This will be my first trip to Portugal. I was planning a trip in end April. Which destinations should I look into, which city should I fly into from NYC? I am traveling with my 5 and 3 yr old boys and we generally enjoy any city life (like NYC I guess), with shops, cafes, parks, people, local markets/food..No serious long lines sightseeing or museums given their ages. They recently went to Paris and had a great time. Would Lisbon work? Thanks.
Posted by
Martinez, CA, USA
1509 posts
Lisbon might be a great choice! It is a small, big city with lots that you and your children might enjoy. Should not be very long lines in April. There is the Castelo Sao Jorge with great city views and where they can wander and walk the castle walls (with lots of supervision). A short bus ride from the old town you can visit the Tower of Belem where you can climb the narrow stairway to the top for great views and an idea of how Lisbon was defended. Nearby is a great park and the Coaches Museum where you can see all manner of coaches used by royalty. Lisbon also has an outdoor elevator designed by Eiffel, many parks and museums, lots of outdoor cafes, and more. If the weather is good you can take a short train ride to Cascais for the beaches and a really great park. If that's not enough you can take a train to Sintra and visit some royal summer palaces. We have been to Portugal and Lisbon many times and just returned from our most recent trip. We love the country and city and hope that you will, too.
Posted by
maplewood, new jersey, usa
818 posts
Hey there - we went to Portugal last April break with our (then) 10 year old. We flew Newark (We live in Maplewood) to Lisbon, spent two nights in Cascais, two nights in Evora and 3 nights in Lisbon. We loved Lisbon - so beautiful. Evora is a walled city out closer to Spain - really neat, Roman ruins, a bone chapel. Around Evora we did day trips to Estramoz and Monsaraz. This area is very cool but not so hopping. Cascais is a beach resort. It was fun. Nice beaches. We drove to Sintra and saw the castle (we got caught in a rain storm). We really enjoyed Portugal a lot. Great food. Really nice people. I love the tiled buildings in Lisbon. In Lisbon go to this store: http://www.avidaportuguesa.com/
http://wishyouwerehere.us/article/A-Vida-Portuguesa/
Posted by
OP
Chicago
56 posts
Thanks for the tips. Lisbon it is then, apartment rentals seem reasonable also. Newark to Lisbon seems to a direct 7 hr flight. I was also pleasantly surprised to hear from a fellow Essex county native, Maplewood-hope you checked out Seabra's in Newark... Best
Posted by
maplewood, new jersey, usa
818 posts
I don't know if I have been to Seabra's yet. My last trip to the Ironbound a few months ago I wasn't thinking and order "meat stew" at some neat place. I learned "meat stew" is NOT beef stew - it came on a platter with a snout right in the middle! We really loved Portugal. The trolly's and funiculars in Lisbon are great. We didn't drive into Lisbon but driving in other parts of the country was very easy.
Posted by
San Diego
26 posts
If you're in Lisbon make sure you take a day trip to Sintra, it's about 30 minutes by train and there are two palaces. If you only have time for one, try to go to Pena Palace. It's amazing!
Posted by
Los Angeles, CA, USA
53 posts
Lisbon would be great for you. The area of Belem, Bauxa and Rossio are special. I would also do a trip to Sintra, which has a couple of fabulous castles, not to mention, a lot of good sites, parks, walk ways, cafes etc.