Spring in Portugal - travelling with a child

It is the end of March, SPRING!!! Here in Finland it is still over minus 10 degrees  below zero (celsius!!) every night and only a bit warmer during the day - no wonder I start looking for flights to Portugal. The weather forecast promised +20 degrees for Lisbon yesterday.... that does sound tempting!!!

A few years ago I spent a week in Sintra with my daughter and granddaughter in February. It was a great time to be travelling with a child - there were so many things to do and see yet it was not too hot. We didn't have to worry about getting too much sun but it was warm enough to enjoy being outside in the sun.

The granddaughter is very interested in the nature, birds, beach, sea, well, everything, actually - she even fell in love with the beautiful Portuguese flag! With a spirit like that, travelling is a real pleasure! She loved the food, the people, the  forests, the  castles, the  playgrounds and the swimming pool at Casa do Valle.

Although the sea water is not really warm enough for swimming and the waves can be too big in the spring, the beach itself proved to be amazing for the kids - the sand is humid enough for building castles yet hard enough for running. We spent hours there, first just admiring then playing!

There were no lines in front of the ticket offices for the sights - I've seen them in the summer and it seems like you could end up spending  hours just getting in..... But in the spring we just walked right in - travelling with a child, that is wonderful!

This picture is from the garden of Pena palace - so green and alive and full of wonder and things to see for a child (as well as for the grownups!!). Naturally the flowers are different from those of the summertime, but nevertheless, as enchanting and beautiful in the early spring. We literally spend hours walking in the garden, looking for the fairies, imagining what the lives of the little princesses must have been like when the garden was built.
I've seen this garden many times before, but walking trough it with a child - well, you just see it differently!!
This must have been one of my best trips to Portugal -  ever!!