Parque Marechal Carmona

Parque Marechal Carmona is the big green park in the centre of Cascais, between Avenida da República and the Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães, a few minutes from the town beaches. It’s free, it opens every day from 08:30, and on a hot afternoon its big old trees give plenty of shade. Families come for three things: the birds loose on the lawns, a playground split by age, and a café beside a duck lake.

You’ll also see it called the Parque da Gandarinha. It was renamed after the 1974 revolution, but most people in Cascais still use the old name.

Peacocks are the reason most children remember this park. The council’s environment agency lists peacocks, ducks and hens among the park’s animals, and they walk about the lawns and paths among the visitors. The males sometimes fan out their tails, which is worth waiting for. The ducks swim on the lake by the café terrace.

The council has also put up insect hotels, nest boxes for small birds and bat shelters around the park. Hunting for them turns a walk into a treasure trail, and it’s a good way to talk about how a town park can make room for wildlife. The Câmara’s own page also mentions a mini-zoo and a greenhouse (estufa) among the park’s features.

Ask children to watch rather than chase, so the birds stay relaxed around visitors.

The playground is divided into three areas adapted to different ages, so toddlers aren’t knocked over by bigger children. Around it there are wide lawns, a pitch for traditional games, a picnic area and a walking circuit. The council also lists orienteering among the activities that use the park, so older children may find a course here.

The park has ramp access, so a buggy copes. The ground rolls gently, and a stretch of the Ribeira dos Mochos stream runs through the park near the lakes.

The Biblioteca Municipal Infantil e Juvenil, Cascais’s library for children and young people, is inside the park. If you have a reader, check the library’s programme for workshops and story sessions before you go. On a showery day it makes a good indoor break between the playground and the ducks.

This land has been a garden for a long time. The council’s environment agency says it was already a country estate for leisure and farming in the first half of the 16th century. It was bought by Discalced Carmelite friars, passed to the state in 1834 when Portugal closed its religious orders, and eventually belonged to the Visconde da Gandarinha, who turned it into a romantic park. In 1944 his land was joined to the gardens of the Palácio dos Condes de Castro Guimarães next door, and the whole thing opened to the public.

That history explains the park’s feel: big old trees, winding romantic paths, a woodland area, beds of shrubs and flowers, and sculptures and small buildings dotted around.

Every Saturday the park hosts the Mercado Biológico de Cascais, the town’s certified organic market. Stalls sell fruit and vegetables, jams, sweets, bread and regional cakes. It brings more people and some bustle, which can be fun for older children, but choose another morning if yours prefers quiet.

The park opens every day at 08:30. The two council websites give slightly different closing times. The Câmara’s page says 19:45 in summer and 17:45 in winter; the environment agency says 20:00 from April to October and 18:00 from November to March. Either way, aim to leave by the earlier time.

Entry is free. There are toilets, a café with a terrace by the lake, picnic tables and a place to eat. Keep a close eye on little ones near the lakes and the stream. The council asks you to check its website for any temporary restrictions before visiting.

The park is a walk from Cascais train station, at the end of the line from Cais do Sodré in Lisbon, so it’s easy to reach without a car. The environment agency lists parking.

The park is a short walk from the town beaches: Praia da Rainha is a tiny sheltered cove in the old town, and Praia da Conceição is right in the centre. For a treat, Santini sells ice cream near the bay, and train-mad children can eat in an old railway carriage at Trem Velho by the station. The turreted Museu Condes de Castro Guimarães sits on the edge of the park. If your children loved the insect hotels, the free Cascais butterfly house at Quinta de Rana is a short drive inland.

Do you pay to get into the park?

No. Entry is free every day.

Are there really peacocks?

Yes. The council lists peacocks, ducks and hens among the park’s animals, and they roam the lawns and paths.

Is it good for toddlers?

Yes. The playground has a separate area for the youngest children, the paths suit a buggy, and there are ducks to watch from the café terrace. Stay close by the water.

What time does the park close?

Between 17:45 and 18:00 in winter and between 19:45 and 20:00 in summer; the council’s two websites differ slightly, so aim for the earlier time.

Is there a café?

Yes, a café with a terrace beside the duck lake, plus picnic tables.