A Portugal Family Road Trip: 14-Day Itinerary of Kid-Friendly Wonders and Cultural Delights!
My partner and I embarked on our first international trip as a family of four with our two-year-old and five-year-old kids to Portugal.
We heard tales from friends and other online bloggers about Portugal’s family-friendly atmosphere, affordability, and beautiful scenery. After spending two weeks there, I have to admit they were completely right!
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Itinerary
We rented a car and took our little family on a Portuguese road trip of a lifetime. Read on to find a two+ week road trip itinerary through Portugal with a toddler and preschooler, visiting the following places:
- Play in the park
- Visit the fruit market
- Eat delicious pastries
- Try cherry liqueur in a chocolate cup
- Climb the castle walls
- Enjoy music at the Porta de Vila gate
- Take a canal tour on a historic moliceiro boat
- Eat ovos moles, a local dessert
- See the striped houses in the Bairro dos Pescadores in Costa Nova
- Climb the Clérigos Tower
- Visit the Livraria Lello
- Walk the bridge or take the cable car to port wine tasting at Cais de Ribeira
- Visit the Pena Palace
- Explore Quinta da Regaleira
- Climb the Moorish Castle
- Wander the historic streets of downtown Sintra
- Visit the Castelo de São Jorge
- Walk through the roofless Convento da Ordem do Carmo
- Enjoy the beaches
- Play at the indoor water park
- See the Cabo de São Vicente lighthouse
- Go for a hike
- Grab lunch
- Fly home
DAY 1
Day 1: Caldas da Rainha
Located about 1.5 hours from Lisbon, Caldas offered an immersive Portuguese experience for our family on our first day. If you visit, you should:
- Play in the park
- Visit the fruit market
- Eat delicious pastries
This city was a great place to get our bearings at the beginning of our trip, and a nice launching off point to visit Óbidos.
DAY 2
Day 2: Óbidos
Drive about 1 hour north of Lisbon or fifteen minutes west of Caldas da Rainha to find the adorable, romantic, and picturesque town of Óbidos. Be sure to:
- Try cherry liqueur in a chocolate cup
- Climb the castle walls
- Enjoy music at the Porta de Vila gate
This was probably the highlight of my trip, so…you must stop here.
DAY 3
Day 3: Aveiro
Drive about 1.5 hours north of Óbidos to Aveiro, the “Venice of Portugal.” We recommend you:
- Take a canal tour on a historic moliceiro boat
- Eat ovos moles, a local dessert
- See the striped houses in the Bairro dos Pescadores in Costa Nova
Stop here for a day on your way to Porto. We wished we had more time to explore the beaches and lighthouse.
DAYS 4-6
DayS 4-6: PORTO
Drive about 1 hour north of Lisbon or fifteen minutes west of Caldas da Rainha to find the adorable, romantic, and picturesque town of Óbidos. Be sure to:
- Climb the Clérigos Tower
- Visit the Livraria Lello
- Walk the bridge or take the cable car to port wine tasting at Cais de Ribeira
I loved all of the blue tiles, my husband loved the port wine, and my toddler loved the many baby Jesus statues on display at every museum or church. There is something for everyone in Porto!
DAYS 7-8
Days 7-8: sintra
Drive three hours south from Porto to Sintra. Sintra is a magical place, full of castles, villas, and grottos. Spend at least one day in Sintra to:
- Visit the Pena Palace
- Explore Quinta da Regaleira
- Climb the Moorish Castle
- Wander the historic streets of downtown Sintra
Many visitors come to Sintra via train from Lisbon as a day trip. I highly recommend you stay for at least two days in order to see more castles at a kid-friendly pace.
DAYS 9-11
DayS 9-11: lisbon
- Visit the Castelo de São Jorge
- Walk through the roofless Convento da Ordem do Carmo
The historic city is bustling with activities and delicious places to eat.
DAYS 12-13
Days 12-13: algarve
The drive from Lisbon to the Algarve, or the southern coastal region of Portugal, is about three hours. Stop in Alcácer do Sal for lunch on your way down. Once you reach the Portuguese Riviera, make sure you:
- Enjoy the beaches
- Play at the indoor water park
- See the Cabo de São Vicente lighthouse
- Go for a hike
The Algarve is a popular tourist destination in the summer months but was mostly empty when we visited in December.
Portugal was the perfect place for our little family to explore. Everywhere we went, we saw beautiful historic buildings, castles, and stunning views. We ate delicious food, tried delicious wine, and left feeling very welcome and safe.
Since our flight into Portugal was round-trip from Lisbon, it felt difficult to plan a trip that started and ended at a location that was basically in the middle of the country. If I could do it again, I might have spent more time in Porto, flowing up the Douro River, and would definitely have stayed in a castle somewhere overnight. Next time!
I was surprised to see so few mixed-race couples, and honestly so few BIPOC locals. Most of the locals we met where white, and while they were well-meaning and overall very kind to us, they made me wonder where all the brown people were.
Still, overall I would highly recommend anyone to take their family to Portugal. It was beautiful, safe, full of delicious eats, easy to navigate, and relatively inexpensive as compared to many other European countries.
