Lisbon is a surprisingly easy city to enjoy with children. The rattling yellow trams are a ride in themselves, the world-class Oceanário and the cable-car zoo headline a strong roster of family attractions, and the flat, modern riverside of Parque das Nações gives little legs room to run. Add hands-on science museums, adventure playgrounds and beaches a short train away, and there's plenty to fill a family trip. Here are the best things to do in Lisbon with kids, with ages, prices and tips.
€25Oceanário de Lisboa
Area
Parque das Nações
Ages
All ages
“The sea otters are the kids' favourite — check the feeding times posted at the entrance.”
€24Lisbon Zoo
Area
Sete Rios
Ages
2–12
“Ride the cable car over the enclosures, and time your visit around the dolphin presentation.”
€12Pavilhão do Conhecimento
Area
Parque das Nações
Ages
3–14
“Everything is hands-on — let kids loose on the 'unfinished house' construction exhibit and the bikes over a wire.”
€20KidZania Lisboa
Area
Almada (Dolce Vita Tejo)
Ages
3–14
“Kids role-play real jobs and earn 'kidZos' to spend — best for ages 4–12; adults wait in the lounge.”
FreeParque das Nações
Area
Parque das Nações
Ages
All ages
“Ride the riverside cable car between the Oceanário and the Vasco da Gama tower — a hit with kids.”
FreeMonsanto Forest Park
Area
Monsanto
Ages
All ages
“Head for the Parque Recreativo do Alto da Serafina or Alvito playgrounds — huge, adventurous and free.”
€10Museu dos Coches
Area
Belém
Ages
4+
“Kids love the fairytale golden carriages — it's compact enough to pair with the Belém monuments.”
€3.20Tram 28 Ride
Area
Central
Ages
All ages
“Kids love the rattly climb — board early at Martim Moniz for a window seat before it packs out.”
Family things to do in Lisbon in detail
1.Oceanário de Lisboa
The Oceanário de Lisboa is the undisputed champion of family days out in the city, and one of the finest aquariums anywhere. Its brilliant design keeps children captivated: a single colossal central tank, viewable from two floors, holds sharks, rays, shoals of fish and a beloved sunfish, while four themed ocean zones let kids meet playful sea otters, comical puffins, tropical reef fish and more, all beautifully lit and clearly signed. It's fully indoors, air-conditioned and pushchair-friendly, making it a perfect option whatever the weather, and it engages toddlers and teenagers alike (adults too). Allow around two hours, check the otter and feeding times on arrival, and book a timed ticket online to avoid queues and school-group crushes — the earliest slot is calmest. Afterwards, the surrounding Parque das Nações, the modern Expo '98 district, offers a pram-friendly riverside promenade, a cable car ride kids love, fountains to splash in and the hands-on Pavilhão do Conhecimento science museum next door, so you can easily build a full, low-stress family day around it.
Hours
Daily 10:00–20:00 (Nov–Mar until 19:00)
Price
€25 adults; €17 children; family tickets
Getting there
Metro red line to Oriente, then 10-min walk through Parque das Nações
Insider tip: The sea otters are the kids' favourite — check the feeding times posted at the entrance.
2.Lisbon Zoo
Jardim Zoológico de Lisboa is one of the oldest zoos in Europe and a dependable, crowd-pleasing family day out, conveniently sitting right above its own metro stop at Sete Rios. Home to hundreds of species — big cats, primates, giraffes, elephants, reptiles and a large aviary — it's spread across pleasant, leafy grounds that make for an easy day of wandering with children. The standout extra is the cable car that glides over parts of the zoo, giving a bird's-eye view of the enclosures that kids adore, and there are regular animal presentations, including a popular dolphin show, plus a reptile house, a small farm area and a children's playground. It's well maintained and clearly laid out, with plenty of shade, cafés and picnic spots for breaks. Being fully accessible by metro makes it stress-free to reach, and you can easily spend three to four hours here. Buy tickets online to skip the entrance queue, check the show and feeding schedule when you arrive to plan your route, and bring sun protection in summer, as much of the visit is outdoors.
