Traveling with a Baby to Lisbon and Sintra, Portugal - Day 3

On our third day in Portugal, we planned to head to the resort in Sintra where the wedding venue is. We took a short stroll to see the Castelo de Sao George (Saint George Castle) before we left for Sintra.

Rua Augusta - Lisbon’s main pedestrian street with the Arco da Rua Augusta arch in the distance

Wall fountain

Always stop to stare at birds

Castelo de Sao Jorge (Saint George Castle)

The castle is the highest point in Lisbon and has breathtaking vistas over Lisbon. We got there right when they opened to avoid the long lines.

Observation Terrace

Ruins of the former Royal Palace of the Alcaçova

Ruins of the former Royal Palace of the Alcaçova

View from the Praca d’Armas (Main Square)

Castelejo (Inner Castle) with walls dating back to the 11th century

View from a castle window

Casa Portuguesa do Pastel de Bacalhau

Right outside of the castle was a shop famous for bolinhos de bacalhau. Their specialty was a codfish pastry with serra da estrela cheese. It was a bit of a tourist trap and pricey for what you get. Luckily there wasn’t a long line when we went, but I’ve heard the lines can get really long.

Comur - Conserveira de Portugal

Comur was founded in 1942 during WWII making various types of canned fish. You can find shops all over Lisbon with stacks of colorful tinned packaging.

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Penha Longa Resort - Sintra, Portugal

Church

We made it to the Penha Longa Resort in Sintra in the middle of the day. We just browsed around the property to see all the amenities they had on site.

Gardens

View over the church and gardens

Swimming pool

Grabbing a quick lunch at the AQUA restaurant by the pool

Burger

Sea bass kid’s meal

Maddox was break dancing on the bed

Our private balcony

The view from our balcony

Maddox keeping himself busy

Il Mercato - Penha Longa Resort

The rehearsal dinner for the wedding was at the Italian restaurant, Il Mercato, in the resort. The food was fantastic and the view of the garden was amazing. This is normally where breakfast is served and in the evenings it is an Italian themed restaurant.

Bride and groom welcoming everyone

Traveling with a Baby to Lisbon, Portugal - Day 2

Pau de Canela Pastelarias

On our second day in Lisbon, we had a full day to explore Lisbon and some activities planned for the guests of the wedding. We started the day by getting breakfast at a nearby pastry shop.

We took the metro out to see the Padrao dos Descobrimentos and Torre de Belem. Maddox loved riding the subway and going up and down the escalators.

Padrao dos Descobrimentos

The Padrao dos Descobrimentos (Monument of the Discoveries) is a monument on the right on Tagus River. There is a main statue of Henry the Navigator and 33 other figures on both sides from the history of the Portuguese Age of Discovery.

Belem Tower

Torre de Belem (Belem Tower) served as a point for embarkation and disembarkation for Portuguese explorers in the 16th century. It was a ceremonial gateway to Lisbon. It was classified as a World Heritage Site in 1983 by UNESCO. The line was way too long for us to go inside, so we just walked around the outside.

Monumento aos Combatentes do Ultramar

The Monumento aos Combatentes do Ultramar (Monument to Overseas Combatants) is just a short walk away from the Belem Tower. It is a war memorial dedicated to the soldiers of the Portuguese army who lost their lives during the Overseas War of 1961 to 1974.

Jardim da Torre de Belem

We found a bench in the Belem Tower Garden to relax and let Maddox stretch his legs.

Time Out Market

On our way back, we stopped at Time Out Market to grab a quick bite to eat. This time for a quick burger before we met with the bride and groom for a tour of the city.

Tram 28 Tour

The bride and groom set up a private tram tour on the famous Tram 28 line. This tour lasted for about 2 hours and passed through the most popular tourist districts of Lisbon.

LX Factory

LX Factory is the site of an old fabric production plant that has now been turned into a space with more than 50 restaurants, coffee shops, and bars. It is like an outdoor mall with art installations throughout the grounds.

Stopped for a quick drink before dinner.

1300 Taberna

It was a long day for Maddox

Traveling with a Baby to Lisbon, Portugal - Day 1

We left Paris and headed to Lisbon, Portugal. This is the last country we’re visiting on our multi-city international trip.

Maddox loves looking out of the window on flights

We checked into our hotel and hung out for a bit just to get some rest and to let Maddox get used to our new room.

We decided to just walk around our area to see what was in our neighborhood. Right around the corner from our hotel was the Elevador de Santa Justa. It served as a great landmark to easily make it back to our hotel.

Elevador de Santa Justa

Praca do Comercio

This is one of Europe’s largest squares with the large stone Rua Augusta Arch that commemorates the city’s reconstruction after the 1755 earthquake. The centerpiece of the square is a large statue of King Jose I.

Lots of space to sit out and sunbathe

Mercado da Ribeira - Time Out Market

The Time Out Market is a short walk away from the Praca do Comercio and has lots of options for food. We ended up coming here multiple times during our trip.

