Porto and
the north of Portugal are perfect destinations for a family getaway.
The kids
will love the beaches, the mountains, places such as Sea Life or Santo Inácio
Zoo, and they won’t even feel tired or complain about the programme you choose
to do as a family.
Porto for families and children from Porto Convention Visitors Bureau on Vimeo.
In Porto,
take them by tram or bicycle – downtown and in the historical centre there are
several places where you can rent bicycles or tandems – to the beaches and to
the City Park. Next to the Edifício Transparente there are surf schools where a
healthy lifestyle is encouraged, while at the same time safety and
self-confidence are instilled in students. Enrol your little ones in a one-off
class. They will certainly spend a special morning or afternoon surfing the
Atlantic waves. If you want, you may also join your children.
As an
alternative, let them chase the wild ducks, the moorhens and the rabbits in the
City Park, the biggest green “lung” in the city and the largest urban park in
the country. Or meet the species populating our oceans and rivers at the Sea
Life.
At the Sea
Life, they will love the first underwater tunnel in the country, where visitors
go across 500 thousand litres of water and see sharks swimming over their
heads, but also the rays – Porto’s Oceanarium has the largest collection of
raias-focinho-de-vaca in the country – and the most peculiar animals, such as
the common eagle ray, the clown triggerfish, the sea cow, the seaweed pipefish
or the leaf fish! In the rocky pools, let them pick up an urchin and touch a
starfish.
If they
like music, take them to visit Casa da Música, which has guided visits for
tourists, seeking to promote and value the heritage of its reference cultural
facilities.
Speaking of
culture, the programme Families in Serralves – free and always on Sundays –
puts children, parents and grandparents playing scientists, discovering the
secrets of plants and doing handicrafts in the different spaces of the
foundation. A lot of these activities take place in the luxuriant Park of
Serralves. Take some time to visit the Museum of Contemporary Art, designed by
architect Álvaro Siza Vieira, and the house itself, a remarkable building in
Art Deco style.
If your
family is into history, go to the Museu Nacional da Imprensa and visit the
exhibition “Living memories of the Press”, the greatest display of typographic
relics in Europe. The interactive visit is an interesting way to gather
generations and a unique opportunity to learn more about the history of the Press.
Find more activities do with your family in the Porto and the north of Portugal at:
