Parque dos Poetas

The Parque dos Poetas (Poets’ Park) stretches over 22.5 hectares between the towns of Oeiras and Paço de Arcos, just west of Lisbon. Oeiras council built it to honour poetry in Portuguese, and it has statues of 60 poets: 50 Portuguese and 10 from other Portuguese-speaking countries and territories, made by more than 40 sculptors. The council’s 2015 guide to the park calls it the only poetry park in the world.

It opened in three stages. The first ten hectares, with the 20 great Portuguese poets of the 20th century, opened on 7 June 2003. Seven more hectares, with poets from the medieval troubadours to the Renaissance, followed in 2013, and in June 2015 the final stretch added poets from the Baroque to the Romantic era and the ten from Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé and Príncipe, Macau, Timor and Goa. The landscape architects were Francisco Caldeira Cabral and Elsa Severino.

For children, the poetry is the backdrop. What they’ll notice is the space, the playgrounds, the labyrinth and the fountains dotted around.

The park map marks children’s playgrounds (zonas infantis) in more than one part of the park, and the council’s own description lists sports, playground and children’s equipment. There’s also a free-use sports court (polidesportivo), a picnic area called the Parque das Merendas, and plenty of lawn.

The playground in the park’s second phase was fully rebuilt in early 2025. The council closed it in February 2025 for a complete rehabilitation, with the work due to finish on 3 March 2025. While it was shut, the council pointed families to the playground at the Jardim dos Arcos on Rua Belo Horizonte, less than 300 metres away, which is useful to know if one play area is busy or closed.

Our sources don’t list the equipment in each playground, so check the one nearest your entrance when you arrive.

These are the spots the park’s own map and guide pick out:

• The labyrinth. A classical maze-like space topped by a pointed structure, which the park describes as a viewpoint with a sweeping panorama.
• The cybernetic fountains. Pools where water jets move with sound, light and colour at set times (see the timetable below). One plays on the Camões lake, a rainwater reserve.
• The Zen fountains. In summer they give off a fine, cooling mist of water vapour.
• The Gruta de Camões. A grotto with scenes from Os Lusíadas, the Portuguese national epic about Vasco da Gama’s sea voyage to India.
• The Ilha dos Amores (Island of Love). Sculptures of 14 nymphs from the same poem.
• The Templo da Poesia. The park’s meeting point, which the 2015 guide describes as a building with rooms, exhibitions and a restaurant looking out over the mouth of the Tagus.
• The Mãe de Água. A water structure from the Pombaline era (the late 18th century) that collected water for the Espargal public fountain.
• A stream and lake, plus two open-air amphitheatres used for summer events.

Time Out says the park’s programme includes theatre, music, exhibitions and children’s workshops.

The fountains in phases one and two only run at certain hours, so time your visit if your children want to see them.

• Summer (1 May to 30 September): weekdays 11:00 to 12:00 and 15:00 to 18:00; weekends 10:00 to 13:00, 15:00 to 18:00 and 20:00 to 22:00, with the last hour played without sound or music.
• Winter (1 October to 30 April): weekdays 15:00 to 17:00; weekends 10:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 17:00.

A summer weekend evening, with the park open until 23:00 and the fountains playing until 22:00, is a good cool-of-the-day outing.

• Toddlers: the playgrounds, the lawns and the fountains.
• Little kids (4 to 7): playgrounds, the labyrinth and hunting for the nymphs and the grotto.
• Big kids (8 to 12): the sports court, the viewpoint and the stories behind the statues.
• Teens: the sports court, open space, and a real link to the poets they study at school.

• At 22.5 hectares the park is big, so decide which part to visit if you have small legs with you.
• The park map shows toilets, a kiosk and an entrance for people with reduced mobility.
• Bring hats and water on hot days, and check the fountain times before you promise anyone a fountain show.
• Parking is marked at several points, including covered parking.

Praia de Santo Amaro, Oeiras’s best-known beach, and the Piscina Oceânica de Oeiras, a seawater lido at Praia da Torre, are both a short drive away on the seafront. Young skaters can head east to the Skate Park de Caxias. For lunch, O Passo is in Paço de Arcos.

Is Parque dos Poetas free?

Yes. Oeiras council lists entry as free.

What time does Parque dos Poetas open?

From 1 May to 30 September it’s open 9:00 to 23:00, and from 1 October to 30 April 10:00 to 20:00.

Is there a playground at Parque dos Poetas?

Yes. The park map marks children’s playgrounds, and the one in the second phase was completely rebuilt in early 2025.

When do the fountains run?

At set times only. In summer, weekdays 11:00 to 12:00 and 15:00 to 18:00, weekends 10:00 to 13:00, 15:00 to 18:00 and 20:00 to 22:00. In winter, weekdays 15:00 to 17:00 and weekends 10:00 to 13:00 and 15:00 to 17:00.

Is there parking?

Yes. The park map shows several parking areas, including a covered car park. By car, take the A5 to exit 7 towards Oeiras.