Flights to Lisbon in February - now what?

[Sharky1976]

I have flights booked for February for 6 nights to Lisbon. Kids will be 11 and 14.

I've just read the other thread about how awful Lisbon is. We have cancellable accommodation booked at a hostel with fantastic reviews.

Where would you stay instead? We could travel elsewhere by train?

I had planned to do day trips to Sinatra, Cascais, and Evora. The Earthquake museum sounded good, and the aquarium. Now I'm not sure I want to go!

Should we hop on a train to Porto instead?
Or should I just abandon my plane tickets?

Lisbon is not awful!
I really like it!

I don’t know one single person in real life who hated Lisbon. And fuck knows where all these drug dealers were when we went! We went clubbing and didn’t get offered any!

I would read guidebooks not Mumsnet and enjoy your stay 🥰

I like Lisbon and don't recognise anything of the other post, however we do stay in Cascais which I thoroughly recommend.

You can do train to Lisbon for a day trip, bus to Sintra, and a ton of other places.

We've been several times this year and are hoping to squeeze another visit in December.

It's hard not to be put off by that other

thread.

It seems we could be in Albufeira in less than 3 hours by train?

I haven't seen the other thread but I bloody love Lisbon. It's an amazing city and I've never known anyone dislike it.

A lot of other posters were saying it isn't good for kids.

6 nights is too long I am thinking now. A split stay, so not all eggs in one basket?

It's not awful. And there are plenty of places to visit easily nearby if you really didn't like Lisbon. Admittedly, I was only there on flight in and out days and in the summer. I wouldn't cancel because I've never found anywhere "awful" just maybe not what I was expecting.

Lots more going on in Lisbon in February. Albufeira could be coldish . Sea too cold for sure.
Go. Plan day trips. sintra cascais aquarium
lisbonshopping.com/en/destaques/6-museums-and-cultural-spaces-to-visit-with-children-in-lisbon/
belem gulbenkian circus school www.atlaslisboa.com/chapito/amp/

Lisbon is lovely! The old fashioned trams, the Santa Justa street lift ( designed by Gustav Eiffel's studio), the Aquarium, the food market. It's great!

Shall I switch accommodation to Cascais then?

^I have flights booked for February for 6 nights to Lisbon. Kids will be 11 and 14.

I've just read the other thread about how awful Lisbon is. We have cancellable accommodation booked at a hostel with fantastic reviews.^

So what's your problem? So go for it! Just because you read someone's review on Mumsnet, does not mean you will have the same experience.

Give your kids that opportunity to experience a different country and culture. It's all fabulous.

Brexit has made some weird attitudes. You're just an island floating in the Atlantic.

Best thing you can give your kids is to experience different countries and cultures.

Lisbon is great, no idea what the other thread was about, but I personally couldn't find enough to do in any city for six days (caveat: I don't really like cities, two days is my max anywhere).

The train down to the Algarve is very nice (and cheap, even in first class), and in February you are far more likely to have good weather down there than in Lisbon or further north.

There were an awful lot of people agreeing on the other thread. We did Berlin last year. It was good.

We're going to Lisbon in February too! We wanted somewhere new and special as it's a big wedding anniversary.

That thread made me want to cry and cancel.

Even before reading that thread I was getting worried 6 nights was too long.

I'm liking the idea of a few nights in Lisbon and a few at the Algarve then. Any recommendations for where to stay down there? Easily accessible by train.

The direct train goes to Tunes and then Ferreiras-Albufeira. Albufeira is kind of awful these days, it's for piss-up holidays. Would you want to stay in a hotel, AirBnB, villa?

What kind of things do you like to do? The sea will likely be too cold, though you'd hopefully get sun and decent temperatures in general. Can recommend places if you give an idea of the activities you like.

If you're not hiring a car it will restrict you a bit, though there's buses, Uber and Bolt.

There are negative things written every day on the internet about every single city. You just happen to have stumbled across a thread about the one city you've booked. Bad timing!
There are often threads on here about 'places you'd never go back to' or 'the best place you've ever been to' and the list of responses to both is almost the same for both!

Don't discount Lisbon based on that thread. You know nothing about the poster, what she (or he) is like/was expecting/has as an outlook to life or travelling. At the end of the day, this is an online forum where anyone can post anything- anything should be taken with a pinch of salt.

That said, I wouldn't spend 6 nights in any city! I'd base myself in Cascais - from there you can easily get to Lisbon on the train for a day or 2, get to Sintra for a day, and you can explore other places too.
All the reasons you wanted to go in the first place are still there!

I'd probably book a self-catering apartment on Booking.com, although maybe a hotel. Don't usually eat out every meal as pricey.

We like exploring nice towns, gentle walks, fun museums and kid friendly attractions. Not too into the beach.

Lisbon is amazing, it's actually one of my favourite cities to visit. Never feel rushed and just absorb the culture and food. Enjoy x

I am also due to visit early next year; the thread has made me think! Will keep my eye out for dog poo!

Albufeira in Feb will be miserable, it’s not great at the best of times but will be half closed until Easter

I went there for the first time last weekend. Loved it and can’t wait to return for a longer break.

Would you hire a car or use public transport? If sticking to public transport maybe the pp's suggestion of heading to Cascais, Sintra etc might be better. You could maybe spend a day or two in Óbidos as well—it's a lovely historical town. From there you could go to Nazaré and see the big wave surfers—there's a surfing exhibition there too.

If you liked Berlin I think you’ll be fine in Lisbon. I find it hard to imagine anyone on that Lisbon thread liking Berlin if they are bothered by drug dealers. I loved Lisbon although I do think 6 days is quite long to be there.

I can’t believe people are so easily influenced by what they read on Mumsnet.