A few months ago I was asked by the travel website Parennial Travel to talk about how is for a parent to live in Lisbon. I have two kids and I have also been running the biggest community of international and local parents in Lisbon, which I created 4 years ago when I moved her called Lisbon For Parents.
I started Lisbon for Parents as a Meetup group, because as a staying at home mom, I felt I had no chance to meet other moms or parents at all: at that point, we weren’t yet living in a specific neighborhood but we were exploring the city, living in a place for few months and then moving to another part of town, and that made creating connection a bit more challenging. Once settled in the Estrela neighborhood I figured out that it was easy to make mama friends if we were going every day to the same park: but those would be mostly internationals families since Portuguese parents usually go back to work pretty early after their babies are born and unfortunately work extended hours on weekdays. Here goes the interview
Parennial Travel: What brought you and your family to Lisbon? How long have you lived in the city?
Giulia De Vita: My husband and I are freelancers, and that’s why we could choose to live where we wanted: we are Italian but we lived almost 5 years in Copenhagen, Denmark before coming to Lisbon. We have been living here for 4 years now. We moved a little after our first son was born in Copenhagen, and our daughter was born here in Lisbon 9 months ago.
PT: What part of the city do you live in? What do you like about your neighborhood?
After moving around town for the first few months (Principe Real, Alfama) we decide to settle in Estrela, a residential neighborhood where lots of families live and where the highlight is Jardim da Estrela, one of the biggest and nicest parks in Central Lisbon that was a lifesaving getaway during pandemic’s lockdowns.
PT: Do you think Lisbon is a family-friendly place? Why or why not?
On a scale of 0 to 10, I would say Lisbon scores 6 in family-friendliness while, for example, Denmark scores 10. People love kids, but there is not much support for families after the first few months of maternity leave in terms of services. It’s good for the many getaways there are around town and in the whole country, but with a family, you need to own a car to travel around. There are some activities for families all year round, but not many family-friendly restaurants or cultural centers: many parks and playgrounds are available, and since in average it rains only rains 50 days a year, usable all year around. It is a pretty conservative and traditional culture in terms of having kids — rich families have many siblings while the low and middle class has one or two. Average wages are pretty low especially for Lisbon prices, and there are almost nonpublic creches: the subsidized daycares can be difficult to get a spot I’m, while for private creche, prices go from 300 up to 500-600 a month. More public options are available starting for kids age 3 and above, but again they are scarce and difficult to get it.
PT: How do people treat children in Lisbon?
Portuguese people love seeing children around, sometimes too much: many elderly touch them a lot, even if they are just newborns, and some mothers get a bit overwhelmed by this. On the other hand, the Portuguese attitude toward children’s education is somehow old-school in my opinion… I personally believe that the education style is generally not the most progressive one, except for modern bilingual or international schools.
PT: Are there any challenges to having a family in Lisbon? Things you wish were different?
The Portuguese work-life balance is not existent: working hours are often quite long and many Portuguese families with kids in school rely on extracurricular activities, nannies, or grandparents to pick up the kids after school. Local market jobs are not well paid and the amount of specialized job posts is very little: it’s perfect if you are a wealthy family or if your income comes from outside Portugal, otherwise, it’s not easy to keep up with rental prices in central Lisbon and cost of living.
Public Kindergartens are very few and the private ones run out of space quite fast lately. There is not much to do for stay-at-home moms if they decide to postpone their kid’s entrance into the education system, since most local moms go back to work after the maternity is over, and that’s around 4-6 months.
PT: What are some of your favorite things to do with your kids in Lisbon?
I love to go around our neighborhood, walk in the park, take the cable car Electrico 28 and visit Alfama, walk on the riverside, have picnics while listening to live music in the park during summer, going to Caprarica to jump on the Transpraia train and discover different beaches and their cute establishments like Praia da Princesa amazing restaurant or the boho Bohemian beach club. I like very much participating in events and exhibitions, markets, and fairs that happen quite often in town (I used to run an agenda about those). I also organize family gatherings and playgroups, since I run the biggest community of International families of Lisbon.
PT: Favorite restaurants for kids in Lisbon?
- A Partilhar em Familia is one of the few family-friendly cafes in Lisbon. Chris and Greg are a French couple that moved to Lisbon to open the cafe. It has a kid’s camp in the basement and you can enjoy some you time.
- Amelia is one of my favorite all-day brunch places in Campo de Ourique. They have very good food and every corner is meant to take a picture!
- Monte Mar is an upscale restaurant close to Cais Sodre that offer kids entertainment during the weekend.
- Dede’s is a cute little restaurant in our neighborhood. The owners are an Australian and African pals make great vegetarian food, like Okonomiyaki or a delicious jackfruit Sandwich, plus they are so kind with kids.
PT: Favorite shops for kids in Lisbon?
