portugal with kids: recap of where we stayed, what we ate, and tips and tricks for travel with toddlers

Written By Rachael Shepard-Ohta

We spent nearly 3 weeks in Portugal and can’t recommend it enough! It’s such a beautiful country, it’s easy to get around, and there’s tons to do for kids. In this post I’ll talk about why we decided to go to Portugal, how I planned our trip, and what we did.

If you have Tiktok I highly recommend visiting my page to see our daily vlogs to see all these recs in action! If not, no worries because I saved everything + more to my Instagram highlights on Portugal as well!

First up, let’s talk about why we chose Portugal and how we approached the planning process.

Why Portugal?

We haven’t been to Europe since before we had kids, so have been itching to go back. Neither of us had ever been to Portugal but had several family members and friends go in recent years who just loved it. I’d also been seeing a lot on Tiktok about what a family friendly destination it is, with lots of things to do. We also noticed that it was more affordable than places like Italy and France, plus it’s slightly closer. All of these reasons made it an easy sell.

We had promised to take my Mother-in-Law for her 70th birthday, but then with Covid restrictions and the fact that I was pregnant or with a Newborn for the better part of the last few years, we weren’t able to follow through with the promise until now. We were so happy to be able to take her on this trip with us as a “thank you” for helping us out so much with our kids. She joined us for the second half of the trip, meeting us in Lisbon.

planning and packing tips

We originally thought we’d do a few weeks traveling around Europe and even booked accommodations in France and Italy. As the trip got closer, we panicked that we’d tried to cram too much in, and decided to cancel everything except Potugal. We are SO HAPPY we made that decision. I think oftentimes Americans try to “do Europe” all in one fell swoop, but it can really do you a disservice to not completely immerse and enjoy one place. We’re so happy we had almost 3 full weeks in Portugal and could have easily stayed for much longer.

*Planning Tip! Instead of googling or even using sites like Trip Advisor, use social media! Using Tiktok is AMAZING for planning out trips with kids! I searched “portugal with kids” and “portugal itineraries” etc. and found so much amazing inspiration! There are also a couple of great Instagram pages I got ideas from including @mini.jetsetter @lisbon.with.kids @lisbonfamilylife and @portugalwithkids.pt

Tips for Airplane Travel with Kids: I packed a little bag of things that could keep them occupied like small toys, card games, lego sets, play doh etc. I have all of my favorite travel toys linked up here! Mostly my older kids watched movies and we encouraged breaks to do things like eat, color, etc. as well. The toddler (20 months) slept a little, ate some snacks, and played with the stuff I brought! She also enjoyed walking to the bathroom to wash hands about 45 times. For more on airplane travel with little ones, check out this blog post!

How We Packed for 3 Weeks: One thing that I looked at when choosing accommodations was whether or not there was laundry available. Since we had laundry at all of our Airbnb’s AND the hotel in Lisbon, it saved us SO MUCH space when packing! I only backed about 7 days worth of outfits for each of us even though we were gone for about a month in total, then we’d wash and rewear!

These compression packing cubes were key in fitting a lot into just a large Patagonia duffle and a carry-on size suitcase. In addition to those two bags we had the car seat backpack (checked for free), and each of us had a backpack/ tote to carryon with our personal stuff (except my 20 month old!).

I also love this hack for packing, using over-the-door shoe organizers, but since we didn’t want to bring a giant roller bag to Europe (because hills and cobblestones) we opted for the duffle backpack and small roller bag instead, which don’t fit the shoe organizer as nicely.

Our Portugal Itinerary

Porto Stay (4 nights)

Our first stop was Porto! We flew from JFK and the flight was just over 6 hours. We decided on a flight that would arrive into Porto at night so that we could get straight to bed and adjust to the new timezone quickly. It worked really well! By the time we got to the airbnb and got everyone to bed it was about 1 or 2am, and everyone slept until around 11am.

We were able to get through customs quickly as they had a special line for people traveling with young kids. What we learned quickly was that in Portugal, if you have a child under 2, you skip virtually every line! We had arranged for a car to pick us up through Welcome Pickups. They were great at communicating with us (be sure you check your email with wifi and download Whatsapp) and they also provided carseats/ boosterseats which I had requested when I booked online. The driver was so nice he even gave us some recommendations for things to do while in Porto!This Airbnb was in an awesome location and had tons of space and natural light, plus great bed options for us and all the kids. It was just beautiful and we loved staying here!

