Family travel guide to Lisbon

Lisbon, the capital and largest city of Portugal, is a treasure-trove of history and culture. This colorful city has a great mix of old and new with plenty of historic sites, monuments, parks and museums; it’s practically a playground for family fun. Here are five fun stops for families traveling in Lisbon, Portugal:

Lisbon Oceanarium (Oceanário de Lisboa): The Lisbon Oceanarium is one of the largest aquariums in the world. The Oceanarium is unique in that the design allows for four habitats–representing different corners of the earth—to visually merge into one global ocean. The global ocean tank is the main viewing area, holding more than 4 million liters of water.Over 25,000 sea creatures make the Lisbon Oceanarium home.

St. George's Castle (Castelo de Sao Jorge): St. George's Castle is hard to miss in Lisbon;the medieval castle sits atop a hill and can be seen from most points in the city. Withspectacular panoramic views, the castle is one of Lisbon’s most popular historic attractions. Visitors are free to roam the grounds and gardens, and even climb the castle towers.

The Maritime Museum (Museu de Marinha): Lisbon’s Maritime Museum houses over 17,000 items including scale models of ships andartifacts. The highlights are two elaborate ceremonial barges from the 18th century, a royal cabin from the yacht of Queen Amelia and the first seaplane to cross the South Atlantic in 1922.

Coaches Museum (MuseuNacional dos Coches): For the little princesses that dream of royalty, the National Coach Museum has the largest and most valuable collection of coaches in the world. Many of the coaches on display were once used by royal families from across Europe, some dating back to the 16th century. The museum is locatedinside the old Horse Riding Arena of the Belém Palace.

Park of the Nations (Parque das Nações): Much of the modern architecturein Lisbon was built for Expo 98, the world’s fair held there in 1998. The main site specifically constructed for the event was Park of the Nations. Today, families can visit this locale to marvel at its futuristic design, stroll along the riverside and ride the cable car across the park. There’s also plenty of dining, shopping and entertainment on-site.

Flickr: Axel Buhrmann