- If you step down from the Electrico 28 in Campo de Ourique, with a short walk you will find Baobà Livraria, a cute bookshop with a huge selection of books from local editors, plus a good selection of books in different languages. in the same street, you can find many other kids’ shops, Flexa, Baby Cool and there’s a cool playground at the end of it.
- Cristina Siopa is a magic shop for kids. It has the biggest selection of wooden and playful toys in town, plus costumes and material for Waldorf educations projects.
- Loja Dada for Kids is the shop to go if you are looking to buy kids’ clothes from local and cool brands. They have an amazing collection of Portuguese and international lines, including Bobo chose, Play up, Grey label, The Animal Observatory, Mou Mou, most of which are produced in Portugal.
PT: Favorite parks/playgrounds in Lisbon?
- Jardim da Estrela is one of the nicest parks in Lisbon. It has plenty of vegetation, flowers, space to play, streets to cycle, skate, rollerskate, grass for picnics, and two kiosks for coffee and food. There is a big playground and a huge climbing net and it’s buzzing with people afternoons after school and during the weekend; it’s the square of Estrela neighborhood since it doesn’t have an actual square. You can also get delivered coffee and banana bread by Dede’s @Gladstone: bring a blanket and few toys and enjoy it every day of the year.
- Gulbenkian Garden is the wild garden that surrounds the Gulbenkian Foundation: it has so many hidden corners to explore and a big lake in the middle, with very friendly ducks. During summer you can attend amazing concerts while enjoying the garden during the evening. You can get some nice hamburgers from Groundburger, or you can buy some sweets at the coffee house on the premises. Next to the Gulbenkian Garden, you can find the El Corte Ingles department stores, 11 floors where you can go wild doing shopping of both locals and international brands, plus an amazing panoramic terrace full of restaurants run by Michelin star Chefs.
- Next to Marques de Pombal Metro station, you find the Parque Eduardo VII: the park itself doesn’t look any special, except for the amazing view from the terrace on the top. But midway towards the terrace, on the left side, you find a very cute playground, with a boat and a super long zip line. it has a nice cafe next to it and even a pizza restaurant inside the playground fence. Next to it, you can visit Estufa Fria, one of the coolest (literally) places in town, especially in the summer month as it’s a huge greenhouse with lots of tropical plants. There is also a small glasshouse full of cactus and desertic plants. On Sundays afternoon access it’s free.
PT: Any places in the city you would avoid with kids?
I would avoid Bairro Alto and Chiado during the evening, it gets pretty busy and loud. I would rule it out for accommodation, together with Cais Do Sodre and surroundings.
PT: For travelers, what neighborhoods do you recommend for a short visit?
- Alfama — it’s a dreamy and old neighborhood you can’t miss (though I will not choose it as accommodation if you plan to bring a stroller).
- Principe Real is a gem. Explore the Embaixada, check the Principe Real square with one of the oldest cedar trees in the country: it’s even nicer on Saturday when you can find the weekly farmer market where you can buy organic and locally produced berries and other delicacies while once a month you can also check the artisanal market that runs in the same premises.
- Alcantara and the river banks to Belem. You can rent a bike in Cais do Sodre and have a nice ride towards Belem.
PT: Top three things on your list for visiting families?
- The Feira da Ladra market on Saturday and Tuesdays: you can find all kinds of vintage treasures and it’s so vibrant and typical, especially the least touristic part behind the Pantheon National. There is also a small garden with a cute kiosk overlooking an enclosed playground, so it’s perfect for families that want to have their kids running free while enjoying a glass of wine overlooking the Tejo river.
- Book a tour with Furanai Sailboat Tour on their Piccolina (6 pax). It’s a great experience and you get to see the city from a different perspective, plus you might be lucky to spot dolphins passing in the river. If you mention my name you will get a good deal!
- Wake up early, go to Mantegairia in Largo Camões to have breakfast with hot Pasteis de Nata (typical lisboeta custard tart), then take the Electrico 28 from the direction of Martin Moniz, stop at Miradouro de Santa Luzia, look at the view, take the elevator to go down in Alfama and get lost roaming its gorgeous narrow streets.
PT: Anything you’d like to add?
If you are coming to Lisbon to scooping the possibility of moving there, stay in a neighborhood you are considering for living: if you are a parent you can join the Lisbon For Parents Facebook group, we might run playgroups while you are here so you can meet with family already living in the city. You can also check the rest of my blog for some up-to-date suggestions, special events going in town: you can also take a look at my Lisbon with kids agenda.
Planning a trip to Lisbon and would like some help in deciding what to do?
I can help you make the best out of your trip, creating for you a detailed itinerary suitable for your kids’ age and your family needs, so you can save time and money scrolling multiple websites and resources. Just send me an email at meyouandlisbon@gmail.com or DM on my Instagram account if that’s easier for you!
