Portugal with a 3 year old and 1 year old
 

Hi, We are landing in Lisbon in end of May and flying back from Lisbon after 9 days.
I read lots of posts that cover lisbon and porto but we will be traveling with small kids.
We want to spend time in Libson and Porto. Can you please suggest the areas where we should book our accommodation so we are in heart of city. Should we rent a car or use public transport with kids? And as far as stroller/pram is concerned, are the roads stroller friendly?
The things that we want to cover from Lisbon are:
day trip to Sintra
zoo
aquarium

We want to concentrate out trip mainly around kids so they enjoy at max and want to stay in good location so we are not walking a lot.

Public transport in Lisbon is very good, haven't been in Porto for ten years, I used buses there. With kids you probably want to be central, which is around Rossio. I didn't even know there was a zoo, but it is easy enough to get to the aquarium and to Sintra by public transport.

I know you said you want to be in the heart of the city, but I'm going to propose an alternative idea - how about staying in Parque das Naçoes? It's a modern area with modern accommodations that might be comfortable for your family. And it's where the Oceanário and Pavilhão do Conhecimento are located. There is a lot of open green space too, good for kids.

Alternatively, you might want to look at other areas such as Saldanha, which is more central and convenient to public transportation and/or parking, whatever you choose.

Given the cobblestone and calçada in Lisbon, just make sure your strollers have good shock absorbers :-)

And what will be a good area in Porto to stay in?

I can see a nice apartment in Parque das Naçoes area. should i take it?
Is apartment living in lisbon comfortable?

Yes, apartments in Lisbon are often very nice. Please elaborate if you mean something specifically.

Make sure you understand where Parque das Naçoes is located in relation to the historic center of Lisbon. Many tourists like to stay in the characteristic central neighborhoods i.e. Rossio, Baixa Chiado, etc. I recommended that you consider other areas because they're close to the childrens' attractions, and parking might be easier.

Can you please recommend which area should i look at?

How about Alfama? It seems close to Rossio, Baixa. Is that a good neighborhood to be in?

Much steeper. Rossio is flat.

We stayed here: http://www.pensaolondres.com.pt/en/hotel-overview.html

Access to the center of Lisbon was easy using the elevator. However, unless one gets the transit card which has a fixed price on a per day basis, the elevator becomes pricey for the short ride that it is.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/mksfca...7623687310571/

Are you referring to the Ascensor da Glória? The OP has two young children and strollers, I would not recommend that as a way to get to and from the center.

As Thursday said, Rossio would be much better than Alfama as far as the flat terrain is concerned.

I still wonder about your mobility. Are you accustomed to riding public transport with the children? The tourist season is in full swing and there will be long queues for the popular routes to/from Belém, and once inside it will be crowded.

I think having a car would make sense, and I still think that staying outside of the center is a good choice given what you said you planned to visit... although I don't want to be responsible if that's not what you had in mind for your stay in Lisbon. :-)

Yeah we have stayed in NYC, so moving around using public transport is not tough for us and we love to do that.
My younger son hates car seat so we want to avoid car as much as possible and be in center if possible.