Who doesn’t love water parks? Since the closure of Aquaparque do Restelo and Onda Parque in Caparica, Lisbon has never again had its own summer amusement park where locals and visitors could enjoy the summer with dips in the water, slides, and lots of fun.
Actually, Lisbon has plenty of places where you can take a dip on these summer days, like these swimming pools or these saltwater pools, but when it comes to real fun— with slides and ramps for “butt” races— there’s nothing like it in the city.
So, if none of that exists around here, grab your GPS and head to one of these water parks, which are an hour or a little more from Lisbon—except for one, which is a bit farther away but that many Lisboners can visit this summer.
Santarém Aquatic Complex
Better known as Piscinas de Santarém, the Santarém water park is divided into two zones: the indoor and outdoor pools, with each area offering a variety of activities.
It’s the outdoor area where all the fun is—there you’ll find a large pool with two water features, a waterfall, a hot tub, and several slides with three lanes and two open spiral slides.
You’ll still be able to enjoy a wave pool, a baby area, and a kids’ pool that will leave their hands completely pruney.
Near the water play areas , you’ll find a large grassy area where you can spread out your towel and relax.
In this area, you’ll find several spots shaded by trees, lounge chairs, and a bar with an outdoor terrace where you can cool off between dips.
Lagoa do Falcão, in Torres Vedras
Located in Outeiro da Cabeça Campelos, in Torres Vedras, just over 65 km from Lisbon, the Lagoa do Falcão Water Park features a six-hectare recreation area where you can enjoy various activities, from relaxing on the lagoon’s beach to canoeing, stand-up paddleboarding, rock climbing, archery, and inflatable water attractions, among many other fun options.
All of this takes place outdoors with the best safety and comfort features, for a full day out with family or friends.
This is also one of the water parks that offers a Daily Pass with a 10% discount on other activities, such as paintball, rock climbing, slides, archery, and many others.
OHAI, in Nazaré
Located in Nazaré, about an hour from Lisbon, at OHAI Nazaré you can combine nature with comfort and fun.
In addition to the new swimming pools built from shipping containers— making them the tallest in Europe— at this glamping resort in Nazaré , you’ll find one of the most fun water parks with slides and tubes in the western region.
The only catch is that, to enjoy this park, you have to be a guest, which doesn’t seem like an easy thing to arrange at this time of year.
Splash Seixal
The Splash Seixal water park on the south bank is only open for a limited time during the summer, always offering a lively atmosphere and plenty of activities for kids and adults alike— especially for the little ones.
Here you’ll find plenty of inflatable attractions, with slides that take all the kids down into large pools, plus lots of other activities and, of course, areas set aside for relaxing, eating, and drinking —and even a tree-top adventure course.