International Lodging Corporation

Customized travel services in Spain & Portugal since 1983

Family Travel…Things to Do in Portugal

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ILC-blog-Family-Travel-Things-to-Do-in-PortugalTraveling as a family is a wonderful way to spend quality time together seeing new places and experiencing new things. Planning an itinerary that caters to the interests of all family members, especially the younger ones, is important in making sure that everyone has a good time.

For your next trip to Portugal we have outlined a few sites that are sure to be fun for children, and will also capture the interest of those who are young at heart:

  • Lisbon Trams – discover Lisbon’s charming and historic neighborhoods by riding one of the classic wooden trams that traverse the city. Tram 28 is a popular route, as it passes through the Bairro Alto, Baixa, Chiado, Graça and Alfama neighborhoods, which includes the São Jorge Castle. For more information, click here.
  • Lisbon Zoo – the first zoo to open on the Iberian Peninsula in 1884, the Lisbon Zoo celebrated its 130th anniversary last year and is still attracting visitors with one of the best zoological collections in the world. For more information, click here.
  • World of Discoveries (Porto) – is an interactive museum and theme park that recreates the fantastic odyssey of the Portuguese navigators, crossing oceans to discover an unknown world. For more information, click here.
  • Peneda-Gêres National Park – located in northern Portugal, this national park is a stunningly beautiful wilderness of rugged granite mountains mixed with forests and fields of wild flowers. Stay in the nearby Pousada do Gêres Caniçada – São Bento, which is a former hunter’s chalet built out of stone and wood from the region. For more information and reservations at the Pousada, click here. For more information on the park, click here.
  • Serra da Estrela Natural Park – located near the town of Covilhã, Serra da Estrela is Portugal’s largest natural park, and it features the highest mountain peaks in the country. Visitors can stay at the nearby Pousada da Serra da Estrela, a true nature lover’s retreat. For more information and reservations at the Pousada, click here. For more information on the park, click here.

Photo credit: © Christopher Pappas · All rights reserved.

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

Sites to See…Park Güell, Barcelona (Spain)

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Architect Antonio Gaudí is well known for his Modernist buildings in Barcelona, including the Casa Milà (also known as La Pedrera), Casa Batlló, and his still unfinished masterpiece, the Church of the Sagrada Familia. Perhaps one of his most imaginative projects was the creation of the Park Güell in the Gràcia district of Barcelona called La Salut.

Built between 1900-1914, the park was commissioned by Gaudí’s friend and patron, Eusebi Güell. It was originally conceived as a private estate that would include a park and an exclusive gated community for 60 private villas. Only 2 of the 60 planned houses were ever sold, as the park was considered far from town at that time. The project was unsuccessful, and the park became city property in 1923. Today it is considered one of the most impressive public parks in the world, and is one of Barcelona’s most famous landmarks. It was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1984.

Locals and visitors flock to the park to admire Gaudí’s creativity and imagination that is on display in the gingerbread gatehouses, colorful ceramic tile work, and whimsical structures such as the multicolored mosaic salamander, known as “el drac” (the dragon), that greets visitors at the main entrance.

One of the two houses constructed was Gaudí’s home, Torre Rosa, which was designed by Francesc Berenguer in 1904. The artist lived in the house the last 20 years of his life, until he passed away in 1926. The house is now the Gaudí House Museum and contains original works by the artist.

The park is open daily from 10:00 a.m. and there is a fee for accessing the areas that contain a majority of Gaudí’s creations. Tickets can be purchased in advance online. For more information on the park, click here.

There is a separate fee for visiting the house-museum, and tickets can be purchased in advance online. For more information on the Gaudí House Museum, click here.

Book a private tour! You may want to consider booking a private tour with an English-speaking guide. Your personal guide can provide you with information on the city and its historic sites. For more information on our Gaudí tour, click here, and for information on all of our Barcelona tours, click here.

Photo credit: Manuel Pino

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.

Sites to See…World of Discoveries Interactive Museum and Theme Park, Porto (Portugal)

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ILC-Blog-Sites-to-See-World-of-Discoveries-Interactive-Museum-Porto-PortugalIf you are looking for things to do during your next visit to Porto, be sure to add the new World of Discoveries Interactive Museum and Theme Park to your list.

The Portuguese Tourist Office posted the following information on their website:

Situated in Porto, the new “World of Discoveries” is an Interactive Museum and Theme Park that recreates the fantastic odyssey of the Portuguese navigators, crossing oceans to discover an unknown world.

At the “World of Discoveries” the multimedia content provides a multi-sensorial experience. Some of the technological features as 4D Globes and Fog Screens are completely unprecedented in the country.

For the first time in Portugal, as happens with the world renowned “Pirates of the Caribbean”, “World of Discoveries” tells stories based on meticulously prepared life-size scenarios that are built in a creative way, inviting the visitor to travel in time.

For more information about the World of Discoveries, click here.

Photo credit: World of Discoveries

As usual, thanks for reading. Please visit International Lodging Corporation at our home page.