t go into details. But we do have a few credit cards that we use regularly to help earn points for travel.

Lisbon:

In Lisbon, we stayed at The Editory Riverside Santa Apolonia. I can’t recommend this hotel enough! We had initially booked the brand new Hyatt hotel, but we got a message a few months before our trip that the hotel would not be ready in time and they kindly offered to book us at The Editory at no additional cost. We are so glad they did, because this was truly an outstanding hotel. It is a little outside the main touristic area, but located literally in the train station, making it easy to catch trains, buses, or the trolley from right outside. It’s also right along the Tagus river and has beautiful water views. They were also so amazing with Mila, bringing us a full size crib for her and providing a high chair at their breakfast buffet (not included but was delicious). We also enjoyed dinner at their restaurant and it was oustanding! 

On the return leg, we stayed at a Holiday Inn Express using points. It was nothing fancy but it did include a breakfast buffet and was near the city center.

Porto:

In Porto — I had found the beautiful Hotel Monverde through one of my many research sessions and decided we had to squeeze in at least one night there. It’s just about 40 minutes outside of Porto in the wine region of Amarante. This was one of the nicest hotel rooms we’ve ever had and, for the price, I can’t emphasize how worth it it was. We managed to squeeze in a short wine tasting on our arrival, and they were so sweet with Mila, even giving her some snacks to enjoy while we did the tasting. They also provided a full size crib, complete with cute animal print sheets, which Mila loved. The wines were superb and they did include a few bottles at cheap prices in our room. We booked a suite with a private outdoor pool overlooking the vineyards and Mila had a blast splashing around. In the morning, the vineyard was quiet, and we were able to wander and explore freely. It was such a unique and peaceful experience. 10/10!

After our one night there, we moved onto the NH Hotel in Porto. The location was wonderful, easy walking access to most sites. The room itself was overall small and cramped with Mila. They also did not have a full size crib like the previous hotels but overall we were comfortable. They do have an indoor pool and spa and I enjoyed a wonderful late evening massage after we put Mila down, which was much needed after all the lugging/carrying/lifting we did in the hills of Lisbon.

Algarve:

In the Algarve area, there are SO many options and cities you can stay, so choosing a place was a daunting task. We planned to meet up with Marcelo’s sister and brother in law as they were in the area, so we needed a larger place. We decided on the Cascade Wellness Resort in Lagos, as we read this was family friendly resort. Overall, this was the most disappointing stay of our trip. The property is older and needing updating. We had some pest issues in the room and many of the facilities were not open/available while we were there. They can’t all be winners! I would consider an Air BnB or VRBO booking perhaps for the future.

LISBON

Day 1: Pasteis da Nata, Jardim da Estrela, and Trolley Rides 

We arrived early in the morning, picked up our rental car and made our way to the hotel. It was too early to check in but we were able to leave our things, refresh in the lobby bathroom, and get the lay of land. First things first in Lisbon … get something to eat! 

Pasteis da Nata are these delectable custard tarts that originate from Lisbon. The absolute BEST place, in our opinion, to get them is Pasteis de Belem, but we weren’t quite ready to go to that area yet, so we tried out the Fabrica da Nata chain. Mila napped in her stroller while we walked there and woke up just in time to have one herself (she’s a fan). We had some coffee as well, to push through the jet lag.

Next, we hopped on the cute yellow trolley, a fun way to get around, to the Jardim da Estrela. It’s a beautiful park and there’s a large playground. Mila had some fun getting her energy out. There was also a craft fair going on, so we browsed around and enjoyed the outdoors. Keep an eye out for peacocks on the rooftops! They are everywhere in Lisbon.

We took the trolley again (tram 28), back to the Baixa-Chiado area and explored the area. We picked up some fresh fruit from some street vendors for us to snack on and popped into the Conserveira de Lisboa for souvenirs! Portugal is well known for their tinned seafood, and these make the best gifts. 

We made our way back to our hotel, ready to check in now. We all took some time to unpack and rest before heading back out for an early dinner. We opted to eat at a restaurant right outside the hotel on the water — it was a beautiful view and the perfect way to ease into the trip. Unfortunately, the specific restaurant we dined at has closed, but another kid friendly option would be Casanova Pizza. It’s a great spot to watch the boats go by and get some fresh air.

We called it an early night and headed back to the hotel after.

Day 2: Parque das Nações, Time Out Market, Miradouro Santa Luzia, Castelo São Jorge, and Praca do Comercio 

We enjoyed breakfast at the hotel as Mila was up early and needed something to eat. Next, we decided to get tickets for the Hop on Hop off bus that picked up right outside the hotel at the Santa Apolonia station. There are two companies (Yellow Bus and City Sightseeing). Our concierge said they offer similar routes so we picked the first one that showed up — the City Sightseeing. You pay cash as you board, about $30/pp, children under 6 are free. 

