Lisbon’s lung and Lisboetas’ green escape
Free
Serra de Monsanto
Benfica, São Domingos de Benfica, Campolide, Belém, Ajuda, Alcântara
218 170 200, website
Always open
Rest assured that Monsanto is not owned by the chemical conglomerate of the same name: it’s a man-made park created by mostly farmers and prisoners (true story) in 1929 to be the city’s lung. Located on the west side of Lisbon, starting around Alcântara, it’s wonderful to get lost in, and if it’s you first time there, don’t worry…you will. At 10 square km, it makes you forget you are in a city capital and not in complete wilderness. There are kilometers and kilometers of mountain biking trails, really cool playgrounds, a climbing wall (sssh!), an adventure park, an education center, ponds, an animal farm, and grills and picnic tables for the picnicers. There’s even a campground if you want to make this your temporary home though camping is not allowed outside the camping area.
