Oceanário de Lisboa

The Oceanário de Lisboa was built for the 1998 World Exposition, whose theme was the oceans, and it remains the most visited attraction in the eastern part of the city. The building, conceived by Peter Chermayeff, stands on a pier in the former Expo lagoon at Parque das Nações, and from outside it looks a little like a ship moored in the water. Inside, the layout is designed to be followed in a single loop, which makes it easy for families to manage.

Everything revolves around the central tank, which holds about five million litres of water and is seven metres deep. Large acrylic windows on two levels let you watch sharks, rays, shoals of fish and the ocean sunfish, which is often the star of the show. Around this tank are four habitats representing different coastlines, including an Antarctic zone with penguins and areas with sea otters, seabirds and tropical species. You keep returning to the central tank from different angles as you walk, so it is worth pausing at each window.

The aquarium also runs a temporary exhibition in a connected building, and these change every few years. The atmosphere is calm and dim, with seating in front of the big windows, so it is a good choice for a rainy day or a break from walking the hills of the old town. Younger children usually enjoy the otters and the penguins most.

The Oceanário opens every day from 10:00 to 20:00, with last entry at 19:00, and has shorter hours on 24 and 31 December. Weekends, school holidays and wet days are the busiest times, so buy tickets online and arrive at opening or in the late afternoon. Allow about two hours. The building is step-free, with lifts between levels, and there is a café and a gift shop.

To get there, take the red metro line to Oriente, a station designed by Santiago Calatrava, and walk about ten minutes through Parque das Nações towards the river. The district was built for Expo '98 and has a long riverside promenade with views of the Vasco da Gama Bridge, a cable car that runs above the water's edge, gardens and plenty of places to eat. It is easy to spend the rest of the day in the area after your visit.