Coimbra
Bats' library & miniature Portugal
Evora
Castles, stone eggs & a church of bones
Sintra
The storybook castle & the well to the underworld
Tomar
Knights on horseback & a river to swim
Mafra
The giant palace, the deer park & 92 bells
Obidos + Nazare
Castle walls, a dead queen & the sea
Setubal + Troia
Wild dolphins, a ferry & a Roman cannery
Badoca Safari
Giraffes, zebras & holding a snake
Lisbon
The ocean, the cable car & the science lab
Lisbon Zoo
Dolphins, petting farm & the zoo train
Batalha + Alcobaca
Gothic giants, a pig lunch & a dead queen
The Tesla has a Via Verde device: every gantry toll on A1/A2/A6/A8 and the bridges (25 de Abril, Vasco da Gama) is billed automatically — nothing to sign up, nothing to prepay, no Toll Card needed. Just drive. Free roads: A23 (Tomar), A37/IC19 (Sintra). Approx tolls each way: Coimbra ~13.5 · Evora ~12 · Setubal ~7 · Badoca ~13 · Obidos ~6 · Mafra ~3 · Tomar ~10.
Consumption: ~205 Wh/km (120 km/h, AC, full car) = ~365 km planning range. Stops: Sat 15 Coimbra 25 min (Repsol EN1 km 177.3, 200 kW — on the way OUT, right before the A1 Coimbra Sul ramp) · Fri 14 Evora 15 min (Praca 1o Maio). Everything else fits one battery. Set the limit to 100% the night before a charging day; precondition from the app. Filter Tesla stations out of the fleet app.
This weekend: Oceanario Sat 8 10:00 — DONE (bought). Mafra Sun 9: Tapada (tapadademafra.pt) + palace. Badoca Mon 10: optional online (badoca.com/bilhetes). Next: Joanina SAT 15 16:20 (visit.uc.pt program 116 — fallback 17:00; the 16:20 anchor buys ~80 min of slack for the usual delays) · Pena FRI 28 10:30 (bilheteira.parquesdesintra.pt) · Regaleira FRI 28 (regaleira.byblueticket.pt or 60 EUR family at box office) · Vertigem Azul Fri 21 14:30 (+351 265 238 000) · Zoo Mon 24 (bilhetes.zoo.pt, -5%) · Sintra434 day tickets (Fri 28). No booking: ferry, PdP, Batalha, Alcobaca, Evora, Nazare. (Tolls: automatic via the car's Via Verde.)
Every day has a seated or short option for her, flagged with the ♿ chip on the stops and a blue banner per day. The easiest days: Setubal/Troia (ferry + dolphin boat = seated), Mafra (electric-car tour + benches), Badoca (safari trailer + amphitheater). The ones needing split plans: Sintra (transfer shuttle at Pena, cafe at Regaleira) and Obidos (main street only, walls with dad).
Lisbon 30-35°C · Coimbra 29-32 · Evora 34-38 (hot — midday = churches) · Setubal 31-36 · Sines coast 25-29 (Badoca day). No rain. Outdoor blocks are all before 12:00 or after 16:00 by design.
Coimbra 150 · Evora 110 · Sintra 215 · Tomar 110 · Mafra 150 · Obidos 120 · Setubal+Troia 250 · Badoca 150 · Lisbon 185 · Zoo 145 · Monasteries 140 ≈ 1,725 EUR + tolls ~175 + charging ~35.
Depart Lisbon
A1 north to Coimbra — one-day round trip, no hotel night. BUFFER PLAN: leaving by 09:45 keeps the whole day intact. Snack box in the back, hats and water for the park.
Portugal dos Pequenitos
The miniature kingdom in the COOL morning window: all of Portugal at kid height — castles, train stations, the African and Brazilian pavilions. Flat and paved with benches everywhere — the easiest stop of the trip. If you arrived late, 60 min still covers the main circuit.
Lunch at Coisas DA LENA
Drive across the bridge, park at the Praça do Comércio underground garage (flat, central), 250 m walk. Coisas da Lena: 4.8★, traditional home cooking, CONTINUOUS service until 19:00 — no 14:30 kitchen cutoff, so lunch can absorb delays. HARD LINE: be seated by 14:30, out the door by 15:30. Phone-confirm Saturday: +351 912 002 238.
