Portugal Days One – Three: Planes, Trains and Automobiles (Canada, Lisbon, Cascais)

We’re back from a whirlwind tour of the best Portugal has to offer by way of sights, sounds, and flavours. This was also our longest family trip to date which means we have a lot of pictures. I thought it would be a bit much to write daily summaries, so I’m combining multiple days into a single post – trying to keep the text to (my version of) a minimum, and letting images do most of the talking.

As per usual, this is an amalgamation of photos – if you see people in the shot, chances are I took the picture. For all the stunning architectural photos, assume they were taken by John.

DAY ONE: LISBON

Touchdown. We arrived without incident in Portugal which meant the kids and I could officially cross a new country off our global travel list! After navigating the airport, we ordered an Uber (much cheaper in Portugal) and headed to our first apartment. Both kids fell asleep on the way, using my shoulders as makeshift pillows. It was rather darling. We arrived too early to check in, but they had a space for us to leave our bags which was…amazing. Free of suitcases and cumbersome backpacks, we headed off to explore the area around our apartment. 

When we booked our accommodation, I was thrilled to discover Parque Eduardo VII was just a few minutes away. En route to the park, we stopped at a nearby grocery store and picked up some ready-made sandwiches and water, before popping into a cafe to buy our first pastéis de nata of the trip (from A Padaria Portuguesa; their pastéis have a lovely cinnamon undertone).

Armed with sustenance, we started to explore the park. There was a lovely breeze and we made sure to find a bench in the shade to enjoy our cobbled-together picnic. There’s nothing quite like those first few hours of freedom after being on an airplane. We strolled through the park at a leisurely pace, making pit stops to investigate the beautiful tile work Portugal is renowned for, and providing L time to do some parkour. That child hasn’t met a tree or park bench he didn’t want to leap over or off.

After soaking up the views from the top of the park, we navigated a few kilometers of quaint Portuguese streets – including passing by/under Aqueduto das Águas Livres (which managed to survive the Lisbon Earthquake of 1755) – until we arrived at our next destination…another park. From pictures, it appears to have once been a fairly elaborate rope course; it had fallen into disrepair, but the hill slide was epic, and the kids were able to play on one of the rope structures. 

From there we took a Bolt (more on this later; Bolt ended up being the logistical highlight of the trip) to Miradouro de São Pedro de Alcântara. What a gorgeous viewpoint! We were all parched, so elected to make a quick pit stop for drinks (including our first Portuguese Fanta), before settling in to enjoy the view. 

One of us seized the opportunity to cool off their feet. 

Next was a downhill walk to the heart of Lisbon. First up, Arco da Rua Augusta, which opens into the main square: Praça do Comércio. We walked along the waterfront to Sé de Lisboa (Lisbon Cathedral).

While planning our trip I made a note that this cathedral looked “forgettable” and, for me, it was. We didn’t pay to visit the cloisters, but the cathedral itself was dark and uninspiring (compared to other churches we’ve seen in Europe). By this point everyone was feeling the effects of jet lag and sweating profusely. Temperatures reached 35C + humidity. We headed back to the apartment (another Bolt) where our bags had already been moved in.

The apartment was phenomenal. 10/10 from all of us. A heat pump for air conditioning, a little kitchenette with all the essentials, a great bathroom (with excellent water pressure – far from guaranteed in Europe), a floor-to-ceiling wardrobe so we could unpack and organize our clothes, and a TV with Food Network.

John and I left the kids contentedly watching The Pioneer Woman and walked across the street (how convenient!) to a sizeable grocery store to stock up on breakfast supplies, snacks, water, and sunscreen. 

Next up was rendezvousing with John’s family for supper. (John was adopted and moved to Canada when he was five years old, but he has a biological sister, aunt, and a dear friend – who he calls “aunt” – who still live in Portugal). The kids were well-behaved but clearly exhausted, so after eating we said quick goodbyes and made our way back to the apartment. After hot showers, we collapsed into bed. This first night of sleep was incredible!

DAY TWO: CASCAIS

When we travel I sketch out tentative plans for each day; originally, I expected to stay in Lisbon on the second day but we saw more of the local sights than anticipated on Day One, so that morning we opted to take our first day-trip. Off to Cascais – a beautiful, sea-side town just outside of Lisbon.

We met up with John’s sister in the morning (she took the week off work), and then headed to the train station to buy tickets. We opted to get off the train one station early (Monte Estoril) and walked the tiled promenade several kilometers until we arrived in the heart of Cascais. The entire walk was punctuated by small – but crowded – beaches. The sea of mutli-coloured umbrellas looked like something straight off a postcard. There was even a salt-water pool. 

The heat was intense (A is reading this over my shoulder as I’m typing and corrected me – she insists the heat was, and I quote, “oppressive.”). Every few minutes we stopped for a water break (which of course meant plenty of bathroom breaks), but eventually we made it to the viewpoint for the Santa Maria Lighthouse. Yet another postcard-worthy scene. Right across the street is a museum: Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães. We didn’t go inside, but very much enjoyed a quick wade/swim at the base. It would be a fun adventure to visit at high and low tide because the water level rises high up the base of the museum.

