GOING OUT FOR DINNER?
Dinner at Penalva da Graca
WANT TO GO FOR A SWIM?
A busy day during the high season.
WE LOVE RIDING THE TRAM 28
Lisbon's popular Tram 28 is only 3 minutes from Tins Lisbon. Here is all you need to know.
Beach or City Life with Kids? Lisbon Has the Best of Both
Lisbon is the perfect family holiday destination for beach lovers
30 minutes from our door in Graça, Lisbon we have our favorite beach. What’s not to like? The LGTB and Nude beach, Paria Bela Vista or #19.
We spent years choosing between pure beach holidays for the kids and city breaks for ourselves, always feeling that something was missing. Lisbon changed that completely: we now use the city as a base for a Lisbon city and beach holiday where mornings can be museums, markets or football bars and afternoons are for dunes, waves and beach bars. For us, this is the first place where the whole family gets what they want in one trip instead of compromising.
Most beach destinations our friends used over the years offered some version of the same routine: hotel pools, predictable seafront promenades and a restaurant strip that feels the same no matter which country you are in. They enjoyed the sun and the sea, but they missed wandering real streets, discovering small bars and seeing art that was not part of a resort lobby. Lisbon flipped that script. Here, a Lisbon city and beach holiday can start with a slow breakfast in Graça, continue with a tram ride, a market visit or a museum, and then turn into an afternoon on a wide, wave‑washed beach that feels far away from the urban noise.
Over time, many of our regular guests started to design their trips around this mix. Some plan a few days that are purely about the city – tile museums, viewpoints, concerts – followed by a few days where beach towels live permanently by the door and afternoons are spent on Caparica, Arrábida or Troia. Others build one “hero day” into their Lisbon city and beach holiday, taking trains, ferries and small roads to reach a special stretch of sand they would never have found from a package brochure.
The best beaches in Lisbon, the perfect city break for summer
“Lisbon is one of Europe’s best summer city breaks, with golden beaches less than an hour from the historic centre.”
Why not consider Lisbon as your next beach destination?
Holidays should be something that caters to everyone’s interests – something all family members look forward to. And having traveled with my son myself I know what I’m talking about, when I say that it’s impossible to find destinations in Europe that combine it all – and are affordable at the same time.
Except for Lisbon!
The only international city in Europe right now, where you both get children friendly international shopping and culture you can afford AND bounty beaches for the whole family within 30 minutes from your hotel.
Kids friendly Bounty beaches you can reach in no time.
As the saying goes, “De gustibus non est disputandum” or “Every man to his taste.” This definitely applies to beaches.
We’re fans of those Bounty Beaches you see in ads and movies—think white powder sand, crystal-clear water, sheltering dunes, and a beach bar with cold drinks, simple food, decent toilets, and good music (not too loud, of course).
This beach is one of our favorit beaches 10.000 km (or 24 hrs travel) from Lisbon – in Myanmar. You don’t want to travel that far to get beaches like this.
This beach is one of our favorit beaches 10.000 km (or 24 hrs travel) from Lisbon – in Myanmar. If you don’t want to travel that far, click on the photo and have a look at our beaches at Troia only just 1 hr from Tings Lisbon.
We don’t mind traveling far for a great beach, but after over a decade of exploring around Lisbon, we’ve added some fantastic Portuguese spots to our global beach list.
Now, we don’t need to go far for an exotic swim.
Locals often prefer beaches with parking, wooden paths to avoid the sand, a bunch of beach bars, and loud Bluetooth speakers. Not us—we avoid the popular spots between Lisbon and Cascais and head to our own hidden gems. Most of these are absolute paradises, perfect for families with kids of all ages!
Lisbon has a lot of things to offer if your kids get tired of the beach. Click on the photo if you want to read our blogpost about “Lisbon with kids”
So, besides being an amazing city destination, Lisbon can easily compete with classic European family beach spots.
Since opening Tings Lisbon in 2017, we’ve convinced our friends and regular guests about Lisbon’s beach appeal. Now, we have a loyal group of Beach Lovers who’ve changed their holiday traditions and return to Lisbon year after year for a combined beach and city trip. We’ve even added beach towels to our list of amenities.
If you want more info, feel free to reach out.
See you at the beach,
Annette & Thomas
Beach Day Trips around Lisbon
- Guincho is for bay watches and swimming for experienced swimmers. NOT FAMILIES
- Ericeira is for surfing
- Sesimbra, Portinho da Arrábida for swimming
- Costa da Caparica (Caparica Town), The most popular beach for locals & schools. You won’t find much seclusion on this coast.
BUT a 15 minute walk along the beach is worth the effort!!! - Troja if you want your own beach and dolphinswelcoming you. Our favorite beach
- Meco for seclusion and ‘to bare it all’. So if nudity frightens you find another beach.
- Tamariz is for sun tan and drinks
- Adraga, Santa Cruz is for natural beauty
- Praia das Maçãs is for families
- Praia Bella Vista (Beach 17 & 19): The closest you get to our favorite beach in Tisvilde. If nudity frightens you – stay away. Beach 19: The stretch next to Praia Bella Vista is for LGBT
More about our Lisbon Beach Life
If you like how we do the beach here in Lisbon, you might enjoy the other stories from our Lisbon beach life series:
- Lisbon is Europe’s best beach destination – Lisbon beach holidays from Tings Lisbon.
- Beach or City Life? Lisbon Has the Best of Both – how we mix beaches with food, culture and family‑friendly Lisbon.
- Cova do Vapor – Our Favorite City Beach in Lisbon – the small fisherman village where we feel far from town in under an hour.
- Troia Beach – 30 km of Bounty Sand Near Lisbon – our “special day out” with dunes, dolphins and long walks.
- Our Day at the Beach – one of our typical Caparica beach days, done as if we were guests at Tings Lisbon.