Hours
Daily from ~10:00 (closing seasonal, ~18:00–20:00)
Price
€24 adults; €17 children (3–12); under-3s free
Getting there
Metro blue line to Jardim Zoológico, right by the entrance
Insider tip: Ride the cable car over the enclosures, and time your visit around the dolphin presentation.
3.Pavilhão do Conhecimento
The Pavilhão do Conhecimento — Lisbon's interactive science museum, or Ciência Viva centre — is a superb rainy-day and any-day option for families with curious children, sitting conveniently next to the Oceanário in Parque das Nações. Its whole philosophy is hands-on: rather than glass cases, it's full of experiments, machines and challenges kids can touch, push, build and ride, from a high-wire bicycle demonstrating balance and gravity to an 'unfinished house' where little ones don hard hats to lay bricks and lift materials, plus optical illusions, physics puzzles and rotating exhibitions. There's a dedicated zone for the youngest children (under-6s), so toddlers aren't left out, and staff run activities and demonstrations. It's genuinely educational without feeling like school, and children happily spend two to three hours here. Being fully indoors and air-conditioned, it's ideal when the weather turns or the heat builds, and pairing it with the neighbouring aquarium and the wider Expo district — cable car, fountains, riverside — makes for an easy, engaging family day entirely reachable by metro to Oriente. Book online at busy times.
Hours
Tue–Fri 10:00–17:00, weekends 11:00–18:00 (closed Mon)
Price
€12 adults; €8 children; family tickets
Getting there
Metro red line to Oriente, in Parque das Nações beside the Oceanário
Insider tip: Everything is hands-on — let kids loose on the 'unfinished house' construction exhibit and the bikes over a wire.
4.KidZania Lisboa
KidZania Lisboa is an immersive indoor 'city' built entirely to child scale, where children role-play adult professions in realistic settings — piloting a plane, treating patients as a doctor, fighting fires, reporting the news, running a shop or a kitchen — earning and spending their own currency, 'kidZos', as they go. It's brilliantly conceived edutainment that keeps children aged roughly four to fourteen absorbed and independent for hours, learning about work, money and teamwork while thinking they're just playing. Parents accompany little ones or relax in designated adult areas while older kids roam the safe, staffed environment on their own. It's a favourite for birthdays, school holidays and rainy days, being fully indoors and weatherproof. The main location is across the river near Almada rather than in the city centre, so it's most easily reached by car or taxi and is best planned as a dedicated half-day rather than squeezed between central sights. Sessions and opening days vary by season and school holidays, so check the schedule and book ahead, especially in peak periods. For families travelling with primary-age children, it's a genuine highlight.
Hours
Wed–Sun (school-holiday hours vary); sessions daytime
Price
~€20 children; adults reduced
Getting there
In the Almada Forum area across the river; best reached by car or taxi
Insider tip: Kids role-play real jobs and earn 'kidZos' to spend — best for ages 4–12; adults wait in the lounge.
5.Parque das Nações
Parque das Nações, the sleek riverside district built for the 1998 World Expo, is one of the most family-friendly parts of Lisbon — flat, modern, pram-friendly and full of open space, a welcome contrast to the steep cobbles of the old town. Along its landscaped waterfront you'll find wide traffic-free promenades for scooting and cycling, interactive fountains children love to run through on hot days, gardens, playgrounds, public art and the striking Vasco da Gama tower and bridge views. The star for kids is the Telecabine cable car, which glides along the river between the Oceanário and the tower, giving lovely views over the Tagus. The district also holds the Oceanário and the Pavilhão do Conhecimento science museum, so you can combine several family attractions in one easy, walkable area, with plenty of casual restaurants and the Vasco da Gama shopping centre for meals, snacks and rainy spells. It's all reachable by metro to Oriente, Santiago Calatrava's dramatic station being a sight in itself. For a relaxed, low-stress day with children, this modern quarter is hard to beat.
