A Week In Lisbon With Kids

Lisbon is an absolutely vibrant and wonderful city to take a family holiday, especially for some February winter warmth and sunshine.

Where We Ate

OK, here’s the most important part of any holiday, carbs….I mean eating. Here’s where we ate, that I remembered and loved.

Time Out Market

Marinhal Chiado is located just a few minutes walk from the Time Out Market which has all the famous places to eat in Lisbon all in one place. On the other side of the market is a fresh market with fish, fruit and vegetables.

Pastéis de Belém

This place is on every tourist must do list. And it is well worth it. The very first Portugese custard pies are said to be right in this shop. And the recipe has not changed since it was sold from the church and moved to this shop.

It’s an Instagram wonderland in here with all blue and white tiles, cappuccinos complete with an abundance of whipped cream, and an area to watch the kitchen as they create these pies. My tip is to walk in the front doors on your left if you just want to use the bathroom, see them making them, or just get a lay of the land before you order back at the front. Or, just find a seat and order at a table.

The line can and is a bit daunting, so just know you don’t have to stand in it. Just go left and find a seat or waste time having the kids go to the bathroom so you can drink your coffee while it’s hot when you finally do get the chance to order. And even though this is a famous institution, the prices are still crazy reasonable with the custard pies being 1 Euro. And my personal favorite thing to order here is the chicken ball. SO GOOD!

Manteigeria

OK, so the best Portugese custard pies in Lisbon are here, in my opinion. Manteigeria is located just a couple minutes walk from Martinhal Chiado. It makes it far too easy to walk two minutes and pick up a sleeve full of pies and an espresso and watch them make the delicacies in the window. A Euro for a pie and a Euro for an espresso. Prices in Lisbon are truly appreciated after living in Zurich!

Panda Cantina

I’m sure there are many amazing places to eat in Lisbon. But we found Panda Cantina, and it only serves one bowl of ramen. And it’s incredible. You just choose tofu, beef, or pork and how spicy you want it. So easy, so kid friendly. My kids love soup and noodles. And I loved tofu with a lot of spice. Also, the bowls were 7 Euros each. Cheap dinner.

 

Where We Stayed

We stayed at Martinhal Chiado for the second year in a row. This place is perfect for my family for a few reasons. First, we never need to bring anything with us. Second, I was traveling without my spouse and sometimes need a break. So I love that they have a kid’s club, a kid play area, a cafe, and room service.

But more importantly, every room is an entire apartment complete with laundry and kitchen. Plus, they have a welcome pack when you arrive with milk, orange juice, water, cookies, port and Nespresso. The emergency things you need after a flight and arriving at a new hotel.

My absolute favorite thing when I go on vacation is to have my own kitchen and laundry in my room. (I guess I miss my daily activities) But with kids, it’s just so much easier for me to be able to whip up some pasta or wash their underwear if I need to instead of waiting for a restaurant to open too late or wait forever to be served. Kids need to eat when they need to eat!

Where We Played

We spent an entire day at the Vasco da Gama Park playground. It’s a huge greenspace with a playground right next to a McDonald’s (for emergency toilet usage). The best part is across the street is the famous Pastéis de Belém. We kept an eye on the line and would run in for snacks in between lines.

We took the famous yellow 28 tram from the beginning to the end past all the famous landmarks and beautiful places in Lisbon. The kids were contained and chatting away while we were enjoying the views.

 

Food Tour I Highly Recommend

Martinhal Chiado Family concierge was so kind with all my email requests. They booked their 9 seater car to pick us up at the Lisbon airport and drop us off at Marinhal Chiado, took us from Chiado to Martinhal Cascais, and booked an amazing family food tour.

I would never have found Little Lisbon food tour looking on the internet. But from the moment I met Mariana, she blew me away. And more importantly, the children. She had them identifying local fish at the fresh food market, taught them the food pyramid, how to identify trees local to Lisbon, and kept them busy and tummies filled for the 3 hour tour. If you find yourself in Lisbon, definitely book the Little Lisbon tour. It was absolutely worth every penny with the immense knowledge we all gained. (Not sponsored, just seriously blown away)

 

What We Brought

 

We pack light. On this holiday we each brought a backpack. On the way home, we each had an extra little bag that Martinhal gave us to hold flip flops and hats. So its tiny, but it fits those extra things you end up coming home with after a holiday. Also, we flew EasyJet, so we only had essentially one carry on per person.

I brought my Ergo for my 16 month old baby boy. While Martinhal has absolutely everything provided from strollers to pottys to pack n plays to step stools, it was so easy to bring him in the Ergo and not mess with the cobblestones with a stroller.

 

This post was not sponsored and I was not hosted by Martinhal. I was however given a discounted media rate in exchange for daily social media coverage, including this blog post. All thoughts and Portugese custard tarts are completely my own. Many carbs were consumed while enjoying our stay at Martinhal Chiado. And I honestly have to say that I absolutely love this hotel, location, and will definitely return as soon as I can. I mentioned the laundry, kitchen, and kid’s club right?