Where to Go for a Weekend Trip from Lisbon: Dino Parque Lourinhã

If you have already visited Lisbon's main museums or are simply tired of tourist queues, sun-baked cobblestones and endless uphill walks, you can escape the city for a day. My first recommendation is Dino Parque Lourinhã, a large dinosaur park about an hour's drive from Lisbon.

Official website: https://www.dinoparque.pt/en/about/

On the website, you can buy tickets and check the park map
When we arrived, there were not many people, so we decided to buy our tickets on the spot. We were given a printed map and a small quiz booklet. It contains questions about dinosaurs, and the answers can be found on the information boards throughout the park. Much like a scratch card, you need to scratch off the silver coating next to the answer you think is correct. At the exit, you hand the sheet in at the ticket desk, and depending on the number of correct answers, you receive a small souvenir. I cannot say whether everyone gets one or only visitors with children, but we did receive our prize.

_{Map of Dino Parque Lourinhã with themed routes} 

It is a great option for a day out with children, but adults will find it interesting too. Especially when a dinosaur as tall as a multi-storey building suddenly appears from behind the trees and you realise just how enormous these animals really were.

 

Location: Dino Parque Lourinhã

Why Lourinhã is associated with dinosaurs

It is worth clearing up a common misconception here: the town was not named after a dinosaur. In fact, it was the other way around.

Lourinhã and the surrounding area are considered one of the richest regions in the world for Late Jurassic fossil discoveries. This is why several species discovered here were given names linked to the area. For example, the name Lourinhanosaurus refers directly to Lourinhã, the place where the animal's remains were found.

Today, the area is often referred to as Portugal's dinosaur capital. Bones, footprints, eggs and embryos of prehistoric animals have all been discovered here, and some of these finds can be seen at Dino Parque and Museu da Lourinhã.

_{Scenery along the road from Lisbon to Lourinhã}

What is Dino Parque?

Dino Parque is neither a traditional amusement park nor a conventional museum. Most of the exhibition is outdoors, with more than 200 life-size models of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals displayed throughout the park. They are divided among six themed routes dedicated to different periods of Earth's history, from the Paleozoic and Triassic to the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, as well as marine animals and the Ice Age.

_{A scene of saber-toothed cats hunting mammoths at Dino Parque} 

There are also exhibits inspired by scenes from the “Jurassic Park” films.

 

_{A scene with a car in the style of the film “Jurassic Park” at Dino Parque}

The main impression comes from the scale itself. These are not small plastic figures where you need to read a sign and try to imagine the real size of the animal. Some dinosaurs here are truly gigantic. For example, on the Jurassic route you can see a model of a long-necked Diplodocus about 45 metres long.

_{Information boards about dinosaurs at Dino Parque Lourinhã}

For children, this is practically guaranteed delight: you can walk among the dinosaurs, compare their sizes, look at their teeth, paws and tails, and search for the most famous ones, such as Tyrannosaurus and Triceratops. At the same time, the park is built not only around spectacle – next to the models there are information boards about when these animals lived and what scientists know about them.

_{Life-size dinosaur models next to a child at Dino Parque}

_{Giant dinosaur models at Dino Parque Lourinhã} 

_{A huge dinosaur model and a viewing platform at Dino Parque} 

Museum and real finds

There is an indoor museum section on the territory, so the park is not only a walk among the models. The exhibition includes real fossils, bones, dinosaur eggs and reconstructions belonging to the collection of Museu da Lourinhã. The Live Lab also operates here – a laboratory where you can watch the process of preparing and studying discovered fossils. A visit to the museum space and the laboratory is included in the price of the main ticket.

_{Fossils and exhibits in the Dino Parque Lourinhã museum}

Among the most interesting exhibits are finds connected with the predatory dinosaur Lourinhanosaurus, including eggs and remains of embryos. In the Lourinhã area, a nest containing more than one hundred dinosaur eggs was also discovered.

 

Entertainment and additional activities

As I wrote at the beginning, at the entrance we were also given a small quiz sheet — Dino Quiz. During the walk, you had to answer questions about dinosaurs: for example, find out what period they lived in, what they ate and where their remains were found. All the answers could be found on the information boards next to the figures, so the children did not just run from one huge dinosaur to another, but also carefully studied the exhibition. The completed sheet had to be shown to the staff at the exit, after which the child was given a small souvenir. I cannot guarantee that this activity takes place every day and under the same conditions, but during our visit it became a nice additional entertainment. 

_{Dino Quiz for children at the Lourinhã dinosaur park (example)}

Another small activity allows children to feel like real paleontologists. In a special area, you can buy a plaster block with dinosaur figures or “fossils” hidden inside. There are tables nearby where a child can sit down and, using special tools, carefully break or clear away the block, gradually reaching the find hidden inside.

_{Children's paleontologist game with dinosaur excavation} 

This activity is paid separately and is not included in the entrance ticket. The price depends on the set you choose and may change (the photo shows what was available at the time of our visit). The activity is quite simple, but children usually enjoy the process itself: you need to be patient, work carefully with the tools and gradually find out which dinosaur is hidden inside.

_{Price of children's excavation sets at Dino Parque} 

_{Prices for paleontology sets for children at Dino Parque} 

Can you bring your own food?

