We took advantage of the sunny Saturday (07/25/2020) and a lot of wind along the Portuguese coast to leave Cascais and take a day trip to visit an attraction in the interior of the country, the Tambor Rural Theme Park.

I found a blog that recommended the park when I was planning our itinerary for our next trip to Portugal and I thought it could be a good option for a lazy Saturday.

Tambor Rural Park

After 1 hour on the road, we arrived at Tambor Rural Theme Park and we were the first visitors to park. I was a little sad to realize that the place was so empty and I don't know if it's because we're in a pandemic or not, but I tried to stay cheerful so as not to spoil the trip.

Following the DGS guidelines, we entered the reception area wearing the mandatory masks and paid 18 euros for the 3 of us (2 adults + 1 2-year-old child). We received a kit with a very detailed map and some objects to use in the park activities – balloons, balls, lids, etc. – and off we went with Patrick, who was super excited! 🙂

The park has an area equivalent to 4 football stadiums and has several games and activities spread out for you to enjoy at your own pace. We went through the maze, raced cars, played archery, threw balls into holes, popped balloons, went down the slide and Paddy rode his bike on a track with tires and also on some wooden horses (he loved the last ones – he wanted to sit on ALL of them!).

In addition to these games, we saw many others that we thought were too complex for him, and of course, we saw the animals that were there, for example: some horses, ponies, goats, bucks, sheep, pigs, ducks, chickens, peacocks and turkeys.

Our impressions

Although we had fun, I thought the park was poorly maintained and I wouldn't go back with Paddy so young or without a group of other children to have more fun competitions.

Firstly, the grass was tall, dry and cut into our legs, which was uncomfortable since we weren't wearing pants. Secondly, there was animal poop all over the path and the places where the animals were seemed too small for them, especially considering that they have an area the size of 4 football stadiums.

Also, some of the activities were broken or very dirty and we didn't see any staff walking around the park, just the 2 who were at the reception or at the picnic tables. We were the only visitors for a while, which I think gave off a bad vibe as well, but soon after other families with older children arrived and brightened up the place a bit.

Snacking in the Park

We stayed there for a few hours with Paddy walking the whole time (it was hard to push the stroller around there), and then we sat down in the picnic area, where the bathrooms and reception are, to give him lunch. Bring your own packed lunch, because they only sell cold drinks at reception and nothing else. (Why, right?)

Having lunch nearby

When we were leaving, the park employee showed us the restaurant Sweet Life, which is very close by, so we went straight there without even checking TripAdvisor. It's the classic BBB – good, nice and cheap – with well-served and tasty dishes for 9 euros in a very family-friendly atmosphere. Celo ordered flank steak and I ordered hake with shrimp and both were delicious. Oh, and of course, you have to wear a mask inside.

Conclusion

In short, I didn't think it was worth driving 2 hours round trip to visit the park because Patrick didn't go to half of the activities there. I think it would be worth the visit if we were already traveling somewhere and the park was on the way, you know? A strategic stop...

I saw that some schools in Portugal usually take their children to this park on holiday trips (and also for Badoca Safari Park, which we already know) and it must be really cool to go with the whole group. Let's wait for his turn, shall we? 🙂