A Week in Lisbon with a 10-Year-Old: Our Plan (And Why We're Already Excited)

Photo by Aayush Gupta on Unsplash

Lisbon has been on our list for a while. A city that somehow manages to be ancient and effortlessly cool at the same time, with food that punches well above its weight and hills that will punish you for skipping the gym. We're going next month — three of us, one week, one downtown apartment, and an ambitious itinerary that may or may not survive first contact with reality.

Here's the plan.

The Base: A Downtown Apartment

We're skipping the hotel on this one. With a 10-year-old in tow, having a kitchen, a living room, and the ability to eat breakfast in your pajamas is worth every penny of the Airbnb fee. We're staying in Baixa — the flat(ish) heart of the city, grid-patterned streets, monumental squares, and critically within stumbling distance of several excellent pastry shops.

A few things we've learned from research:

Book early. Lisbon in summer is not a secret. Apartments in Chiado and Príncipe Real go fast, especially anything with a balcony
Air conditioning is non-negotiable. July/August in Lisbon means 30°C+ and the old buildings are beautiful but not always breezy
Check the hill situation. Lisbon's charm comes with cobblestones and steep streets. An apartment that looks central on a map can involve a 10-minute vertical climb with luggage

Day 1: Castelo de São Jorge + Carmo Museum

We're starting high — literally. São Jorge Castle sits on Lisbon's highest hill and has dominated the skyline since the Moorish occupation in the 8th century. The views over the city are spectacular, and kids under 12 get in free (adults €15).

The insider tip: arrive right at 9am when it opens. By 11am it's packed with tour groups and the magic fades. Early morning with the city waking up below you is a completely different experience.

From the castle, it's a short walk downhill to the Carmo Museum — a Gothic convent that was partially destroyed in the 1755 earthquake and never fully rebuilt. The roofless nave is hauntingly beautiful, and the small archaeological museum inside includes Egyptian mummies that will either fascinate or traumatize a 10-year-old. Probably both.

Fuel stop: The Alfama neighbourhood below the castle is full of small tascas (traditional restaurants). Look for the handwritten menus on the door and the smell of grilled sardines. If the tablecloth is paper, you're in the right place.

Day 2: Oceanário + Science Museum

Yes, this is a lot for one day. No, we're not apologising.

The Oceanário de Lisboa is Europe's second-largest oceanarium and it is genuinely spectacular. The central tank — four storeys of open ocean with sharks, rays, and sunfish drifting past — is one of those sights that makes adults stop talking mid-sentence. The Magellanic penguins are the undisputed highlight for the younger crowd.

Book tickets online in advance. The queues in summer are brutal and skippable.

After lunch, we're heading to the Pavilhão do Conhecimento (Science Museum), conveniently located in the same modern Parque das Nações waterfront district. It's hands-on, interactive, and aimed squarely at curious 10-year-olds. We may need to be physically removed at closing time.

Both venues are best reached via Metro to Oriente station — fast, cheap, and air-conditioned, which will feel like a gift from the heavens on a hot July afternoon.

Honest parenting note: This is objectively too much for one day. We're doing it anyway because the Parque das Nações area makes it logical, and because our son has the energy of a small turbofan engine.

Day 3: Sintra — Fairy Tales Are Real

An hour by train from Rossio station (€2.30 each way, kids half price), Sintra is in a different universe from the rest of Portugal. Palaces in impossible colours perched on forested hilltops, winding cobblestone streets, and a level of photogenic beauty that borders on unfair.

We've booked an Airbnb Experience for this day — a local guide who knows the back routes, the lesser-visited palaces, and where to eat without paying tourist prices. After years of going it alone, we've learned that a good local guide for a day is worth every cent, especially in a place as layered as Sintra.

The must-dos:

Palácio Nacional da Pena — the technicolour fairy-tale palace on the hill. Book timed entry tickets in advance, non-negotiable in summer
The old town centre — pick up a travesseiro (almond and egg pastry, local specialty) and eat it standing up like a local

The must-avoid: Visiting without booking ahead. Sintra is Portugal's most visited site. Turning up and hoping for the best in July is a strategy that ends in disappointment and overpriced sandwiches.

Day 4: Belém — History, Towers, and The Best Pastry in the World

Our final sightseeing day takes us west along the river to Belém, where Portugal's Age of Discovery is carved in stone and the pastry game reaches its absolute peak.

Jerónimos Monastery is one of the finest examples of Manueline architecture on the planet — an ornate, jaw-dropping building that took a century to complete and earns every minute you spend inside. Get there early.

Torre de Belém — the iconic riverside tower that appears on approximately 40% of all Portugal postcards — is best appreciated from outside unless you enjoy very slow queues for very narrow spiral staircases. We'll photograph it extensively from the riverbank and move on.

And then: Pastéis de Belém. The original pastel de nata bakery, operating since 1837, a short walk from the monastery. The recipe is a closely guarded secret known only to a handful of people. The result is a warm, slightly caramelised custard tart that will ruin all other custard tarts for you forever. Go early, or go often. We plan to do both.

Tip: Belém is reachable by Tram 15E from Praça do Comércio — scenic, slow, and authentic. Exactly the right pace for a final sightseeing day.

The Food Plan (The Real Itinerary)

Let's be honest: in Lisbon, the food is the activity. A few things we're not leaving without eating:

Bacalhau (salt cod) in as many of its 365 alleged preparations as possible
Bifanas — pork sandwiches from a street counter, the greatest fast food in Europe
Ginjinha — cherry liqueur served in a tiny cup on the street in Alfama. Adults only, but the ceremony is worth watching
More pastéis de nata than is medically advisable

Practical Notes for Fellow Planners

Getting around: Metro is excellent and cheap. Trams are scenic but crowded. Ubers are plentiful and inexpensive by European standards
Weather: July in Lisbon is hot and dry — pack light, bring sunscreen, and plan indoor activities for 1-3pm
Language: Portuguese, but English is widely spoken in tourist areas. Learning obrigado (thank you) goes a long way
Budget: Lisbon remains one of Western Europe's most affordable capitals, though prices have risen significantly in recent years. Budget €15-25 per person for a sit-down lunch, €30-50 for dinner at a decent restaurant

We'll be back with the full report — what worked, what we'd change, and whether the Sintra guide was worth it. Watch this space.