We took the bus to the Parque das Nações stop and got off to explore the area. It’s a beautiful area along the Tagus with plenty of room to run around. We decided to take the cable car ride (telecabine Lisboa) for a beautiful view. It was 7.50 euro/pp for a one way ride. Children 3 and under are free. We got off by the Oceanarium, which is supposed to be a wonderful aquarium. We did not have enough time to dedicate to it, but this would be a great place to take kids of any age. Instead, we walked around the area and enjoyed the beautiful public art displays and fountains. 

We took the bus back to town, while Mila took her nap. We got off near the Time Out Market, where we made our way for lunch. This is SUCH a great spot for kids. There are food stalls that cover a very wide range of cuisines, a playground right outside, and lots of sweet treats to bat. We ordered an assortment of foods and enjoyed. Then we hopped back onto the trolley (Tram 28E) to the Miradouro Santa Luzia. This is probably our favorite view of Lisbon.

We then made our way to the beautiful Castelo São Jorge. We pre-purchased our tickets online (15 euro for adults, kids under 12 are free) and arrived about an hour and half before they closed, so it was not nearly as crowded. It’s a historic castle on a high hill in the city center with panoramic views. It’s thought that the first fortifications of this hill date back to the 1st century BC! We wandered and enjoyed the views, the history, and the peacocks — yes, more peacocks! Mila quite enjoyed them, especially the baby peacocks we spotted with their mama. We paused here for an ice cream at their snack bar and then headed back to the trolley.

Next stop, Praça do Comércio for a quick view and to get the final wiggles out, letting Mila run around here, while we sipped on the local Ginjinha cherry liqueur. We popped into a local grocery store and bought a few things to make a quick sandwich for Mila, as she was getting tired and we knew would not make it through a full dinner.

We put her down and decided to have dinner at the hotel restaurant. Fortunately, the hotel is quite small and the restaurant was just down the hall from our room. We were able to set up our video monitor and watch her while we ate. The food at the restaurant was delicious, and we thoroughly enjoyed it before turning in for the night.

PORTO

Day 3: Lisbon –> Coimbra –> Hotel Monverde for wine tasting

The drive to the Porto area is about 3 hours in total. We’ve driven a lot in Europe and generally find it easy to get around as long as you are not in big metropolitan cities (i.e. London, Paris, Rome, Barcelona, etc). Before hitting the road, we stopped by the Berlineta stand inside the Santa Apolonia station for some mouth-watering donuts. We got the passionfruit and dulce de leche ones, and they were out of this world. 

We got to the road, heading toward the Porto area. We knew we’d need a pit stop after about 2 hours, so we opted for a quick stop in the city of Coimbra. It’s a small university town, there is not a lot to see, but we grabbed some kabobs at a local place, took a bathroom break, stretched our legs and walked around the university a little before getting back on the road. 

Mila took her nap while we made our way towards our destination — the Hotel Monverde in Amarante. It’s actually about 40 minutes outside of Porto in the Vinho Verde wine region. After our arrival, we had booked a wine tasting at the hotel. We sampled several of the Vinho Verde along with some light snacks while Mila enjoyed flipping through some magazines and books.

After the wine tasting, we headed to our beautiful room to enjoy some pool time and room service for dinner.

Day 4: Porto — Church of Saint Ildefonso, Estação São Bento, Clerigos Tower, Dom Luis Bridge I, and Port tasting 

We spent the morning exploring the hotel grounds, walking around through the vineyard in the quiet morning hours was so peaceful. Before checking out, we made sure to enjoy a delicious breakfast the the buffet. Next, we made our way to Porto proper (around a 45 minute drive).

We dropped off our items at the NH hotel Batalha and walked to the nearby Casa Guedes, well known for the Porto specialty Francesinha sandwich. We also tried a tasty kale soup (AKA green soup) with Portuguese sausage which was perfect for the drizzly, cooler weather we had.

After lunch, we explored the area all on foot, while Mila took a nap in her stroller. We walked by the Church of Saint Ildefonso and saw the beautiful façade. The Estação São Bento is also beautiful to pop in and see the gorgeous Azulejo tiling. It’s also a great place to exchange some money, if needed. 

We continued on towards the Clerigos Tower and took a pit stop at a local café for an espresso. We did not go into the tower as Mila was still napping, but saw it from outside. After Mila started to wake up, we made our way across the famous Dom Luis Bridge I towards Gaia.

We decided to ride the cable car down to the street level, which I highly recommend. They have a separate line for those with young children or who are pregnant, which was so nice. We walked along the river and many places were offering samples of Port wine, but we made our way towards Caves Calem where we had booked a tour and tasting (17-19 euro/pp, children under 6 are free).