We were running out of energy, but made one last push to visit Boca do Inferno, a famous sea cave about one kilometer from the heart of Cascais. It was a hot trek – we were fully exposed to the mid-day sun and I doubted if it was worth the investment of time and sweat. It was so worth it! This is a spot that exceeded my expectations with absolutely stunning views of the ocean. L took some time to chat to local fisherman who were trying their luck with catching squid (lulas). Unfortunately, none were caught while we stood watching but our little fisher loved every minute.

We hiked back to the Santa Maria lighthouse and hired a Bolt to get us back to the train station. We were sweaty and tired, but opted to get off at the Algés train station and walked a kilometer or so to Belém Tower. It was already closed for the day, though we likely wouldn’t have paid to go to the top. I think this would be a beautiful spot at sunset (and high tide). From the tower, we walked to the Monument to the Discoveries which celebrates Portugal’s legacy of navigating and exploration.

We ran into more fishermen and this time were fortunate enough to come alongside one man right before he landed a big one. You can guess who was glued to the scene! I could sense moods were wilting with the heat, so we made a pit stop at a fountain close to Jerónimos Monastery. Even a few minutes off our feet – along with a cooling mist – gave us a second wind before we headed to our final destination of the day: Pastéis de Belém. 

In a country known for these iconic pasteries, loyalty is divided among customers – various bakeries claim to be the most authentic and/or original. We all agreed that Pastéis de Belém were overrated – not much flavour (though you get a cute little packet of cinnamon and icing sugar to sprinkle on top), and forgettable pastry. That said, I’m glad we tried these specific pastéis since they are such a cultural touchpoint.

By now we were all ready to go back to the apartment. John and I made another stop at the grocery store across the street and then we pulled together a picnic supper to be enjoyed on the outdoor shared terrace in the apartment complex. The air temperature was warm, but not oppressive, and the views were hard to beat. We had the terrace to ourselves aside from one couple who were playing a game of chess!

Back inside we enjoyed delicious (and incredibly inexpensive) store-bought gelato – stratiacella flavour (so good), a little bit of Food Network for the kids, and then it was bedtime. A busy – but successful – first full day in Portugal.

DAY THREE: LISBON

The kids were not keen on an early morning, so we let them sleep in and opted for a leisurely start to Day Three. We did want to fit in some sightseeing, though, before the temperatures rose. Despite leaving the apartment by 9:30 am, I was dripping in sweat from the start. Ugh. Portugal is basically non-stop hills, so not only were we battling a heat wave, we were regularly climbing (or descending) a hill. Thankfully, we were tackling most of our walking early in the day, and emerged sweating – but happy – to another city lookoff.

This time it was Miradouro da Graça. Almost directly across from the look-off on Day One, this vantage of the city gave excellent views of Castelo de São Jorge – a castle we admired from a distance but didn’t bother visiting. 

The night before we had booked tickets for the Lisbon aquarium at 1:00 pm, which is strict about entry times. This meant we had a few hours to fill. I decided we might as well cross a bunch of random Lisbon stops off our travel list. Next up: Pink Street! Primarily lined by bars, this street is known for its night life, but we enjoyed a quick – and colourful – stroll much earlier in the day.

After our culinary tour of various churro outlets in Barcelona, A was keen to try her luck in Portugal. San Gines is perhaps the best-known establishment in Lisbon. Alas, I found the churros sub-par compared to Spain, but the kids were enraptured so overall it was a win. 

We grabbed a few finger foods from a nearby grocery store and then proceeded to our next stop – and the main focus of our day – a trip to the Oceanário de Lisboa. We spent two happy hours in blissful air conditioning, marveling at the birds and aquatic life. I preferred Ripley’s Aquarium in Toronto (more interactive for kids), but the Oceanário provided lots of wonder and excitement – especially for our little fisherman.

Before coming to Lisbon, I hadn’t heard about the cable car ride (Telecabine Lisbon) along the waterfront, but when ordering the Oceanário tickets I was fed the option of buying a combined ticket. It made the cable car significantly cheaper and we took the bait. We had beautiful panoramic views of the Vasco da Gama Bridge and the waterfront. The highlight was spotting dozens of white jellyfish swimming in the water below! The kids loved it.

We took a bathroom break at McDonalds and ordered McFlurrys. I had a mini Milka/Lotus Cookie one that was SO good (I ended up having two more while in Portugal – SO GOOD!). We opted to do a bit more walking/orienting to a nearby train and bus station so we knew where to catch the bus the next morning before taking a Bolt to our apartment for an early night. Supper was cobbled together with groceries we had on hand, then showers, followed by a bit of screen time – yes, more Food Network – for all.

Distance Walked (Days 1-3): 36.81 km | 51,034 steps

And that’s a wrap on Days 1-3. What’s your favourite sea creature? Would you rather walk up a hill…or down.