Lisbon itinerary2, 3 or 4–5 days by neighbourhood, with Sintra, Cascais and kids

Checked on 10 October 2026. Opening days, timetables and the evening replacement buses on the Cascais line change; check before each day out. The Cascais line gets a new timetable on 8 November 2026 (work at Oeiras station); see getting around Lisbon and the coast.

The short answer: for 2 days, do the castle, Graça and Alfama, Baixa and Chiado, and Belém; for 3, add Sintra; for 4–5, add Parque das Nações, an afternoon and sunset in Cascais, and one slow day. Plan one area per half day: Lisbon is hilly, and crossing the city twice a day eats the time. Two rules shape the week: the Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower close on Mondays, the Gulbenkian on Tuesdays [11][13].

Before day 1: card, base, closures

• One card each: the reusable navegante occasional card costs €0.50 and is a personal card, so each paying traveller needs their own (the metro’s web address still calls it Viva Viagem) [7]. Load Zapping credit; a 24-hour Carris/Metro ticket (€7.25) pays off from the fourth €1.90 ride of the day, or the fifth with Zapping [6]. It does not cover the CP trains to Sintra and Cascais [1].
• From the airport: the red metro line to Saldanha, about 20 minutes [8].
• Lifts and funiculars: the Santa Justa lift and the Bica and Lavra funiculars have been suspended since September 2025, and Carris still listed them as suspended on 10 October 2026; only the Graça funicular has reopened [24]. Plan the hills on foot or by tram and bus.
• Base: for a short stay, near a metro station in Baixa, Chiado or around Avenida da Liberdade (our suggestion). Areas compared: where to stay on the Lisbon coast.
• Book ahead: Belém tickets often sell out and cannot then be bought on the day [11]; Sintra’s palaces sell timed tickets on their official sites (Sintra guide). Transport in full: getting around Lisbon and the coast.

Lisbon in 2 days

Day 1: Baixa and Chiado, then the castle, Graça and Alfama

• Morning: walk the flat Baixa grid from Rossio to the river, then up the streets to Chiado (on foot: the Santa Justa lift is out of service [24]).
• Afternoon: São Jorge castle, free for children up to 12 [9]. If the walls and towers are your priority, go before 18:00: in summer they may close from 18:00 depending on daylight, and at 17:30 from November to February [10]. On a Tuesday or Saturday, add the Feira da Ladra flea market at Campo de Santa Clara (9:00–18:00) [15].
• Sunset: the Senhora do Monte viewpoint in Graça, free, then walk down through Alfama for dinner, so the day ends downhill.

Day 2: Belém, Alcântara, Cais do Sodré (not a Monday)

• Getting there: tram 15E from Praça da Figueira along the river to Belém [5], or a Cascais line train from Cais do Sodré, about 8 minutes to Belém on the trains that stop there [2].
• Morning: the Jerónimos Monastery cloister (from 9:30) and the Belém Tower, both free up to 12 [11]. The monastery church opens only in the afternoon on Sundays (14:00–17:00) [11]. Book online; the 50% family ticket is sold only at the ticket office on site [11], so with children weigh that discount against the risk of a sell-out.
• Afternoon: back towards town to LX Factory in Alcântara (Alcântara-Mar station, two stops before Cais do Sodré [2]); at weekends the LxMarket runs 10:00–19:00 [16].
• Evening: dinner at the Time Out Market at Cais do Sodré, open until midnight Sunday to Wednesday and later at weekends [17].

What each sight costs and how long to give it: things to do in Lisbon.

Lisbon in 3 days

Days 1–2 as above, then:

Day 3: Sintra. The train from Rossio takes about 40 minutes, and a return is €5.10 [3][1]. Pick two sights: for example Quinta da Regaleira in the morning, then the Pena park or the Moorish Castle by bus 434 from the station; cars are not allowed up to Pena anyway [18]. Ticket prices, walking times and a full day plan: Sintra day trip from Lisbon.

Put Sintra on the driest, clearest day of your stay and keep the city days flexible around it (our suggestion; check the forecast for Sintra itself, not just Lisbon).

Lisbon in 4–5 days

Days 1–3 as above, then:

Day 4: Parque das Nações, then Cascais at sunset

• Morning: red metro line to Oriente for the Oceanário (daily 10:00–20:00, priced by time slot) [12] and the riverside walk.
• Afternoon and evening: metro back across town to Cais do Sodré (a change of line; check the metro planner), then the train to Cascais, 40 minutes, €5.10 return [2][1]. Walk the town beaches and out to Boca do Inferno, stay for the sunset and dinner. With small children, split this into two days.
• Getting back: during works in 2026, buses replace the evening trains between Cascais and Caxias: Monday to Friday from 21:50, Saturdays from 20:50, Sundays from 19:50, and on Sunday mornings from 05:30 to 08:50 [4]. Catch a train before then, or allow extra time for the bus.

