The best things to do in Lisbon with kids

Whether they’re little foodies, hopelessly indecisive or a bit fussy, you’ll have no trouble finding something the little ones like at our very own Time Out Market Lisbon. But if you’ve got a budding chef on your hands, itching to tie on an apron and get stuck in, the market’s cookery school is the place to head. Yes, right in the middle of all that foodie buzz, the Time Out Academy runs a lively programme of cookery workshops – and it never forgets the younger crowd. Courses for mini chefs looking to sharpen their skills can include ice creams, cookies, burgers, pizzas and even pastéis de nata.

Even when there aren’t any stars in the sky, there are always stars at the Planetário Calouste Gulbenkian, beneath its 23-metre dome. As well as themed sessions for different age groups, it offers astronomical observations, Ciência Viva no Verão programmes, evenings with an astrophysicist on the last Saturday of each month, along with other Meet the Scientist events, a wide range of educational activities for school groups, and special programmes marking key events and anniversaries.

‘What do you want to be when you grow up?’ If kids never quite know how to answer that one, take them to Kidzania Lisboa, where they can play at being grown-ups all day long. There are more than 60 professions to choose from in this miniature city, which may be small in size but has everything a real one does: an airport, factories, a police station, banks, firefighters and even a football stadium. But is adult life really just that? Work, work, work? Don’t adults have any fun at all? They do, actually: there are hair salons, escape rooms, shops, restaurants, a theatre and even a nightclub.

Anyone who walks into a trampoline park knows exactly what they’re there for: to bounce. These parks are usually set up in large warehouses, often on the outskirts of the city, with high ceilings and plenty of room for rows of trampolines and springy mats (not just for little ones, but for grown-ups too, who are perfectly entitled to be kids again here). There are plenty in the city, but your best bet is Quantam Park, one of the largest of its kind in Europe. 

The Museu das Ilusões (Museum of Illusions) in Chiado is spread over 600 square metres and features more than 20 installations. It’s a museum designed to spark curiosity and explain scientific phenomena, via a succession of mirages, lifeless paintings that appear to move, rooms that defy gravity, cubes that turn into pyramids around the corner, hypnotic discs and many other optical, geometric and perspective-based illusions. At the end of the visit, families will find a brain gym with fun games for kids and parents, and beyond that, the gift shop (of course). 

At the Oceanário de Lisboa, visitors young and old discover a vast aquarium holding millions of litres of saltwater, along with an impressive cast of residents to meet with wide-eyed enthusiasm. From temperate to tropical and icy waters, the different habitats reflect the sheer diversity of the planet. Beyond the must-see permanent exhibition, there are also temporary displays and original activities on offer – including, for the brave, the chance to sleep with the sharks.