Day 1 in Porto:

  • Brunch at Miss Pavlova (right across the street from our Airbnb): kids said this was the “best food they’ve ever had in their life.”

  • Tuktuk Tour- We didn’t really plan this in advance, but walked by one of the tour companies while exploring around our neighborhood. They were able to get us in for a tour about an hour later, so we walked around, got cash, etc. while we waited! The tour itself was super fun and helped us get a grasp on different parts of the city. The kids absolutely loved it! No car seats but it didn’t go very fast. I held Leni on my lap and she fell asleep for the second half.

  • It started raining so we grabbed a snack (just popped into an empanada place!) and headed back to our Airbnb for a little rest.

  • We decided to venture back out in the rain in the evening and wanted to check out the Bolhao Market. We wanted to walk but it was still raining pretty hard so we grabbed some umbrellas. The market had lots of yummy food options- we got some fruit to keep at our apartment, some yummy pasta and a little seafood. It wasn’t really enough for the kids dinner, so we decided to head back and order them some pizza before going to bed. They went to bed around 10pm.

Day 2 in Porto:

  • Thankfully the kids all slept great- a full 12 hours! So we got up and going around 10am and decided to explore beyond our neighborhood. We walked up the hills/ stairs to see some gorgeous views of the city on our way to brunch at Cafe Nicolau.

  • After brunch we just walked around and explored the area, finding a cute park/ playground to stop at for a while. We started to walk back down, grabbed some gelato, and got back to the apartment around 3pm for nap/ quiet time.

  • In the evening we decided to check out the river which was very closeby to our apartment. We walked along the river which was beautiful, and stopped at Br’s Bar for some drinks and appetizers. The kids played with the toy kit we brought and even made a couple of little friends at the table next to us.

  • We crossed the bridge to Gaia, and walked up a LOT more hills to get to a gorgeous park and playground. There was some live music but the kids were getting pretty whiny so we let them have playground time for about an hour before heading back.

  • We walked back towards our apartment and stumbled upon an amazing bubble preformer and girls singing group which the kids all loved.

  • We stopped at a no-fuss local restaurant directly downstairs from our airbnb and had some delicious authentic Portuguese food before heading up for the bedtime routine.

Day 3 in Porto:

  • For our last full day in Porto we had a slower morning at the apartment. We wanted to do some laundry and get ourselves organized for leaving for Lisbon. Marley ran to the grocery store and bought some yogurt etc. to give the kids for breakfast so we could chill for a while.

  • Around lunchtime we ventured out and decided to walk to Cafe Santiago to try the famous sandwich in Porto, the Francesinha. It was delicious! The kids had “tosta mista” which is just a grilled ham and cheese and they loved it. We then walked a bit more, stopped for some Pasteis de Nata and espresso, and then walked back toward the river to do the cable car ride in Gaia.

  • It started to get pretty hot so we walked back for rest time. The kids did a ton of walking today so we let them have a lot of downtime, then stayed closeby for dinner and went to Time Out Market which was perfect for kids, had such delicious food, and was a really fun atmosphere.

Travel Day: Porto to Lisbon (via train)

  • We booked the train from Porto to Lisbon through the Omio app. We called an uber to pick us up from our apartment to get to the train station which was about a 15 min drive. For this short drive, we used our travel vests and the Cosco car seat.

  • The train ride was beautiful and lasted about 3 hours, and we let the kids have their ipads. Leni had snacks, read books, sat with her siblings, and nursed/ slept for the last 20-30 minutes or so. Unfortunately this was her only nap all day.

  • Once we checked into our hotel, we explored the Chiado neighborhood. We walked up to a group of really amazing restaurants on a quiet street and landed on eating at Pateo which was SO GOOD. One of the best meals of the entire trip for sure. They had the most fun dessert for the kids- ice cream topped with fresh berries and cotton candy! They absolutely loved it. We walked back to the hotel and just chilled until bedtime. The hotel set up here is apartment style- the big kids had bunks in the living space and Leni slept between us in the King bedroom.

