Trip report: Portugal with a toddler April 26-May 7

Went to Portugal April 26-May 7 with my wife and three-year-old. Overall, loved the trip. We spent the first 4 nights in Lisbon, then went to Lagos for 5 nights, then Lisbon for the final two.

Weather: 10/10. Absolutely beautiful. It was mid-low 20s our entire trip. Might've drizzled once?

Wine: 10/10. Definitely lived up to the hype. Affordable and very good. Vinhas de Xisto Reserva was a go-to for me.

Navigating Cobblestone/hills/stairs: 8/10. To be honest, this felt a bit overhyped. Yes, there are inclines but we managed them fine even with a stroller (Ergobaby Metro 3). It honestly wasn't bad at all. Our three-year-old walked maybe 80% of the time and pushing a stroller was easy so, any parents, don't let the terrain deter you. We actually used the stroller more than our carrier.

Food: 6/10. Quality ingredients but the lack of seasoning/creativity was disappointing. Lots of what we had was bland. My family is from an island. We have quality seafood and seasoning. That said, any churrasqueira we visted---food was 10/10. Churrasqueira da Paz in Lisbon was amazing. I'd go back to Lisbon just for this.

Transportation: 9/10. We used Bolt most times (cheaper than Uber and just easier than public transit for us). It was affordable (way more affordable than in Canada). Also took Rede Expressos to/from Lisbon/Lagos. Good ride. Only downside I'd say is one of the buses didn't have a restroom but they make stops.

Costs: Around $5500 CAD which was less than I had budgeted for a few reasons:

• Flights: Bought in November 2025 with credit card points so we paid $729.21 CAD for three roundtrip direct flights. (Also got lounge access for $21 CAD through the same card. We also did carry-on only so that saved like $150 CAD.
• Accommodation: Booked pretty early. Spent about $2000 CAD here for aparthotels with kitchens/laundry. Honestly could've been cheaper if we didn't book non-refundable but I valued the flexibility.
• Activities/Food/Wine (lots of it)/Transport: We used a Wealthsimple Prepaid Mastercard which reimburses us for all our ATM fees and has no foreign exchange rate fee so I didn't keep track of these categories individually but, altogether, they were around $2700 CAD.

Mistakes:

• We stayed in Baixa for the first lil bit since it was pretty flat and lots of attractions were nearby but we hated the vibe there. I understand areas being touristy (we're fine with that) but it felt more like Niagara Falls / Vegas. We stayed in Chiado for the second part and loved it. Now that I see how easy we were able to navigate the cobblestone/stairs/hills---I would've stayed in Chiado the entire time in Lisbon.

Highlights:

• Beaches/cliffs in Lagos. We were deciding between Lisbon/Porto and Lisbon/Lagos. We 100% made the right choice for us.
• Miradouro de Santa Catarina where locals let us crash a birthday party. Just loved chilling there, seeing our three-year-old play with other kids, listening to live performers and sharing drinks/convos with a bunch of locals.
• Churrasqueira da Paz. Amazing food. Great prices. Always has a lineup and menu is in Portuguese which were two positives for me. We ate here a few times. The owner have our three-year-old S.L. Benfica gear which I thought was super sweet.

TL;DR: Great trip. Cost around $5500 CAD for 11 nights for two adults and one three-year-old in Lisbon/Lagos.