Chapel + Royal Palace (UC)
Drive up the hill — the car does the climbing. Park in the covered Parque Universidade next to Praça D. Dinis, direct access to the Paço das Escolas. DWELL TIMES: chapel ~15 min, palace ~30 min (quick pass with kids), then courtyard/gelato rest before the library slot. IF LUNCH RAN PAST 15:30: skip this block, go straight to the Joanina gate.
Biblioteca Joanina
TO BOOK the 16:20 slot — the gilded baroque library with the two resident bat colonies. The day is built AROUND this: it's the only strict, non-refundable moment. Be at the gate 16:15. The slot is your entry wave — inside ~25 min, out by ~16:45. The 16.50 ticket is the ONLY one that includes the Joanina.
Science Museum (UC)
5-min flat walk from the Joanina along Rua Larga — all rooms are in one building cluster at Largo Marquês de Pombal. DWELL TIMES: cabinet of curiosities 15 min (do it FIRST — the kids' favourite), Laboratório Chimico 10, mineral gallery 10, academic museum 10. Open till 19:00, last admission 18:45 — no rush. If the day ran late: cabinet only, 20 min. This is the CUT-ABLE block.
Drive home + CHARGE
Down to the EN1, 25 min at the Repsol 200 kW (km 177.3, right before the A1 Coimbra Sul ramp) while the kids snack — then the highway south. Home ~20:30; dinner is a late snack or a toast in the car.
Depart Lisbon
37°C forecast — this is the early-bird day. Hats and water bottles in the door pockets.
Castelo de Montemor-o-Novo
Free medieval castle on a hill — walls and towers to climb, views over the endless Alentejo plains. 35 min stretch.
Almendres Cromlech
The 'Portuguese Stonehenge' — ~100 granite eggs standing in a circle, 7,000 years old. FREE. Last stretch is a dirt lane — drive slow. Cork-oak shade.
Lunch + CHARGE
Long lunch at a Praça do Giraldo tasca — migas, acorda, black pork. 15 min top-up at the Praça 1º Maio station, right in the old town.
Se Cathedral + Roman Temple
Cool stone inside, then the rooftop terrace walk over the whole city. The Roman temple is the postcard.
Capela dos Ossos
The church of 5,000 human bones — 7 EUR adult, 5 EUR youth (both kids pay youth rate). Sofia will be fascinated; warn Bruno first, the garden is the plan B.
Jardim Publico
Playground, ROAMING PEACOCKS and the Dom Manuel palace gardens — the kids' reward, in the shade.
Drive home
A2/A6 back, arrive ~19:10.
Depart Lisbon
To Lourel park-and-ride (A37, free road). NEW RULE 2026: tourist cars stop here — the Sintra434 bus does the hill.
Sintra434 bus
Every ~10 min up to the Pena gate. Day ticket 13.50 EUR online (sintra434.com) / 18.35 on board.
Palacio da Pena
The pink-and-yellow storybook castle on the hilltop. Visita Essencial: palace + full park + Chalet. Download the free 'Pena Quest' game — the kids solve missions as you walk.
Lunch in the historic center
Tascas around the old quarter. Sintra's famous travesseiros for dessert.
Quinta da Regaleira
The Initiation Well — a spiral stone staircase descending into the earth like a dungeon from a fantasy movie — plus grottoes and tunnels. THE kids' favorite place in Portugal.
Praia das Macas
20 min drive to the coast — beach, waves, ice cream. (Or Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point of mainland Europe.)
Drive home
Arrive ~18:45.
Depart Lisbon
A1 then the toll-free A23.
Convento de Cristo
The Templar fortress-monastery. THE moment: the Charola — the 16-sided round church where the knights attended Mass ON HORSEBACK. Plus the Manueline Window and the castle walls.
Lunch by the Nabao
Riverside restaurants in Tomar's old town.
Praia Fluvial do Agroal
Blue Flag river beach, 15 km from Tomar: crystal water, boardwalk into the nature park, rocks to climb. The best swim of the trip.
Drive home
Arrive ~18:25.
