It was our son´s first time to travel to Lisbon and he was just so excited!!! We arranged our logistics:
1. Hotel Accommodation - we stayed in the city center in the marques de Pombal area, very accessible and well communicated. We stayed in a 4 star hotel, indicated that we need an extra bed for our little one and we availed of the breakfast promo of the hotel. This was a good choice, because we always wanted to stuff ourselves with good breakfast. hehehehe.
2. Travel arrangements - Portugal is a neighbor of Spain. It is reachable by plane by a mere 55 minute trip or via train, night train which is 9 hours. As our son is a lover of trains, of course, we took the Night Train - Train Lusitania. We availed of the suite, where we have 2 beds and our own toilet. Upon entering our suite in the Train Lusitania, it gave us feeling of being cramped as obviously it was not spacious plus we have our luggages. But after organizing our things, the space was good for a family of three. We changed into our pyjamas. Our toilet was also provided with basic toiletries. The night train also has a bar/restaurant where you can take a quick bite. It definitely was not an Orient Express but the joy of having slept in the train was awesome and unique!!! Our son enjoyed the experience. And it was indeed a realxing 9 hour travel time. We were able to sleep well. Though it was noticeable that the railways upon reaching Portugal are more bumpy. Hehehehe. It was breathtaking to see the sunrise!
The big day came and we enjoyed the sights, sounds, food and vibe in Lisbon!!! It was December so Christmas spirit was felt all over the city!! We were blessed with good weather during our stay, except on one day that it rained but not bad because we spent that day in the Oceanarium!
As we have a 7 year old son, obviously we made kid friendly plans and itinerary. We made sure to visit the Oceanarium which was a blockbuster!!! It was huge and a has a wide collection of animals!!! We also visited the Science Museum/Pavilio de Conocimiento where my son just absolutely lost it!! He loved it there.. We built legos, we tested earthquake intensities, we played with the pendulum and a whole lot more and it was an absolutely awesome experience!!!!
We also saw and eventually rode the iconic Lisbon Tram!!!
We also made a trip to Belem where we saw the Torre de Belem and the Ministerio de San Jeronimo.
We also made a trip to the Fatima Shrine. It looked different without many pilgrims. And it has tremendously improved from our first visit (2006).
We had lovely evening walks in the Plaza de Independencia!!!
The Lisbon metro is reliable though there are lesser trips than the Madrid metro. But metro fare is reasonable.
Food was awesome!! We ate the Pastel de Belem jajajaja, a lot of bacalao/seacod and frango (pollo). But beware, most of the Lisbon restos will serve you with ý lot of appetizers but they come with a cost.. So better to say no politely and state your orders than bite the appetizers. Jejejejeje
My little one got sick on our last day but we were prepared as we always travel with our first aid kit. Good thing my son´s fever was gone right away.
We went back home to Madrid with our hearts full, overflowing with gratitude and love for the beautiful, relaxing family getaway. Thank you Lisbon! Until the next time!!!
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