Day 5: slow Lisbon, or one more trip

• Slow day: the Gulbenkian museum and garden (free on Sundays from 14:00 and for under-18s; closed Tuesdays) [13][14], then lunch and a stroll in Campo de Ourique and the Jardim da Estrela.
• Beach day (in season): a beach on the Cascais line; which one: best beaches near Lisbon.
• Longer trip: Évora by Intercidades or Óbidos by express bus: day trips from Lisbon.

With kids

Keep the order and cut each day to one main sight plus a park or a beach (our suggestion). What changes:

• Free entry: children up to 12 enter the castle, the Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower free [9][11]; under-18s the Gulbenkian Museum [14].
• Swap in: the Oceanário’s late-afternoon slots are the cheapest [12]; the zoo (10:00–18:00 in winter, to 20:00 in summer) [19]. Prices, ages and metro stops: Lisbon with kids.
• Sintra: two sights at most and plenty of uphill walking; our day-trips guide rates it best with children over six.
• Cascais is the easy day: flat, with town beaches near the station. The evening replacement buses take no wheelchairs, bikes or scooters [4]; with a pram we would come back by train before they start.
• A 3-day plan with small children: Day 1 castle morning and Alfama; Day 2 Oceanário and Parque das Nações; Day 3 Cascais and the beach. Belém and Sintra fit better from about school age (our suggestion).

When it rains

Swap the outdoor halves for one indoor cluster, so you do not cross the city wet:

1. Parque das Nações: the Oceanário, daily [12], and the Pavilhão do Conhecimento next to it, Tuesday to Sunday [25].
2. Gulbenkian: museum and café; closed Tuesdays [13].
3. Belém: the Jerónimos Monastery (not on Mondays) [11].
4. A long lunch at the Time Out Market [17].

Keep the castle and the viewpoints for a dry day: they are mostly outdoors. The National Tile Museum was still closed for renovation on 10 October 2026 [20]. More indoor options: things to do in Lisbon on a rainy day; how often it rains each month: Lisbon weather by month.

Lisbon to Porto

Many trips combine the two cities. CP’s Alfa Pendular and Intercidades run to Porto Campanhã; the Alfa Pendular takes about 2 h 45 from Lisboa Oriente (10:05 to Campanhã 12:48 in the timetable from 6 September 2026) and the Intercidades just over 3 hours [26]; Interrail’s planner rounds it down to about 2 h 35 [23]. 2026 list fares: €35.70 on the Alfa Pendular (Turística) and €28.05 on the Intercidades (2nd class), with children aged 4 to 12 at about half [21][22]. Seats are reserved on both, and Promo fares bought ahead can be much cheaper: trains in Portugal. Then carry on with our Porto itinerary. A family route over 7–10 days with both cities: Portugal itinerary with kids; one base for a month instead: Lisbon or Porto.

Related

• Things to do in Lisbon: every sight on this page in detail
• Day trips from Lisbon and Sintra day trip
• Lisbon with kids
• Getting around Lisbon and the coast

Sources

Numbered references match the source list on this page. Read on 9–10 October 2026.

1. CP: Lisbon urban train fares 2026 (Sintra and Cascais returns €5.10; Zapping €2.05; half fares 4–12)
2. CP: Linha de Cascais timetable (Belém 8 min, Alcântara-Mar 5 min, Cascais 40 min from Cais do Sodré)
3. CP: Lisboa–Sintra full timetable (Rossio to Sintra 40 min)
4. CP: Cascais line replacement buses in the evening
5. CARRIS: tram 15E Praça da Figueira – Algés
6. CARRIS: fares from 1 January 2026
7. Metropolitano de Lisboa: navegante occasional card
8. Lisbon Airport: public transport
9. Castelo de São Jorge: tickets
10. Castelo de São Jorge: opening hours
11. Jerónimos Monastery and Belém Tower: visiting
12. Oceanário de Lisboa: plan your visit
13. Gulbenkian: opening hours
14. Gulbenkian: tickets
15. Lisbon city directory: Feira da Ladra
16. LxMarket at LX Factory
17. Time Out Market Lisboa
18. Parques de Sintra: Pena
19. Jardim Zoológico: opening times
20. Museu Nacional do Azulejo: closed for works
21. CP: Alfa Pendular fares Lisbon–Porto 2026
22. CP: Intercidades fares Lisbon–Porto 2026
23. Interrail: trains in Portugal
24. CARRIS: historic lifts and funiculars, status page
25. Pavilhão do Conhecimento: general information
26. CP: Alfa Pendular and Intercidades timetable, Lisbon to Porto (from 6 Sep 2026)