We returned from the Algarve on Sunday, August 29th, and a friend sent me a message saying that she was going the next day to Lisbon Zoo with my 2 children. Since Paddy's school wouldn't start until September 2nd and I think that staying at home with the 2 little ones is more tiring than going out, I immediately accepted the invitation and off we went the next day. I'm not a huge fan of zoos, but since my little one is crazy about animals and doesn't interact much with children outside of school, I thought the trip would be cool (and it was!).
The Zoo
In the Lisbon Zoo there are around 2000 animals in a group of approximately 300 species, between mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians. The space was founded in 1884, but it was only in 1905 that it was established in its current location (Quinta das Laranjeiras).
Parking
We parked the car in the parking lot in front of the Zoo, went up the elevator and in less than 5 minutes we were entering with our tickets purchased. online on the official website. I paid 21.38 euros for myself and 13.78 euros for Paddy, who is 3 years old. These values already have a 5% discount because we bought online! To buy the tickets with a discount, go to their official website: https://www.zoo.pt/
Our tour
We started the tour by visiting the dolphins in a pool that I found quite run-down, to be honest. After the pandemic started, they canceled the dolphin show, but I've been told that it's quite interesting.
We left the dolphins' place and went towards the gorillas, passing by the tigers, flamingos, penguins and monkeys.
I found the zoo to be very pleasant, despite being a zoo, with well-organized, clean, well-marked and well-maintained paths. There are many benches and interesting places to rest, so we took the opportunity to have lunch with the snacks we brought in a hidden place where the children were able to play with soap bubbles too. There are snack bars inside the zoo, but since we both had babies in strollers, 2 very active toddlers and it's still a pandemic, we agreed the day before that we would eat snacks brought from home. It was the best decision, because we stopped when we felt like it, saved money and avoided many lines!
Then we went on to see more animals, but first we bought ice cream so everyone could recharge their batteries! It worked really well with the little ones 🙂
We continued seeing elephants, rhinos, zebras, giraffes, hippos and even a super cute lion in a boring place. It was a shame.
If you want to study the map of Lisbon Zoo before you go, see here.
The best part of the tour… (to our surprise)
I know that at the end of the tour, we found a fountain that was turned off but with dirty water that was full of frogs and other animals. The boys were very excited about them and we rested, breastfed, changed diapers and got some sun out too. I would say that was the moment when Patrick was happiest, maybe because he already realized that seeing animals in captivity isn't so cool, right? I keep telling him that one day we'll go to Africa to see all the animals in the wild and I hope one day I can write about that experience here.
We left the zoo around 3pm and arrived around 10am, so we spent a loooooong time seeing animals, going up and down hills, and walking the whole time (Paddy and I, of course, since Jujuba slept in the baby carrier or bassinet). Before we hit the road to Cascais, the little one was already asleep and his sister followed suit. A full day for everyone! 🙂
