Parque D. Carlos I

Parque D. Carlos I is the main park of Caldas da Rainha, a spa town in the Oeste about 10 km from the beach at Foz do Arelho. It sits next to the Hospital Termal Rainha D. Leonor, the thermal hospital founded by Queen Leonor, and it was created as the hospital’s garden so patients could walk and recover in fresh air. Today it is a free town park with a lake at its heart, old trees, lawns, a playground and an art museum.

It suits families who want an easy hour or two: a picnic, a run around, a look at the lake and statues and perhaps a boat on the lake. It is also a handy stop between the beach at Foz do Arelho, the walls of Óbidos and the drive home.

The lake is the centre of everything. It was dug in 1891 as part of the new park, an artificial lake that was an unusual idea at the time. Filling it was a problem: the plan to use leftover spa water wasn’t enough, so iron pipes were laid to bring water from the Mata Rainha D. Leonor woods. Children who like a good “how does that work” story may enjoy hearing that about 2,000 workers built the park, which opened in June 1892.

The lake still has boats: boat trips were part of the original plan, and the lake with boats is still listed among the park’s facilities. Nobody publishes current times or prices, so check on the day whether they’re out and how much they cost. The Cais do Parque restaurant takes its name from the boat jetty.

The children’s playground (parque infantil) is new. The council rebuilt it from scratch, at a cost of about €103,000 plus VAT, and lists the job among its completed works on a page last updated in August 2025. The council doesn’t describe the new equipment, so check on arrival which parts suit a toddler. The local guide GoCaldas describes the park’s green spaces as good for running about, with tables and benches for picnics, and the regional tourism board mentions several recreational areas.

There are also tennis courts, a bandstand (coreto) and bars and a restaurant with a terrace. The paths wind under old trees, which gives welcome shade in summer.

Sculptures stand along the paths, and they belong to the Museu José Malhoa’s collection, which spills out of the building into the park. They include work by Leopoldo de Almeida, Leonor de Albuquerque Bettencourt and João Fragoso. They make an easy treasure hunt for small children.

The museum itself is in the park, in the building once called the Casa dos Barcos (the boathouse). It was the first building in Portugal designed as a museum, and it reopened in December 2023 after a big renovation. It holds the largest collection of work by José Malhoa, a painter from Caldas known for scenes of ordinary Portuguese people, plus paintings, sculpture and ceramics by artists including Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro, whose ceramic cabbages and animals are famous in the town. The rooms are large and lit by daylight.

When checked in September 2026, the museum opened Tuesday to Sunday, 10:00 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 18:00 from April to September, closing at 17:30 from October to March, and a ticket cost €5. It is closed on Mondays, 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May, 15 May and 25 December. It suits older children who enjoy art more than toddlers.

The park is named after King Carlos I, who authorised it in 1889. The architect Rodrigo Berquó, then running the hospital, turned the vineyards next to an older garden, the Passeio da Copa, into a romantic landscaped park with a big lake. He planned games such as tennis and croquet, music at the bandstand, boat trips on the lake and bike rides along the avenues. The famous caricaturist Rafael Bordalo Pinheiro mocked him in cartoons while the works were going on, then drew him as “The Entrepreneur” once the park was finished. The park was remodelled between 1948 and 1951 by the landscape architect Francisco Caldeira Cabral, with flower hedges, new trees, tiled fountains and a restaurant-bar.

On the park’s edge stand the Pavilhões do Parque, a row of large 19th-century buildings meant as a new hospital that never opened as one. They were later a barracks, a police station and a school, and part of one was damaged by fire in 2023, so they are something to look at from outside.

The park is free and in the town centre, so it is easy to combine with a wander round Caldas. For lunch, Cais do Parque sits by the lake jetty with a terrace. There are no published opening hours for the park itself, and no official note of public toilets, so plan around the cafés.

On a wet day, the indoor Caldas da Rainha municipal pools are in town. On a warm one, Foz do Arelho, where the calm Óbidos lagoon meets the sea, is about 10 km away. The walled town of Óbidos and the giant Buddhas of Buddha Eden are both a short drive.

Is there a playground in Parque D. Carlos I?

Yes. The council rebuilt the park’s children’s playground and listed the work as completed in 2025.

Is Parque D. Carlos I free?

Yes, the park is free to enter. Boat prices and the Museu José Malhoa ticket (€5 when checked) are separate.

Can you take a boat on the lake?

The lake has boats, but times and prices aren’t published. Check on the day whether they are out and what they cost.

Can you have a picnic in Parque D. Carlos I?

Yes. There are picnic tables and benches among the green spaces.