Lisbon Stay (4 nights)

We decided on a hotel for our stay in Lisbon. Martinhal Chiado offers apartment style rooms that are perfect for families. Bunk beds, kids robes, little potties, step stools and kids playrooms / childcare make it a super child-friendly hotel. We also loved this neighborhood and found it to be super convenient. It’s just a couple of blocks up the hill from the Iconic Pink Street and we loved being in this location!

Day 1 in Lisbon:

  • We wanted to walk around a bit this morning to see a different neighborhood so we walked about 15 minutes to Dear Breakfast which was highly recommended and SO delicious! I had the Caesar Salad Toast and we got a bunch of pastries too.

  • Next we walked to check out Castelo de Sao Jorge- and skipped the very long line for tickets since we are traveling with a toddler! The highlight of the castle was definitely the wild peacocks which are EVERYWHERE and so beautiful. The kids found it absolutely thrilling. The castle itself was also insanely beautiful and really cool to walk through. It’s also a great spot for views of the city. Highly recommend you don’t skip this!

  • For the walk back, we grabbed some popsicles at a place toward the bottom of the castle. Then we headed back to the hotel for nap time.

  • By late afternoon we were ready to head out again but stayed close by. We saw that there was a playground called Praça Dom Luís and cafe so took the short walk there. Unfortunately the playground was under construction but the kids had fun climbing the tree and looking at the street vendors. The Time Out Market was also right in this little square!

  • I had class from 5pm-midnight, so Marley sent the big kids down to the hotel child care for a “movie and dinner night disco” and they had an absolute blast. He made some pasta for Leni in the room and then did bedtime with all of them around 9pm.

  • My MIL arrives tomorrow! She will be with us for the rest of our trip which we are so excited about.

Day 2 in Lisbon + Belem

  • We decided to check out Belem today, so hopped on the bus for the 20 minute ride. I really wanted to check out the famous Pasteis de Belem for pastries. The line was pretty long but we actually didn’t wait for much time at all. The pastries were good, but not the best we had.

  • After this, we walked by the Jerónimos Monastery. Another huge line and it was HOT so we skipped this (even though we wouldn’t wait in line with the kids anyway) and decided to just check out Torre de Belem to save some time. This was about a 20 minute walk along the water.

  • The tower was spectacular but we didn’t feel the need to do a tour or go inside. The kids had fun just playing on the beach for a while. We were able to catch the bus closer by to the tower to reduce walking, and went back to our hotel. We let the kids go to the kids club while Leni napped, then welcomed my Mother in Law!

  • We all freshened up and then went out to find some apps and drinks. We walked to a really cute neighborhood and found this restaurant, called Pao de Canela which was right next to a playground so it was perfect!

  • We found another playground and stopped here for a while to play, then walked around to check out some of the shops. Eventually we made our way back towards our hotel and stopped to eat at a place right down the block (I can’t remember the name!) where we had some really delicious steaks!

Day 3 in Lisbon: Day Trip to Cascais

  • Today we got up and out pretty early to do a half day in the beach town of Cascais. This was a quick train ride (maybe 30 min?) and very easy from our hotel. The town of Cascais is really beautiful and has more of a seaside vibe, and the beach is small but really pretty. It was very crowded, even though it was technically still the off season, but the kids really enjoyed a break from the city to play in the sand and swim.

  • After the beach we got cleaned up (the beach had public bathroom and shower for rinsing off and changing) and grabbed a really yummy seafood lunch at Mariscaria.

  • We took a train back and went to take a rest in the room, and that evening I had another session of class so Marley and his mom took the kids out to a playground and for dinner and did the bedtime routine.

Day 4 in Lisbon:

  • For our last full day in Lisbon we wanted to do something the kids would love, so we checked out the Oceanário de Lisboa, the famous Aquarium. The kids loved it and it was definitely worth seeing! We took a bus there which was pretty easy and only about 20 minutes.

  • Before the Aquarium we had a delicious brunch at The Folks Blue Street.

  • After a half day at the Aquarium the kids were tired so we went back to the hotel for naps and quiet time, then changed for dinner. We decided to walk near the waterfront and it was absolutely beautiful. We headed towards dinner and ate at Lisboa e Tu a Eu. It was soooo good! Since we went pretty early (6ish) there was no wait and we got right in. Afterwards we got the kids some ice cream and meandered back to the hotel for bed.

