Parque da Mina
Parque da Mina
4
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Parque da Mina is a complement to the offerings of aquatic fun and beach in the Algarve. In Parque da Mina travel through time, visiting a furnished house (XVIII century), some traditions the Serra de Monchique, grocery, shoemaker, carpentry, dressmaker, distillery of berries (medronho), agriculture, manufacture of bread and honey, cork extraction, ore extraction, manufacture of charcoal, farm animals, old means of transport, sightseeing, suspended bridge on the waterfall, wetland for warmer days, spaces for picnics, children's fun and events. In Parque da Mina you can live a fantastic adventure double between culture and fun.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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4.0
134 reviews
Excellent
49
Very good
40
Average
22
Poor
10
Terrible
13
Julia J
Oxford, UK43 contributions
July 2014 • Family
This was billed as a 'theme park' in our guide book. In reality it is more of a stately home and farm. The kids (10 and 7) each purchased a bag of food at the entrance and had a great time finding the animals to feed. There were goats, ponies and some pigs. We arrived at about 11 on a weekday and we had the park to ourselves until well after lunchtime.
The little mansion was good and we had a personal tour. The tour guide was very humorous and pointed out all the English antiques around the house, even the children were enthralled.
The little cafe claimed to serve sandwiches but when I asked I was given a blank look and asked if I wanted frozen pizza. Luckily we had bought our own snacks and ate them on some of the picnic benches there. They did serve Tetley tea at the cafe but the staff member was unsure how to make it and took 20 minutes heating the water. Considering tea is not a Portuguese drink it was good of them to serve it anyway.
In all it was a good few hours entertainment for the little people.
The little mansion was good and we had a personal tour. The tour guide was very humorous and pointed out all the English antiques around the house, even the children were enthralled.
The little cafe claimed to serve sandwiches but when I asked I was given a blank look and asked if I wanted frozen pizza. Luckily we had bought our own snacks and ate them on some of the picnic benches there. They did serve Tetley tea at the cafe but the staff member was unsure how to make it and took 20 minutes heating the water. Considering tea is not a Portuguese drink it was good of them to serve it anyway.
In all it was a good few hours entertainment for the little people.
Written 17 August 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NS357
Vancouver Island, Canada137 contributions
July 2012
Well wort a visit, a period house with plenty to see, all the historc items peculiar to Portugal, the kids will enjoy it and of course the animals and birds, good parking and reasonable entry fee
Written 8 June 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
cometoportugal
Armacao de Pera, Portugal76 contributions
July 2016
Located halfway up Monchique near Caldo de Monchique on the main road, you can see the entrance by the way of an impressive waterfall, climbing up the toward the entrance you will find the original impressive house that is seeped in history along with many eclectic artifact and antique as well as many everyday curious. The park is a mix of many things from animals Ponies, Donkeys, & Pot bellied pigs to vintage cars. there is a basement museum showing how the Distilled liquor madronho 'Fire Water' is made. the park s ideal for families or just couple,s you do come away and feel you have learnt something which most places don't offer. There is a cafe where you can get a snack and drink and the place hold large venues. If you are looking for something a little bit different and also want to know a little about the Algarve then this is the place to be there is a good guide on offer who can tell you everything you need to know about all the displays on show. Good value for money as there is not time limit as to how long you stay and you can take your own picnic which I would recommend to make the day a little more special.
Written 16 March 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rosemarie C
Greater London, UK26 contributions
Sept 2019 • Friends
I was appalled to see birds in cages???
A whole flock of birds flying together as high as they could - feathers sticking in the wire ‘roof’.
Why were the peacocks in cages? One of them walking back and forth clearly stressed.
Animals being born into captivity? For what?
Beautiful budgies, cockatiels etc in a cage with a piece of wood to perch on? Nothing to keep them interested - nothing like an aviary should be.
Arrays of smelly horrid cages, with birds, chickens etc caged up for what?
Pigs with no clean water.
A donkey that was so bored, it was stressed.
This is no ‘zoo’ no natural park. We had simply expected to see animals in their natural habitat. Not a cruel home for imprisoned animals.
