Parque Recreativo dos Moinhos de Santana

The Parque Recreativo dos Moinhos de Santana is a council park on the high ground of Restelo, in the parish of Belém, next to (but separate from) the Monsanto forest. It opened to the public in 1997 and covers about five hectares of lawns, trees and shrubs, including cypresses, carob, almond and olive trees and stone pines.

Its name comes from the two windmills (moinhos) on the top of the hill. For children, the park has a bit of everything: a playground, a skate park, a lake with ducks and a waterfall, lawns to run on and a view over the river. Time Out included it in its September 2025 list of the best playgrounds in Lisbon.

The two mills were built in the middle of the 18th century for the Irish Dominican nuns of the Convento do Bom Sucesso in Belém. They are known as the Moinho de Santana and the Moinho Velho (Old Mill). The Belém parish council restored them with support from Lisbon city council, and the parish says they are the last well-preserved traces of the flour-milling industry that once supplied bread to western Lisbon.

We couldn’t find any information about visiting the inside of the mills, so treat them as something to walk up to and look at. They’re a good starting point for a conversation about how wind power turned millstones long before electricity.

Lower down there’s a children’s playground with slides and swings, and the park also has sports equipment and a fitness circuit. Visit Portugal lists a skate park and a skating rink, and KidsToGo describes a skate park and an inline skating rink, so children can bring scooters, skates or boards. We couldn’t find an obstacle list for the skate area. As in any skate park, keep young beginners out of the way of older riders and bring a helmet.

KidsToGo also lists a mini-golf course and a dog park, but these don’t appear in the council or tourism board descriptions we found, so check on the day.

A lake with a waterfall runs through the park, and the ducks are a reliable hit with toddlers. From the viewpoint at the top, Lisboa Secreta says you can see the south bank of the Tagus, the 25 de Abril bridge and Restelo, and on clear days perhaps as far as Costa da Caparica and the Belém Tower.

There’s a restaurant with a terrace, which keeps the same hours as the park according to Visit Portugal. KidsToGo lists toilets, a baby-changing station and drinking fountains, and describes the park as wheelchair accessible. There’s a picnic area with tables, a pergola, a gazebo and an 80-seat open-air amphitheatre.

Time Out gives the hours as 09:00 to 20:00 from April to September and 09:00 to 18:00 from October to March. The main entrance is on Rua Tristão Vaz, where Lisboa Secreta mentions free street parking. The park is on a hill, so expect some slopes with a buggy.

The park is on the high ground above Belém, and it’s a good place to let children run after a morning indoors:

• The Museu de Marinha, the navy museum with its royal barges.
• The Planetário de Marinha next door.
• The Museu Nacional dos Coches, full of golden royal carriages.
• Pastéis de Belém for the famous custard tarts.
• The Parque Florestal de Monsanto next door, for forest walks.

Is the Moinhos de Santana park free?

Yes. The park is free to enter.

Is there a playground and skate park at Moinhos de Santana?

Yes. There’s a playground with slides and swings, and Visit Portugal lists a skate park and a skating rink.

Can you go inside the windmills?

We couldn’t find any information about visits inside the mills. You can walk up to them and see them from outside.

What are the opening hours?

Time Out lists 09:00 to 20:00 from April to September and 09:00 to 18:00 from October to March.

Are there toilets?

KidsToGo lists toilets and a baby-changing station, and there’s a restaurant with a terrace.