12 attractions to liven up your kids' Christmas Holidays

Side by side with the magnificent Porto City Park, Sea Life has the first underwater tunnel in the country. In addition to the permanent exhibitions, this season celebrates Christmas in shades of blue, with the traditional dive of Santa Claus in the depths of the ocean, Christmas workshops and the presence of children's choirs.

Noah's Ark, the Small Farm, the Reptilian, the Sea Lion and Birds show and, of course, the irresistible penguins delight the children. At Christmas time, the Maia Zoo organizes holiday camps for the younger ones, in addition to the year-round educational activities.

Still in Seia, take the opportunity to visit the Bread Museum and learn about the history of this product that is part of our daily lives. It is divided into the rooms “Bread Cycle”, “Political, Social and Religious Bread”, “Art of Bread” and even a Thematic Space that is precisely dedicated to the children, where they can be carried away by the magic of the senses.

Portugal dos Pequenitos is already part of the imagination of most Portuguese, so be sure to take the kids to discover this miniature country, where they can play and discover a Portugal tailored for them. At Christmas time they offer “School Holidays Workshops”, which allow children to acquire knowledge in the areas of architecture and the arts.

Eight thousand toys from Portugal and around the world, from past to present, is what you can find here. The museum's workshop is the ideal place to combine the playful and educational aspect. At Christmas time, the Museum usually has special exhibitions, as well as train tracks that delight the little ones.

To enter Dino Parque, located in Lourinhã, is to time travel over 300 million years. Portugal's largest open-air museum immediately delights the little adventurers as they follow its four routes. It offers discovery and painting activities throughout the year.

An adventure through the immensity of the oceans is what the Oceanarium offers, for kids and adults. It recreates four different habitats - the North Atlantic, temperate Pacific, Antarctic and Indian Ocean - arranged around a central tank. Children activities are more than many and, at Christmas time, the “Underwater Holidays” option includes animal observation, fine arts and research. For the most intrepid there's always the already famous "Sleeping with Sharks".

Going around the world in one day is what the Lisbon Zoo offers to the young, with over 2000 animals representative of the four corners of the world. The most sought after corners are the Dolphin Bay, the Enchanted Forest, the Small Farm and the Cable Car. During the holidays, it promotes several workshops, always with the motto “Educate to Preserve”.

The Carris Museum offers a trip to the past through the world of transport. Its Christmas workshops promise to cheer up the kids with plastic activities, readings, staging, games and films. Enjoy the area of Alcântara and stroll through the pleasant riverside area.

Kidzania, more than a theme park, is an authentic city built in small but almost real size, where kids can choose from over 60 different professions. Let them enjoy this make-believe play, you'll see they'll love it!

The Mora Fluviarium is the first large freshwater aquarium in Europe where youngsters can get to know freshwater ecosystems. It offers a year-round educational programme under the slogan “The Forms of Water” and, at Christmas, fun activities for a different holiday.

In Funchal, it is worth visiting the "Parque Temático da Madeira", highlighting the "Descoberta das Ilhas", "Futuro da Terra", "Viagem Fantástica na Madeira" and "Um mundo de Ilhas, as ilhas do Mundo".