Exciting First Days In Portugal

🇵🇹 Our First Days in Lisbon: Family Travel, Homeschooling & Adventure

We finally made it to Lisbon, and what an exciting start it has been! After arriving early at the airport, we hopped into an Uber and headed straight to our hotel, The Jam. The ride was about 30 minutes, giving us our very first glimpse of the colourful streets and hilly charm of the city. So because I had posted our week 5 planner earlier, I wanted to share with you all our first days here in Portugal!

🛏 Review: The Jam Hotel in Lisbon

We booked the Jam Hotel bunk beds room with a shower, and honestly—it’s perfect for a family of five. There’s no TV, but that’s not a downside at all. The simplicity makes it family-friendly and functional, and it encourages us to spend more time out in the city exploring. The hotel feels fresh, fun, and relaxed—exactly what we needed after travelling.

🦓 A Day at the Lisbon Zoo

Our first big adventure was the Lisbon Zoo (Jardim Zoológico de Lisboa). Instead of buying individual tickets, we chose the Zapping Cards, which are a brilliant option for families. With the Zapping system, you load money onto a reusable card and then tap in for public transport and attractions. It works on buses, metro, trams, and even the zoo entrance—super convenient and a great real-life maths lesson for the kids as they kept track of balance and fares. Also the card does not expire!

The zoo itself is full of surprises. We loved the dolphin show, which was both entertaining and educational, showing how these amazing animals communicate and move. The bird show was another highlight—colourful parrots, graceful birds of prey, and lots of fun facts. Walking around, we learned about species from across the globe while practising observation skills and talking about habitats, diets, and conservation.

By the end of the day we were exhausted but buzzing. The kids had absorbed so much—from animal behaviour to how the Lisbon transport system works, and even some street safety tips for navigating a new city.

🍴 Family-Friendly Restaurants in Lisbon

Food in Lisbon has been another big part of our learning (and fun!). For breakfast, I can’t recommend Heim Café Santos enough, just a short walk from the hotel—it’s a cosy, modern spot with the best pancakes, avocado toasts, and even a breakfast burger. The cappuccino and chai latte were a dream. Everything tasted fresh, hearty, and family-approved.

In the evening, we tried a local favourite: Picanha Restaurant. The food was simply soooo yum—delicious cuts of grilled meat, cooked to perfection, and served with that classic Portuguese warmth.

🌞 Homeschooling Through Travel

What I love most about homeschooling while we travel is that even without a single worksheet or desk, the kids are soaking up knowledge with every step. Learning feels alive here—it’s not just something we “do,” it’s something we live.When we walk the streets of Lisbon, it isn’t only about getting from A to B. The kids are reading maps, noticing how the city is built on hills, learning to look both ways on busy crossings, and picking up the rhythm of a new place. That’s geography, observation, and life skills all rolled into one simple walk.

Every meal becomes its own lesson. A plate of picanha or a forkful of creamy pastéis de nata opens the door to culture, history, and sensory learning. We talk about where foods come from, how recipes change from country to country, and how flavours tell a story of place and tradition.

Even just stopping to admire the azulejos—the beautifully patterned Portuguese tiles—becomes a mix of art, maths, and history. The kids spot shapes, symmetry, and repeating designs, while we chat about the centuries-old traditions behind them. Suddenly, geometry isn’t abstract—it’s colourful and right there on the wall.

And then there’s the September sunshine. Warm breezes, bright skies, and long evenings make the kids notice how Portugal feels different from Cavan this time of year. It’s hands-on science and climate study, simply by being outdoors, comparing temperatures, and observing how people live with the weather here.

Travel turns everyday moments into lessons. It’s the kind of learning you just can’t replicate in a classroom. And for me, that’s the real magic of homeschooling—education that moves, breathes, and grows with us

Lisbon is proving to be an outdoor classroom filled with colour, flavour, and energy. Even though we’re tired, this trip already feels like one of the best homeschooling experiences we’ve had—blending fun, family, and learning seamlessly.