Parque Urbano da Quinta Municipal da Piedade

The Parque Urbano da Quinta Municipal da Piedade is the main park in Póvoa de Santa Iria, a town in the municipality of Vila Franca de Xira, north of Lisbon along the Tagus. The council calls it the heart of the town. It’s built around the Quinta da Piedade, a noble estate that goes back to the 14th century and still has an 18th-century palace with valuable azulejo (painted tile) interiors, listed as a building of public interest.

What makes it good for families is how much is packed into one free park: a playground, youth play areas, a skate park, sports pitches, a small farm with animals, orchards and vegetable plots, and a café and toilets for the grown-ups. The park is open from 07:30 to 22:00.

The council lists a children’s playground and separate recreation areas for children and young people, with outdoor seating around them. It doesn’t publish an equipment list or age breakdown, so look around when you arrive to find the right area for toddlers and for older children.

The Skate Park da Póvoa de Santa Iria is inside the park. The council describes it as designed for skateboarding and for a range of manoeuvres, and it’s free. There’s no published list of obstacles or rules, so bring a helmet and pads, keep young beginners to the edges when older skaters are riding, and check any signs at the entrance about scooters and bikes.

Part of the quinta is run as a Quinta Pedagógica, an educational farm. The council lists an animal park, vegetable plots (hortas), a plant nursery, an orchard, an olive grove, forestry areas and animal enclosures, plus themed workshops. Schools and groups can arrange educational visits through the council’s quintas service (219 533 050, quintasmunicipais@cm-vfxira.pt).

For small children, walking from the playground to see the animals and the vegetable plots is an easy way to fill a morning. The council’s tourism page gives shorter hours for the quinta itself: Tuesday to Sunday, 08:30 to 17:00 from November to March and to 18:00 from April to October, closed on public holidays. It doesn’t say whether the animal area follows these hours, so a daytime visit outside public holidays is the safest bet.

Older children and teenagers have a multi-purpose pitch and tennis courts. There’s an outdoor gym and a fitness circuit (circuito de manutenção), which the council lists as open daily from 08:00 to 20:00.

Around the park you can see the palace, the church and hermitage of Nossa Senhora da Piedade, the Oratório de São Jerónimo (a small chapel) and the Lapa do Senhor Morto, a grotto shrine. The palace’s Salão Nobre (great hall) hosts concerts. In October 2026 the council’s InMusic na Quinta series of introduced concerts is held there on Sundays.

On 6 June 2026 the council turned the park into the “Quinta dos Exploradores” for Children’s Day, with free inflatables, trampolines, workshops, games and theatre from 09:30 to 19:30. Look out for similar free days on the council agenda.

The council also hires out rooms at the quinta for birthday parties. When checked in September 2026, the council’s pages listed different rates: from €21.61 an hour on the tourism page, and €22.13 an hour (or €29.50 with an inflatable, minimum three hours) for the Sala Atelier Telheiro, which is bookable on Saturdays and Sundays from 14:00 to 20:00. Confirm the price when you book.

• The Piscina Municipal de Vila Franca de Xira for a swim.
• The Museu do Ar in Alverca, Portugal’s air museum, full of historic planes.
• EVOA, the birdwatching centre on the Tagus estuary.

Is the Quinta da Piedade park free?

Yes. The park, playground, skate park and farm areas are free. Party rooms are paid.

What are the opening hours?

The park is open from 07:30 to 22:00. The council’s tourism page gives the quinta itself shorter hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 08:30 to 17:00 in winter and 18:00 in summer, closed on public holidays.

Are there toilets and a café?

Yes. The council lists toilets, a café and a car park.

Is there a skate park in Póvoa de Santa Iria?

Yes. The Skate Park da Póvoa de Santa Iria is inside the Quinta da Piedade park, and it’s free.

Can you see animals at the Quinta da Piedade?

Yes. The educational farm has an animal park and animal enclosures, along with orchards and vegetable plots.