Depart Lisbon
A8 north, DIRECT to the Tapada (Portao do Codecal, ~45 min). Arrive ~10:15 — 15 min cushion before the 10:30 raptor show, no stops on the way.
Birds-of-prey flight show — at the Tapada
The Tapada's daily raptor flight demo: eagles and falcons flying over the audience, 30 minutes of gasps, at the park's amphitheater. The MORNING showing — chosen so the 17:00 carillon is a relaxed finale.
Electric-car tour — Tapada Nacional de Mafra
The kings' 800-hectare walled hunting forest, 75 min seated among deer and boar with a guide. TO BOOK the 11:15 day-pass session (09 Aug) — the session that makes the whole day fit.
Beekeeping workshop — at the Tapada
'The bees and the forest': 45 min with the hives at the amphitheater — included in the pass.
Lunch at Dom Bilas Cervejaria
Park at the aldeia (free), 2-min walk to Dom Bilas on the EN116: 4.6 stars, traditional Portuguese food at fair prices, continuous service (9:00-24:00 — no 14:30 kitchen cutoff), wheelchair-accessible entrance. Worth a 1-min call to confirm Sunday: +351 261 814 008. After lunch, the village + animals are right where the car is.
Aldeia Jose Franco
The miniature Saloia village hand-built by master potter Jose Franco: tiny houses with MOVING figurines, a windmill, a bullring — plus a petting farm and the pão com chouriço bakery. FREE (donations welcome). ~45 min.
Palacio Nacional de Mafra
The megalomaniac baroque palace: 1,200 rooms, the hunting room, and the LIBRARY — 36,000 books guarded by resident bats. (Basilica closed for works — palace unaffected.) Indoor, so the afternoon slot costs you nothing. No timed entry — pay at the door or book online to skip the queue. ~60 min keeps you ahead of the carillon.
Gelato + rest at the palace square
Settle on the terreiro benches with gelato — the carillon happens right here at 17:00. Zero driving.
FREE carillon concert
Every Sunday at 17:00 the carillonneur plays the 92 bells — audible from the terreiro. The crown jewel of the whole trip. (The carillons also play automatically every day at 12:00, and the clock chimes every half hour.)
Drive home
Arrive ~18:45.
Depart Lisbon
A8 north.
Obidos
FREE medieval walled town: walk the castle walls at kid height, the Porta da Vila with its blue tiles, and ginjinha in chocolate cups for the adults. No monastery today — take the walls slowly.
Lunch in Obidos or en route
Tascas inside the walls, or push on and eat at the beach.
Nazare
Funicular up to the Sitio cliff (adult 2.50/4.00 rt · child 2.00/3.00 rt) and the Fort of Sao Miguel viewpoint (3 EUR — BOTH KIDS FREE, under-10s): the 100-m cliff where winter waves break.
Beach time
Praia da Nazare — Blue Flag, umbrellas, promenade, ice cream. The monastery-free day means an EXTRA beach hour. Swim till 18:15.
Drive home
Arrive ~19:45.
Depart Lisbon
To the Doca do Comercio ferry terminal.
Ferry to Troia
Atlantic Ferries: car+driver 21 EUR one-way / 37.80 return, extra passengers 5.50 each (both kids pay — only 0-5 free). 25 min, every 30 min in summer. NO reservations — arrive 15-20 min early. Dolphins often visible from the crossing.
Roman ruins of Troia
The 2,000-year-old fish-salting factory: tanks, mosaics and the story of Rome's garum empire. Kids under 12 FREE.
Lunch at Troia
Frangasqueira — grilled chicken, daily 12:00-15:30. Beach views.
Ferry back
14:15 at the marina, 5-min walk to the dolphin boats.
DOLPHINS — Vertigem Azul
~30 resident bottlenose dolphins in the Sado estuary — 80-90% success rate, ~3 h on the water. Life jackets for everyone.
Praia da Figueirinha
The calm Arrabida beach — Blue Flag, lifeguards, pool-like water. Parking frees up in the evening. Swim till 18:45.
Depart Lisbon
A2 south to Grandola, then the IC33. The coast keeps it 25-29°C — the pleasant day.
Badoca Safari Park
Open daily 9:30-18:00. FIRST: the box office — swap tickets, book the safari slot, get the day's show times.