I highly recommend Caves Calem if you only have time to check out one cellar. They have tours almost every hour and it includes a tasting of 2-3 ports depending on which ticket you purchase. The tour is offered in English and is very immersive. It tells a lot about the history of port wine. It also kept Mila entertained as there were a lot of displays, lights, and sounds. They even set up a “tasting” for Mila with some grape juice, which was super cute. It only lasts about 1 hour as well, which was great with a toddler in tow.

After the tour concluded, we took the cable car back up to the bridge and walked back to our hotel. After a long day of exploring, we opted to eat dinner at the hotel and turn in early for the day.

Day 5: Porto – Majestic Cafe, Igreja do Carmo, and Douro boat tour 

We started off the morning with a light breakfast and coffee at the Majestic Café. It’s a beautiful café that has is over 100 years old and has been ranked in the list of most beautiful cafes in the world. There tends to be a line here, so we arrived first when it opened and got seated right away. Be prepared to pay a little more here than other cafés — it’s worth it for the ambiance in our opinion. Afterwards, we walked toward the Igreja do Carmo to see the beautiful Azulejo tile work.  There is a small playground right outside so we took a stop there to let Mila play for a little while. 

Next, we made our way towards the Douro and purchased tickets for the Six Bridges tour. There are many different boat tours offered on the river. Some that last all day and take you down to the wine region, even. We opted for the one-hour, Six Bridges tour because we felt it would be toddler friendly. Tickets were only about $20 and Mila was free. This is a wonderful way to see the bridges that Porto is famous for and includes a commentary explaining some details of each bridge.

After we concluded with the boat tour, we made our way to Vinum for lunch, which came highly recommended by our hotel concierge. It is located inside the Graham’s Port cellar — we were able to take the local bus which dropped us close by, although it was still a little bit of an uphill walk to get there. It may be easiest to take a cab if you can. It was truly an incredible experience from start to finish. One of the highlights of our dining experiences in Portugal for sure. While it is a higher end restaurant, they were so kind with Mila and did not bat an eye at bringing her with us. They did not have a dedicated kid’s menu but we shared from our plate and they did bring her a scoop of ice cream for dessert, which was a nice touch. The view from the restaurant is outstanding. It’s worth the trip there for that alone. We ended with a glass of port, of course, before getting back on the bus towards our hotel to put Mila down for a nap.

After her nap, we wandered the area around the hotel a little before settling on Letra Brewery nearby for a light dinner. We heard great things about the beer scene in Porto so we wanted to try at least one local brewery. We did a flight and ordered a few appetizers to share. They do have a cute courtyard we saw in photos, that’s perfect for kids to run around in, but did not have it open at the time we visited.

After dinner, I took advantage of the spa open late at the NH Hotel and booked a massage to help soothe the sore muscles from exploring before heading onto the next leg of trip.

ALGARVE
Day 6: Resort/Pool time

We booked an early morning flight to Faro from Porto so we were up early, dropped off the rental car and got a quick breakfast at the airport. One thing we noticed that made airport travel easier is that there is always a separate line for families with young children or pregnant! So this made security a breeze. 

After landing, we picked up our new car rental and started driving towards our hotel in Lagos. The Algarve region is spread out over a large area so there are many different cities and resorts/hotels to choose from. Lagos is about a 45 minute drive from Faro. There are several beaches and viewpoints along the way you can stop at, if you want to. We had planned to stop at Albandeira beach and Praia da Roca, but Mila was a bit cranky and tired so we continued onto our hotel.

We grabbed lunch at the hotel and explored until our room was ready. We let Mila take a little nap before we got our swimsuits on and made our way to the pool. While Mila and I enjoyed some swim time, Marcelo went to a local grocery store near the resort and picked up some basics for our stay. The room we booked included a full kitchen, so we opted to buy some things to prepare meals in our hotel to save money and time.

We enjoyed a simple homemade meal after pool time and prepped some picnic items for the next day before turning in.

Day 7: Ponta da Piedade, Praia Dona Ana, Praia da Salema 

We started the day early, enjoying coffee and breakfast in our room before loading up our beach gear and picnic items into the car. Then we got on the road to explore some of the famous Algarve beaches. We stopped first at Ponta da Piedade, as we read that the parking gets difficult as it gets later in the day. It was an amazing view, but has lots of stairs and Mila was a little nervous. There’s also no beach area here, it’s mostly for the view. We took a few pictures before making our way to the Praia Dona Ana close by. 

Here, we set up shop with our towels and enjoyed the morning playing in the ocean, building sandcastles and enjoying our picnic lunch. There is a beach restaurant offering drinks and food as well, if you cannot bring a packed lunch. They do also offer paid umbrella sun chairs, but they do fill up quickly. After beach lounging, we went back to our hotel for a nap. We were sure to make a pitstop at Empanadas and Co to pick up some snacks for the adults to enjoy while Mila napped.