Pasteis de nata

Pasteis de nata

Shrimp and scallop tagliatelle

Crispy skin suckling pig sandwich

Pasteis de bacalhau -Salted cod fritters

Pasteis de bacalhau -Salted cod fritters

Jardim Dom Luis

After eating at Time Out Market, there’s a little park right next to the Mercado da Ribeira. They had a children’s playground where Maddox loved the swings.

Rua do Carmo

Walking street with lots of shopping

Praca Dom Pedro IV

Praca Dom Pedro IV is a large central square located in the Baixa district and is usually just referred to as Rossio.

Mercado da Baixa

Cervejaria Ramiro

I heard from multiple people that Ramiro is some of the best seafood in Lisbon and it did not disappoint. If you go at peak times, be ready to wait, but they do have a beer station where you can grab an quick beer while you’re waiting. The seafood was fresh and it was one of the best seafood dinners that I’ve ever had. Don’t forget the prego at the end of the meal!

Shrimp

Clams

Razor Clams

Langoustines

Langoustines

Langoustines

Gooseneck barnacles

Giant prawns

Prego steak sandwich

Barrio Alto

We capped the night at the Nova Tertulia Bar in Barrio Alto. It’s a very relaxed bar with great drinks and small snacks.

Traveling with a Baby to Paris, France - Day 2

On our second day in Paris, we took it easy on the walking and just decided to hit 2 main sights. But first, we found a nearby cafe to grab breakfast.

Maddox loves quiches

Palais Garnier

We did a self guided tour around the Palais Garnier. It has a beautiful interior with breathtaking architecture.

The grand staircase

The grand staircase

The ceiling of the Grand Foyer

The Grand Foyer

It was Maddox’s nap time

Paris Opera Library Museum

Paris Opera Library Museum

Strolling Through the 9th Arrondissement

We left the Palais Garnier and took a leisurely stroll through the 9th arrondissement. We stopped by a market and grabbed some fruit to eat. We also stumbled upon a bakery for some sweet treats.

Square Louise Michel

The Square Louise Michel is a series of terraces that have great city views and fountains as you take the steps leading up to the Sacre Coeur.

Great view looking up at the Sacre Coeur from here

View of the Square Louise Michel from the top of the hill

Sacre Coeur

The Sacre Coeur is one of the most visited landmarks in Paris. It sits on the top of Montmartre in the 18th arrondissement and is the highest point in the city.

Tutti Sensi

We found this really cute alleyway right next to Sacre Coeur. We stopped to get a quick gelato snack at Tutti Sensi

Maddox’s first time having gelato and he LOVED it

Le Sancerre

We came across this beautiful brasserie in Montmartre. It was decorated with green vines running along the exterior and the interior was decorated in an art deco style.

Truffle and jambon risotto

Scallop carpaccio with truffles

Moulin Rouge

Eric Kayser

On our way back to our hotel, we grabbed some quick snacks at Eric Kayser’s boulangerie.

Traveling with a Baby to Paris, France - Day 1

Paris is the second stop to our multi-city international trip with Maddox. After coming to Paris by train from London, we only had a couple days here so we tried to cram as much as we could into our itinerary.

Angelina

Our first stop is Angelina where we grabbed a few pastries to eat in the park. They’re known for their hot chocolate, but their pastry selection is really what caught our eye.

Jardin Des Tuileries

We took a leisurely stroll through this huge landscaped garden that’s right in the middle of Paris. The gardens were beautiful and there were tons of wide open spaces where you can just sit and enjoy the day.

Carrousel Arc de Triomphe

The Louvre

The Louvre happened to be closed on this day, but we were fine just walking around the outside of the pyramid. Hearing stories of how crowded the museum gets, I’m not a fan of cramming myself in with those kinds of crowds, especially with a baby in tow.

Notre Dame Cathedral

From the Louvre, we walked along the Seine until we got to the Notre Dame Cathedral. Most of it was blocked off due to the April 2019 fire.

La Cure Gourmande Paris

Make sure to stay hydrated

Berthillon

We heard from multiple people that Berthillon has the best ice cream in Paris so we had to stop by here to take a break from all the walking.

Luxembourg Palace

The Luxembourg Palace and gardens is a wonderful place to relax. The palace itself is a large architecturally beautiful building set in the center of Paris full of history. The Luxembourg Gardens are even more beautiful and has a little bit of everything for everyone.

My favorite part of the Luxembourg Gardens were the rows of perfectly groomed trees, similar to the ones at the Jardin des Tuileries.

Eiffel Tower

We took the Paris Metro out towards the Eiffel Tower to end our day with a picnic. We walked along the Seine leading up to the Eiffel Tower and decided to find a spot in the Champ de Mars.

We went to a nearby convenient store to grab some food and drinks.

We waited until the sun went down to see the Eiffel Tower lit up.

We tried our best to stay out until the sparkle light show started, but it was getting too late and already way past Maddox’s bedtime. Luckily we got a peek of it when we were walking back to our hotel.