Hours
Always open; cable car ~11:00–19:00
Price
Free; cable car ~€4–8
Getting there
Metro red line to Oriente, the district's hub
Insider tip: Ride the riverside cable car between the Oceanário and the Vasco da Gama tower — a hit with kids.
6.Monsanto Forest Park
The Parque Florestal de Monsanto is Lisbon's great green lung — a sprawling 10-square-kilometre hilltop forest to the west of the centre, planted in the 20th century and now the city's largest park, offering families a proper dose of nature and space to burn off energy. Within it are several dedicated recreational parks, notably the Parque Recreativo do Alto da Serafina and the Parque Recreativo do Alvito, which feature large, imaginative adventure playgrounds, climbing structures, picnic areas, gentle trails and open lawns — all free to use and rarely crowded. There are walking and cycling routes through the woods, viewpoints over the city, and the quirky Panorâmico de Monsanto, a derelict-turned-street-art viewpoint popular for its graffiti and vistas. Because it's a hilly forest spread over a wide area and not directly on the metro, it's best reached by bus, taxi or car, and works well as a half-day escape rather than a quick stop — pack a picnic and make an outing of it. For families craving playgrounds, greenery and fresh air away from the tourist crush, Monsanto is a refreshing, budget-friendly change of pace.
Hours
Park always open; recreational areas ~09:00–dusk
Price
Free
Getting there
Bus or taxi to the recreational parks; less metro-accessible than central sights
Insider tip: Head for the Parque Recreativo do Alto da Serafina or Alvito playgrounds — huge, adventurous and free.
7.Museu dos Coches
The Museu Nacional dos Coches — the National Coach Museum — holds one of the world's finest collections of historic royal and ceremonial carriages, and it turns out to be a surprise hit with children, who are wide-eyed at the fairytale procession of gilded, elaborately painted 17th- to 19th-century coaches lined up like something from a storybook. The showpieces are the enormous, over-the-top Baroque carriages built for Portuguese royalty and papal ambassadors, dripping with gold leaf, sculpted cherubs and allegorical figures — genuinely jaw-dropping craftsmanship that needs no explanation to impress young visitors. Housed in a striking modern purpose-built gallery in Belém (with the original 18th-century royal riding school across the way), it's spacious, well-lit and easy to walk around in under an hour, making it an ideal, weather-proof addition to a Belém day alongside the monastery, tower and custard tarts. It's inexpensive, especially for children, and free on the first Sunday of the month. For families, it offers a short, visually spectacular culture stop that even sightseeing-weary kids tend to enjoy, sandwiched neatly between the bigger Belém monuments and a pastel de nata reward.
Hours
Tue–Sun 10:00–18:00 (closed Mon)
Price
€10; free first Sun of month; children reduced
Getting there
Tram 15E to Belém; near the monastery and riverfront
Insider tip: Kids love the fairytale golden carriages — it's compact enough to pair with the Belém monuments.
8.Tram 28 Ride
You don't need a ticket to a specific attraction to entertain children in Lisbon — sometimes the transport is the attraction, and riding the historic tram 28 is a genuine thrill for kids. The vintage 1930s wooden trams rattle, screech and lurch up gradients and around impossibly tight corners through Graça, Alfama, Baixa and Estrela, and the sensation of trundling inches from shopfronts and down steep cobbled lanes delights younger passengers far more than any dry sightseeing walk. From a window seat, the whole postcard city rolls past: the castle, the cathedral, the miradouros and the tiled façades. It's cheap, especially with a rechargeable Navegante card, and covers a lot of ground with tired little legs off the pavement. The catch is the crowds: by mid-morning the trams are packed and worked by pickpockets, and standing with small children in a lurching carriage is no fun. So board early at a terminus like Martim Moniz to grab window seats, keep bags secure and in front of you, and treat a ride of a few stops as a fun, restful interlude between other Lisbon adventures.
Hours
Daily ~06:00–22:30
Price
€3.20 onboard; €1.85 with a card; under-4s free
Getting there
Board at Martim Moniz (Metro green line) or Praça Luís de Camões
Insider tip: Kids love the rattly climb — board early at Martim Moniz for a window seat before it packs out.