Museu Nacional Ferroviário

Entroncamento means “junction” in Portuguese, and the town grew up where the northern line meets the lines to the east and to Beira Baixa. The Museu Nacional Ferroviário, Portugal’s national railway museum, sits inside the old railway complex right next to the station, so trains still rumble past while you look round. The museum tells more than 160 years of railway history in Portugal and holds around 36,000 objects, from whole trains down to tickets, signals and station clocks.

It is spread over several historic buildings rather than one big hall. That makes it a walk between spaces, partly outdoors, and it means a restless child gets a change of scene every so often.

The Comboio Real, the Royal Train, is the piece most families come for. These are the carriages Portugal’s royal family travelled in, and the contrast between their furnished saloons and an ordinary carriage is easy for a child to grasp. Close by is the Comboio Presidencial, the train later used by Portugal’s presidents, so children can compare how a king and a president went on a journey.

The Oficinas do Vapor, the old steam workshops, kept Portugal’s trains running for more than a hundred years, and they now hold carriages and locomotives from the collection. Look out for the locomotive named D. Luíz and a large model of the Pacific 1501 steam locomotive, which shows the workings in a size children can take in.

The Rotunda de Locomotivas is the roundhouse, where engines were parked in a circle around a turntable. The turntable here dates from 1911. It is a good moment to explain a very practical problem: a steam locomotive only drives well forwards, so at the end of a journey it had to be turned round, and the turntable swung the whole engine to face the other way. The site also has a 1920s power station, which the museum calls a notable and unique example in Portugal, and the Armazém de Víveres, the old provisions warehouse that once served the railway workers.

The collection covers much more than engines: track and overhead power lines, signalling, communications, ticketing, safety equipment, even dining-car catering and the railway’s own health service. Older children who like finding out how a whole system works tend to enjoy these smaller displays more than toddlers do.

For many younger children, the Minicomboio is the high point. It is a small-scale train with a locomotive and five carriages that runs on its own network of track inside the museum grounds. It carries 20 to 25 passengers, a ride lasts about seven minutes, and it runs every day except Saturday, weather permitting. If the ride matters to your child, avoid Saturdays and have a plan B for a very wet day. The museum’s pages don’t list a separate price, so ask at reception.

The museum runs themed visits that families can book. A Bordo (for ages 6 and over, about an hour, Tuesday to Friday mornings) takes you inside locomotive cabs, carriages and saloons that are normally seen from outside. Ferroviários (ages 6 and over) is about the people who worked on the railways and their tools. Locomoção (16 and over) explains the move from steam to diesel and electric traction. Traincatcher is a two-hour puzzle game through the museum for ages 10 and over. All of these need booking.

On the third Saturday of each month a train-driving simulator runs from 10:30 to 17:30, with sessions of about 15 minutes, open to all ages. There is also a tactile visit with audio description on the last Sunday of the month, which may suit children who learn by touch or have a visual impairment.

Toddlers get the scale of real trains, the noise of trains passing on the main line and, on the right day, the little train ride. Children aged four to seven usually love climbing aboard anything allowed and comparing the royal saloons with plain carriages. Eight- to twelve-year-olds can follow the story of steam, diesel and electric, and are old enough for the Traincatcher game. Teenagers with an engineering bent will get most from the Locomoção visit and the simulator.

When we checked in September 2026, entry was free for under-6s, €3 for ages 6 to 17 and students, €6 for adults and €4 for over-65s. The family ticket is €15 for two adults and two children aged 6 to 17. Guided visits cost more (family ticket €21). Entry is free on International Museum Day (18 May) and on Entroncamento’s municipal holiday, 24 November. You can leave and come back on the same day by showing your ticket, which is handy for a lunch break in town.

The museum opens Tuesday to Sunday, 10:30 to 17:30, with last entry at 16:30, and closes on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 December.

Coming by train is part of the fun. The museum is a few minutes’ walk from Entroncamento station: follow the platform towards the viaduct and the signs to the entrance. The museum’s page also points to CP discounts for train passengers. By car, Entroncamento is well connected by road; the museum’s page does not give parking details.

There are toilets with baby-changing tables, a separate area for feeding babies, 20 lockers at reception and wheelchairs you can ask for. Audioguides come in Portuguese, English, Spanish, French, German and Japanese. The museum lists a shop but no café, so bring snacks or plan to eat in town. Because the visit moves between historic buildings and outside areas, expect some uneven ground; the museum’s page doesn’t describe buggy access, so a sling can be easier with a baby.

Birthday parties run Tuesday to Sunday for groups of 10 to 30, at €7.50 per child (the birthday child is free), and last up to three hours. The version for ages 3 to 10 includes a guided visit aboard special vehicles and a choice of workshop, mini-train rides or the driving simulator, with candles blown out in the restaurant car. Book at least seven days ahead. The page doesn’t say whether parents must stay.

The museum also hosts Festival Vapor, a steampunk festival of music, theatre, workshops and parades. The online ticket office listed a Festival Vapor date of 3 October 2026 when we checked. The model-railway meeting MINIMO also takes place in Entroncamento; see What’s on.

Tomar is a short train ride away on the Tomar branch line, with the Pegões aqueduct just outside town and medieval food at Taverna Antiqua. The Borboletário Tropical in Constância is also close. Railway fans can add the narrow-gauge collection at Macinhata do Vouga, run by the same foundation, or ride the Douro historic train.

How long does a visit take?

Allow two to three hours to see the buildings at a child’s pace, plus time for the mini-train. With same-day re-entry you can split it round lunch.

Is the Museu Nacional Ferroviário good for toddlers?

Yes, if they like trains. Under-6s go free, the mini-train carries small children, and there is baby changing and a feeding area. The detailed displays are more for older children.

When does the mini-train run?

Every day the museum is open except Saturday, weather permitting. Each ride takes about seven minutes.

Do you need to book?

Not for an ordinary visit. Themed visits, birthday parties and group visits need booking by phone (249 130 382) or email.

Can you get there by train?

Yes. The museum is a few minutes’ walk from Entroncamento station, which is on the Linha do Norte, the main line between Lisbon and Porto.