Portugal Family Vacations

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Famous for its incredibly welcoming people, Portugal also offers stunning beaches, beautiful historic attractions, and fantastic food and culture. From the vast rolling plains in the central regions to the dramatic northern mountain ranges, your family will be amazed by what you see and do.

What makes Portugal a great destination for families ?

Your family is in good hands when planning and booking a trip to Portugal with Evaneos. Evaneos works with English-speaking family travel experts who will help to create a fantastic trip for you. Portugal is known as a safe and friendly destination for visitors, and getting around is easy as English is widely understood, especially in the cities. There's a great range of accommodation options in Portugal suited for families, including villas and cabins.

Best things to do in Portugal with kids

Considering its relatively small size, Portugal boasts lots of fun for vacationing families. Plus, the classic Portuguese hospitality ensures that regardless of what you're up to, smiles will always await you. There’s a wealth of activities for children of all ages to enjoy, here are a few of our top recommendations: 

Discover underground caves

If you're looking for a different kind of active experience, venture underground into the Grutas de Mira de Aire cave. These limestone caves are located in a nature reserve just outside Alcobaça in central Portugal. Explore the extensive network of chambers and lakes before taking an elevator back to the surface.

Explore a royal garden

Sintra is known for its palaces and castles, but its Quinta da Regaleira garden proves irresistible for kids. Young explorers will enjoy exploring the hidden passageways and tunnels, and for the extra adventurous, seek out the site’s hidden waterfall and take the spiral staircase down one of the deepest wells.

Go on a Portuguese culinary adventure

A vacation in Portugal for families is also an opportunity to sample this country's best culinary delights. Pop into the many inviting eateries and cafes for traditional dishes that show off a diversity of local flavors and ingredients. Even the pickiest eaters will be satisfied. Try specialties like the cozido à portuguesa sausage stew, or the pasteis de nata custard tarts.

Get around in style

Sometimes the journey itself is half the fun. There's a multitude of interesting options for the family to get around while in Portugal. You can take a ride on one of Lisbon's iconic trams, hire a tuk-tuk, or take a cruise off the Portuguese coast. Or go for some pedal power with a bike trip. And when traveling between cities, trains or car rentals allow you to experience the beautiful countryside in an easy, accessible and affordable manner. 

Tips for planning a family vacation in Portugal

Family trips in Portugal are a great idea, no matter the season. Spring and autumn are the best seasons to go, especially for city trips, since the weather is warmer and milder than most places in Europe and you’ll avoid the busy summer crowds. It's best to dress in layers, as the coasts can be cooler and breezier. Summer is best for visiting Southern Portugal and the Algarve with its famous beaches but be warned, the waters around Portugal are ice cold even on the hottest of days. Though Portugal is well-connected by public transport, consider renting a car to explore the gorgeous countryside.



When to go in Portugal?

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The climate in Portugal is temperate and very comfortable. So there's no ideal time of year for a trip to Portugal: temperatures are favourable all year round. All the same, it's more pleasant to travel there in Spring or Autumn. In truth, winter can be cold inland, and summer is very hot almost everywhere. To make the most of this temperate country, then, we advise you travel in mid-season. The Algarve region, the furthest South in the country, can definitely be visited all year round. It offers splendid beaches, and temperatures never fall below 10 degrees!
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Traveller reviews of their trip to Portugal

523 reviews
Jamie
5
Overall we loved Portugal and its many parts. We managed to see so many different aspects of the country in our trip, and particularly enjoyed the people, the food, the wine, the history, and the variety. This was ensured in the planning stage where Tiago had worked hard to ensure we had the variety of trip we required for our mixed age family. Favourite moments were many, and varied - most lunchtimes where Tiago helped us find local specialities; magical locations - hard to beat Marvao, Porto, the Duoro, hidden beaches, coves and restaurants; lovely people, helpful and understanding; Tiago - I honestly can't think of a better guide and friend for us while we were in Portugal. Without him and his guidance we wouldn't have experienced half of what we did, and would have no doubt wasted time on unnecessary trips.
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Portugal
5
Lisbon, Sintra, Cascais and all the nearby coastal cities are beautiful with lots to do and experience. Our stay was so much more enjoyable with Tiagos planning and all his effort to expose us to the amazing sites, culture, history and Portuguese culinary delights
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eestes
5
I had never been to Portugal and wanted to make sure we didn't miss anything. Nuno sent over many suggestions and made sure the trip was just what we wanted it to be. We saw a lot of Lisbon and also the surrounding areas- all of the tour guides, drivers and others we met were professional, knowledgable and friendly. Every experience from the cooking school to the sail around Lisbon harbor were incredible and we hated to leave!
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