Yes. There are several places on the territory with burgers, salads, children's meals, drinks and snacks. Vegetarian options are also available. There are also vending machines with drinks

At the same time, visitors are officially allowed to bring their own food and have a picnic in specially designated areas. Nobody checks your bags at the entrance.

 

I would recommend taking at least some water, fruit, sandwiches or a small meal for the child. During high season there may be queues at the cafés. Once you leave, the ticket is no longer valid and you cannot return with it. An exception may only be made for a short trip to the car after agreeing it with the staff.

_{A walk with children around Dino Parque Lourinhã} 

Also, on the park grounds, in one of the picnic areas, there are excavator machines. Bring some coins, because children find them very interesting. You put in a coin and for a few minutes you can feel like a real paleontologist. Controlling the bucket, digging different objects out of the sand or simply digging a deeper hole. Our eight-year-old was delighted. And while the children are digging in the sand, you can sit down on a bench at the table and eat your lunch (or take turns, if the child needs adult supervision).

Brickopolis: an additional option for LEGO fans

Next to the dinosaur park, at the same address, there is Brickopolis – a separate indoor exhibition for LEGO® fans. It is convenient to add it to the trip, especially if the weather gets worse or if, after the dinosaurs, the child wants one more activity.

Official website: https://www.brickopolis.pt/

_{LEGO exhibition at Brickopolis next to Dino Parque Lourinhã}

It is recommended to allow around 45–60 minutes for a visit to Brickopolis. The number of visitors inside is limited, so it is better to buy a ticket for a specific time in advance. Combined tickets for Dino Parque and Brickopolis are also sold at the Dino Parque ticket office, but entry to Brickopolis will depend on the availability of free places. 

_{LEGO models and themed worlds at the Brickopolis exhibition} 

Several rooms with assembled LEGO worlds. There is a play area where you can build with LEGO or run around and go down the slide.

_{Children's play area at Brickopolis Lourinhã} 

Prices and opening hours

At the time this article was prepared, standard tickets to Dino Parque cost:

• children under 3 - free;
• children from 4 to 12 years old - 12 euros;
• visitors aged 13 and over - 16 euros.

 

When buying individual tickets online, you get a 10% discount. Family tickets are sold only at the ticket office: for example, a ticket for two adults and two children costs 48 euros.

The park opens every day at 10:00. In June, July and August it is open until 19:00, in spring and in September - until 18:00, and from October to March - until 17:00. The last entry closes about an hour and a half before closing time.

Separate tickets to Brickopolis cost 8 euros for children aged 4–12 and 10.50 euros for visitors aged 13 and over. There is a 10% discount when buying online

How to get there from Lisbon

By car

The park is located at the following address:

Rua Vale dos Dinossauros, 25, Abelheira, 2530-059 Lourinhã
Coordinates: 39.278501, –9.293023

The journey takes about 45 minutes from Lisbon, although from the city centre, taking traffic into account, it is better to allow about an hour. There is free parking next to the park. It is not small, but on busy days it can be difficult to find a space, so I recommend arriving closer to opening time or after lunch, when the first wave of visitors has already left the park.

Route on Google Maps from Lisbon

_{Themed exhibition with a paleontologist's tent at Dino Parque} 

By public transport

There are two main ways to get from Lisbon to the Lourinhã bus terminal:

• by Rápida Azul bus from Campo Grande;
• by Rede Expressos bus from Sete Rios.

From the Lourinhã bus station, you need to change to a local Rodoviária do Oeste bus or take a taxi to Abelheira, where the park is located.

Getting there by public transport is possible, but it requires a transfer, so before leaving it is definitely worth checking the timetable for the return buses, especially on Sundays and public holidays.

_{Route with prehistoric marine animals at Dino Parque} 

Why it is more comfortable here than in Lisbon in summer

Most of the walk takes place outdoors, but there are a lot of trees on the territory. I would say that the park is quite harmoniously built into the pine forest. In my opinion, even a hot day is easier to handle here than in the centre of Lisbon, where the stone walls and pavements heat up.

There are benches along the routes, so you do not have to walk through the whole park without stopping. You can calmly sit down, rest and have a small snack. It is worth allowing at least three hours for a proper visit, although the ticket is valid for the whole day and, if you want, you can spend much more time here.

It is still better to take caps, sunscreen and water with you. Some sections of the routes are under direct sunlight.

_{A hunting scene with prehistoric animals at Dino Parque Lourinhã}

Is it worth going?

Dino Parque is one of those places where you do not need to come up with a complicated programme for the whole day. You arrive, walk among huge dinosaurs, have a picnic, go in to see real fossils and, if you want, finish the trip with a LEGO exhibition.

It is a good way to swap the city streets of Lisbon for a calmer setting for at least one day and at the same time keep the children busy with something that really holds their attention for longer than fifteen minutes. The main thing is to take comfortable shoes, water, food for a picnic and not promise your child that you are “just going to have a quick look” in the souvenir shop.

By the way, it is also wonderful here in winter. If you come on a sunny day, then a walk through the forest, where the air is amazing and smells of pine trees, can be a great dose of dopamine after the long periods of rain that are common in Portugal in winter.

_{Exhibition inspired by “Jurassic Park” at Dino Parque Lourinhã}