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Travel with 10 year olds to Portugal early July 2022

We're taking two 10 year olds to Portugal in late June/early July 2022 and are seeking tips on places to stay in Lisbon, as well as other fun/nice towns to visit. We will have only two nights in/near Lisbon at the start of our trip, then will travel to Lagos for a few days, and then we will have three free nights before heading to the airport in Lisbon. Any recommendations of good places to stay with kids near the airport for the first night? Or maybe somewhere fun to stay for the first two nights in Lisbon (so we don't have to move hotels) that is easy to get to from the airport? We would like to experience a cool neighborhood or two, and have also heard we should go to the aquarium. Any tips on where to stay?

In addition to being a family vacation, this is kind of a scouting trip in case we might want to move there someday. Is there another town or 2 that would be good/easy to check out on the way back from Lagos to Lisbon? So far I have had Vila do Condo, Coimbra, Cascais and Porto recommended but I'm not sure which of these is easy enough to get to. We will have to arrange all our own transportation and won't have a car.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions you have!

Posted by
4536 posts

So, I'll leave the majority of your questions to others, but I'll start the responses by saying .... please check your passport expiration dates to make sure you have enough time remaining that Portugal will allow you to enter: a minimum of "3 months beyond the date of intended departure." We wouldn't like anyone to be left out of your family vacation!

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/international-travel/International-Travel-Country-Information-Pages/Portugal.html#:~:text=U.S.%20citizens%20may%20enter%20Portugal,beyond%20the%20period%20of%20stay.

Posted by
1654 posts

No need to stay close to the airport as the city is so close.

I recommend Baixa, Chiado or Cais do Sodré neighborhoods as there is a lot right out the door. A lot of people recommend Alfama but the public transport is limited.

Coimbra and Porto are not between the Algarve and Lisbon. They are north and not really day trip accessible. Cascais is an easy day trip from Lisbon on the train. I’m not familiar with the other place you mention. Cascais as a big immigrant/expat community ( me, for one) and has been a great place to live.

Thanks kathrynj, that is really helpful. We are just trying to see as much as possible with the short time we have. We will most likely try to do a day trip to Cascais when we first arrive, since so many (including you) have recommended it, and then maybe try to stay in Porto for two nights before we leave, and return to Lisbon for the last night. It is a lot of jogging around for such a short trip, but it will give us an idea of where we'll want to stay for a longer visit in the future (hopefully). Thanks again!