Travel Day: Lisbon to Algarve

We rented a van from a place right by the airport. The original car they wanted to give us was pretty small so Marley asked if they had anything larger and we got a HUGE van that ended up being perfect for the week. We had planned on renting car seats for the week but that didn’t work out for this drive so we used the ones we brought from home (not technically EU approved/ legal, but with the van we had they fit perfectly because the car had anchors just like the cars in the US). There are also some options in the Algarve itself for car seat rentals, as some followers DM’d to let me know, so worth googling!

The drive to our place from our Lisbon hotel was about 3 hours, and we stopped half way as there were plenty of rest stops/ gas stations with cafes and restaurants inside, right off the freeway which was very convenient.

We stayed at this Airbnb which was absolutely gorgeous. I will say it was a bit unsafe for little ones. The pool deck had some spots that were very high/ unstable steps with no railings. But overall the space was perfect for us and had lots of really beautiful and cool features. It was also a stunning view and a very quiet, chill and sleepy area about a 10 minute drive just north of Sagres.

We arrived around 4pm so after unloading and unpacking we went down the road to eat pizza and salads at The Den which was really delicious and chill with local surfers hanging out.

A Week in the Algarve Region (6 nights)

We were really happy we had a car for this part of the trip because there was nothing walkable from our Airbnb. We ventured out each day to check out a new beach which the kids loved. Here were a few of our favorite things in the Algarve region:

  • Beaches: It would be impossible to see all of the beaches here in just a week, but we did manage to check out a new one each day! Our favorites were Salema (this is where we got to check out real fossilized dinosaur footprints!, Burgau, Pera, Tonel, and the most beautiful (though trickiest to get to and possibly not technically allowed for the public) was in Albufeira- Olhos de Agua.

  • Restaurants: We loved mostly everything we ate here! Some highlights were The Den, Three Little Birds, A Barraca (had lunch here after Praia do Burgau) and Laundry Lounge (delish Thai dinner).

  • Other things to do: We mostly chilled at the beach and pool during this trip but also tried to do a couple of other excursions during our time in the Algarve:

    • We couldn’t leave Portugal without checking out some pottery. In an amazing turn of events, a follower of HSB owns one of the most famous places in the Algarve to get pottery- Porches Pottery! They are the sweetest family and their pieces are so stunning. I had a bunch shipped home and am so excited to use them forever and let them remind us of such a special trip.

    • We decided last minute to do a boat tour of the caves and we are so glad we did! If you get sea sick, this probably isn’t for you, but it was a really fun way to see more of the Algarve, to check out some of the most famous spots, and to even see dolphins! The Dream Wave was great and really accommodating, and they allow kids over 1 year. We booked tickets less than 2 days in advance.

Last Day: Back to Lisbon and Flying Home

We decided to break up the travel day and rather than drive all the way back to Lisbon just to get on a 9+ hour flight, to stop and stay one more night in Lisbon and get on a morning flight. This worked out well and gave us an extra day in Lisbon to see some other things we hadn’t yet. We decided to check out the Botanical Gardens which were beautiful, though you do have to pay for entry. We chose an 11am flight, thinking we’d get back to San Francisco around 7pm (bed time) and unfortunately kept getting delayed so that didn’t work out! The kids slept for about 5 hours on the plane so we were definitely off schedule and the jet lag lasted about 5 days. For some tips on managing kids and jet lag when crossing timezones check out this blog post.


for some FAQ about our trip:

I got lots of questions about the logistics of our trip, so I’ve decided to put those on my Substack for the sake of brevity on here. I answer questions like how much the trip cost, did we bring a stroller/ car seats, how I packed and what I wore, and more!

That’s a wrap! I hope you’ll visit this special place and please let me know if you do! It was definitely a trip of a lifetime for our little family and I hop you love it as much as we did. Remember that travel with kids isn’t always easy or even fun, but it’s making memories that they’ll carry with them forever (and if they don’t- you will for them!).









Rachael Shepard-Ohta

Rachael is the founder of HSB, a Certified Sleep Specialist, Circle of Security Parenting Facilitator, Breastfeeding Educator, and, most importantly, mother of 3! She lives in San Francisco, CA with her family.

https://heysleepybaby.com
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