The Safari
45-min tractor-trailer through the savanna: giraffes, zebras, wildebeest, ostriches, buffalo — live commentary. Sit at the trailer's edge for the best view.
Shows — at the park's amphitheater
Raptor show, lemur feeding, and the REPTILE SHOW — the kids HOLD the snakes and iguanas. Times are set at the box office each morning.
Lunch
On-site restaurant (12:00-15:00) or picnic — allowed. Optional memory-makers: lemur hand-feeding +15.90 pp, African Rafting 4.90 pp.
Petting farm + playground
Quintinha animals and the net-climbing adventure playground.
Praia de Santo Andre
13 min away: ocean beach with lifeguards — the late-afternoon swim. Flamingos on the Lagoa on the way out.
Drive home
Arrive ~19:00.
Parque das Nacoes
Park at the Vasco da Gama mall car park. Today with the GRANDPARENTS — 6 people. Order flipped: science museum first, Oceanario at 16:00 (your bought slot).
Pavilhao do Conhecimento
The hands-on science museum — the kids' request: Explora exhibition, the Fishanario, experiments everywhere. Open every day, weekends 10:00-19:00. ~2.5 h.
Lunch
Riverside esplanades of Parque das Nacoes — book a table for 6.
Telecabine
8 minutes over the Tagus — the whole park from above. Oceanario combo from 33.9 EUR/adult.
Oceanario
TICKETS BOUGHT for 16:00 (normal 25 · child 15 · senior 17 — cheaper than the official 29/17 slot price, nice catch). Open till 20:00, last entry 19:00 — you have a relaxed 2+ hours. Giant central tank, sunfish, sharks, penguins, sea otters. No public shows here — the only timed thing (paid otter/penguin feeding, Mon/Wed/Fri only) doesn't run Saturdays; just watch the sunfish from the big window.
Home
(Pastéis de Belem: been there, done that.)
Depart
10 min to the Zoo. Buy online (-5%). The ticket covers ALL shows and attractions EXCEPT the zoo train (paid extra).
Jardim Zoologico — open 10:00-20:00
~2,000 animals, 300 species. Morning route: big cats first (before the heat), then Vale dos Tigres (Sumatran tigers), Templo dos Primatas, Tapada do Lince-iberico (the lynx).
Dolphin show — Baia dos Golfinhos
20 minutes of jumps and splashes at the dolphin bay (dolphins + sea lions together). IMPORTANT: the show only runs with 30+ spectators — be seated a few minutes early. Summer schedule: 11:00 / 14:30 / 16:30.
Pelican feeding
10 minutes up close: the great pouch, the fishing technique, the medieval legends. Daily at 11:45.
Reptilario + Savana MEO
The reptile house (the kids' snake moment), then the African savanna: lions, giraffes, elephants.
Lunch
Inside the zoo or the Parque Eduardo VII side.
Dolphin show #2
Second showing — then the petting farms: Bosque Encantado + Quintinha do Lidl (goats, ponies, guinea pigs).
Teleferico + zoo train
The chairlift over the whole zoo (included in the ticket), then the zoo train around the park — the train is the ONE paid extra (~3-4 EUR per person).
Dolphin show #3 (optional)
Or a last loop through the kids' favorites before the exit.
Home
15 min back. The lightest day of the trip — by design.
Depart Lisbon
A1 north to the Batalha exit.
Mosteiro da Batalha
The purest Gothic building in Portugal, built to thank God for the 1385 victory over Castile: the royal pantheon, the Claustro Real, and the Capelas Imperfeitas — the 'unfinished chapels' whose roof was never built, open to the sky.
Lunch: leitao de Aljubarrota
The rival school to the Bairrada style — the battlefield town's own roast pig, 10 min on the way to Alcobaca.
Mosteiro de Alcobaca
The Cistercian giant: the tombs of Pedro and Ines — the dead king kissing his dead queen — and the medieval kitchen with the stream running through it. Cool stone on a hot afternoon.
Optional: Sao Martinho do Porto
25 min detour: the calmest bay on the coast — an hour of swimming before the drive home. Or gelato in Alcobaca and an early return.
Drive home
Arrive ~19:15.