Parque do Avião

Ask anyone in Leiria for the Parque do Avião and they will point you to the river. Its official name is the Parque Municipal Tenente-Coronel Jaime Filipe da Fonseca, but since 1977 it has had a small military plane standing in the middle of the grass, and everyone calls it the Plane Park.

The park runs along the River Lis in the centre of the city. The council describes it as one of Leiria’s oldest and best-known meeting places, and it was redesigned in 2007 as part of the Polis riverside programme. Today it holds a children’s playground, a football pitch, a basketball court and the city’s main street skate park, all free and all within a few minutes’ walk of each other.

The plane is a Beechcraft C-45 Expeditor, a twin-engined aircraft that the council says was given to the Portuguese Air Force after the Second World War and spent its working life mostly as a transport plane, carrying people and supplies. It was installed in the park in 1977 and gave the place its nickname.

For small children it is the main event. They can walk right round it and look at the two propeller engines, the long wings and the distinctive twin tail. The council pages don’t say whether you can go inside or climb on it, so treat it as something to look at unless you see otherwise on the day.

The man the park is named after, Jaime Filipe da Fonseca, was from Leiria. The council explains that he died in 1962 during the attack on the army barracks in Beja, an uprising against the Estado Novo dictatorship, when he was Under-Secretary of State for Defence. It’s a piece of 20th-century Portuguese history that older children can look up afterwards.

The playground is on the council’s list of Leiria’s municipal playgrounds, which it says it is renewing and maintaining to current safety and accessibility standards. The council doesn’t publish a list of the equipment here, so expect a standard city playground rather than a themed adventure one. With the plane, the courts and the riverside path next to it, it’s enough for an hour or two with under-sevens.

The skate park opened in 2016 and was designed with help from Leiria’s own skaters. The council describes it as a modern park with 13 obstacles at different levels of difficulty, laid out so riders can progress step by step, and says it is one of the busiest spots in the city for skaters.

SkateLopez, the firm behind the design, explains how it is laid out. It sits between two rows of trees, with the north end against the plane garden and the south end next to the multi-sports courts. There are two parts:

• A ramp area with a mini-halfpipe, which has a hip, an extension and a vert wall. The smooth curves suit beginners learning to drop in and pump, as well as more experienced riders.
• A street area split into levels of increasing difficulty, with obstacles that copy the steps, rails and ledges of a real street.

It was built for skateboards, BMX freestyle and inline skates. The pages we checked don’t mention scooters. Children on scooters are a common sight at Portuguese skate parks, but look at any signs by the entrance before your child joins in.

• Toddlers: the plane, the playground and room to run on the grass.
• Ages 4 to 7: the playground, plus first wobbly laps on a scooter or balance bike along the riverside path. The mini-halfpipe is the gentlest part of the skate park, but only when it’s quiet.
• Ages 8 to 12: the skate park’s easier street obstacles and the ball courts.
• Teenagers: the full street course and the courts.

The council pages don’t publish rules for this skate park, so bring a helmet and pads anyway, and wrist guards for beginners. Skate parks get busiest with older riders in the late afternoon and at weekends. For a small child’s first go, a weekday morning or lunchtime is usually calmer. In summer, check how hot the concrete is before little hands go down on it.

• Cost: free.
• Food: a listings site mentions a café with a terrace and picnic tables. We couldn’t confirm the café’s hours, so bring snacks.
• Toilets: not mentioned on the council pages.
• Getting there: the park is on the Percurso Polis, the walking and cycling route along the Lis, so you can arrive on foot or by bike from the centre.

The city’s other big skate spot, the Parque Radical de Leiria, is also on the river and has a 10-metre climbing tower. For a swim, the Complexo Municipal de Piscinas de Leiria is in the city. The council also points out that from the Parque José Mattoso, below the castle, you can walk up to Leiria Castle or take the free lift. Further out in the district, the Grutas de Mira de Aire make a good rainy-day plan.

Is Parque do Avião free?

Yes. It’s a public council park, and the playground, skate park and courts are free.

Can children go inside the plane?

The council pages don’t say you can. Plan on looking at it from the outside.

Is the skate park OK for beginners?

Yes, with care. The council says its 13 obstacles are at different levels so riders can progress gradually, and the mini-halfpipe suits beginners. Go when it’s quiet and keep young children out of the way of experienced riders.

Are scooters allowed at the Leiria skate park?

It was designed for skateboards, BMX freestyle and inline skates, and the sources don’t mention scooters. Check the signs at the park.

How long do you need?

An hour or two covers the plane, the playground and a skate session. Add a walk or cycle along the river to make a morning of it.