After naptime, we drove to the neighboring town of Salema to explore the Praia da Salema. This was probably the highlight of the Algarve for us. If you walk past the crowded beach and continue down the beach, there are beautiful rock formations and a much less crowded beach, with the softest sand and perfect ocean views. We spent a few hours just admiring the beauty and playing in the water before packing up and searching for a spot for dinner. We decided on a cute beach front restaurant Olhos n’Agua that served delicious fresh fish and traditional food from the region.

Day 8: Benagil Boat Tour, Downtown Lagos

For our last full day in the Algarve, we knew we wanted to get out on a boat to see the coastlines better. We booked the Caves and Coastline Cruise from Albufeira to Benagil, through Viator (~$30/each). Unfortunately, we did not have the best of weather, the sea was agitated with larger waves. They offered a refund or to reschedule, but given it was our last day, we decided to go anyways. It was a 3 hour cruise that included a snack bar with drinks. I will say that I did get a little queasy, but was overall okay. Mila and Marcelo did fine — in fact, the boat operators said they thought Mila could have a future working on boats, as she seemed surprisingly at ease. MANY others on the boat were seasick, so if you are prone to motion sickness and they tell you the water is rough, I would probably opt out. We did still get some beautiful views and saw the famous Benagil cave from afar. We were not able to get close enough to go in, due to the choppiness of the waves, but they do go if weather allows.

After the boat tour, we drove to the nearby city of Albufeira for lunch and tried out Jaipur Indian Restaurant for a change of pace. The food and service was excellent. After lunch, we headed back to our hotel for a nap as usual. We did a little pool time in the afternoon and then opted to drive into downtown Lagos to explore before dinner. The area is very lively with lots of cute shops, restaurants, and cafés. We got some ice cream while enjoying some live music in the main square and ended up at O Mexilhao for dinner. It was a great way to cap off the Algarve. We enjoyed some more delicious seafood and Vinho Verde before calling it a night.

LISBON/SINTRA

Day 9:  Drive to Sintra — Quinta de la Regaleria and Pasteis de Belem

We made the last minute decision to try to squeeze in some time in Sintra before departing out of Lisbon. So we drove straight from Lagos to Sintra, a 3 hour drive in total. We left fairly early in the morning, so as to maximize our time there. This was a gamble, as we ready so many things regarding the parking situation in Sintra. However, we were fortunate enough to get a spot without much difficulty, even getting there late morning. 

If you are able to squeeze this in, I HIGHLY recommend it. We loved Sintra SO much. We agreed, if we go back to Portugal, we want to stay at least 3 days in Sintra next time. Sintra is a very popular day trip from Lisbon. Located just 30 minutes outside the city and accessible by car, bus, or train, it’s easy to see why it’s popular. It’s famous for its 19th century Romanticism architecture noted in its many castles, mansions, and palaces. The most popular is the colorful Pena Palace, but there are many, many others. Knowing we had limited time, we stopped by the tourist office and asked what they recommended for us to do in limited time with a toddler and they recommended the Quinta de la Regaleria. We secured our tickets online, but did take some time to explore the city area a little. Mila napped in the stroller while we did a little shopping and woke up in time to get some lunch at a local pizzeria for lunch before walking towards the castle.

There is so much to see at the Quinta de la Regaleria. It’s a 19th century mansion spread over nearly 10 acres of land with beautiful gardens, secret staircases, wells, and more. I would recommend at least 2 hours to really appreciate it. There are a lot steps and cobblestones, so strollers are difficult there. I would opt for a carrier for younger children, if possible. We had a quick coffee and some ice cream for Mila at the little café before driving back into Lisbon.

We headed straight to our final destination of the trip, Pasteis de Belem. We knew that our last stop in Lisbon would have to be here. When we first sampled their perfect custard tarts on our first trip to Lisbon in 2016, we knew we would have to come back. We ordered two each and a glass of port and had no regrets. We made our way to our hotel for the evening and ordered some takeout while we packed up our bags.

Day 10: Fly home 

With a 10:25 AM departure, we did not have much time to spare in the morning. We had a quick breakfast at the hotel buffet and headed to the airport to bid Portugal goodbye! A jam packed 10 days in Portugal with a toddler, but so incredibly worth it! 

We hope you find this itinerary useful — traveling with a toddler in general can be a daunting task. Traveling across the ocean to another country is an even more daunting task, but we will always treasure the memories exploring Portugal with Mila. Make 2023 the year you take the leap and explore Portugal with YOUR toddler — you won’t regret it! We’ll be heading to France this summer, so stay tuned for more toddler travel content to come.