Do not visit
A whole flock of birds flying together as high as they could - feathers sticking in the wire ‘roof’.
Why were the peacocks in cages? One of them walking back and forth clearly stressed.
Animals being born into captivity? For what?
Beautiful budgies, cockatiels etc in a cage with a piece of wood to perch on? Nothing to keep them interested - nothing like an aviary should be.
Arrays of smelly horrid cages, with birds, chickens etc caged up for what?
Pigs with no clean water.
A donkey that was so bored, it was stressed.
This is no ‘zoo’ no natural park. We had simply expected to see animals in their natural habitat. Not a cruel home for imprisoned animals.
Do not visit
Written 5 September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ian L
42 contributions
Sept 2017 • Couples
This place is a triumph of marketing over reality. Expensive reality too at 10 euros each.
I couldn't work out what the place was trying to be. If this was meant to be an educational experience...and it has the potential to be one...then it failed by a mile. If a family adventure then it's too expensive and fails again.
The pity of it is that without much effort or expense it could have been very different. So if anyone in senior management is listening here's some feedback which I intend to be beneficial.
1. Improve your information cards with more depth and better presentation. Nowhere more so than the bird sanctuary. Have a look at the type of information UK zoos use and emulate it.
2. We weren't offered a site map or a guide book. At this price point believe me your customers expect more than just a receipt! There weren't any guide books available as far as I could tell. Come on for a historical experience you can write volumes. Your centre piece is the house. Look at the National Trust literature from the UK it will give you a great template to work from.
Audio guides in differing languages will help your guides. Our guide was an absolute delight ( and the only reason you got two stars instead of one ) but she struggled with English.
3. Whilst we appreciated the signs in English but I was surprised by the lack of multilingual support.
4. If your core theme is historical education do you link up with local schools? Again look at how historical locations in the UK link with schools and run school programmes.
5. The mine was particularly disappointing. Your marketing suggests more than a grill over a hole in the ground even if it does have a dummy miner.
As far as I could tell on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in early September my wife and I had the place to ourselves. That can't be sustainable and for that bit of imagination and investment could be so much more than it is.
I couldn't work out what the place was trying to be. If this was meant to be an educational experience...and it has the potential to be one...then it failed by a mile. If a family adventure then it's too expensive and fails again.
The pity of it is that without much effort or expense it could have been very different. So if anyone in senior management is listening here's some feedback which I intend to be beneficial.
1. Improve your information cards with more depth and better presentation. Nowhere more so than the bird sanctuary. Have a look at the type of information UK zoos use and emulate it.
2. We weren't offered a site map or a guide book. At this price point believe me your customers expect more than just a receipt! There weren't any guide books available as far as I could tell. Come on for a historical experience you can write volumes. Your centre piece is the house. Look at the National Trust literature from the UK it will give you a great template to work from.
Audio guides in differing languages will help your guides. Our guide was an absolute delight ( and the only reason you got two stars instead of one ) but she struggled with English.
3. Whilst we appreciated the signs in English but I was surprised by the lack of multilingual support.
4. If your core theme is historical education do you link up with local schools? Again look at how historical locations in the UK link with schools and run school programmes.
5. The mine was particularly disappointing. Your marketing suggests more than a grill over a hole in the ground even if it does have a dummy miner.
As far as I could tell on a beautiful Sunday afternoon in early September my wife and I had the place to ourselves. That can't be sustainable and for that bit of imagination and investment could be so much more than it is.
Written 10 September 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Meander776095
4 contributions
So this place is run down and unloved. Or at least it was when we arrived in early April. Perhaps it’s better in the summer?
If it was free I suppose it would have broken the day up with the kids but honestly the old house is a bit creepy, the cafe was open but I didn’t see anyone working in there or any ice creams in the freezer..
The animals certainly look fed up and there were some quite odd manikins around the place that just looked unkempt and fit for the bin.
Also there were what looked liked water features with hardly any water in and what was in there looked like you might catch something by just being within eye shot of them.
Not really sure what this place is supposed to be and if the reason for its bad presentation was the fact it was off season then I’m not sure why they were open and what they expect people to think paying €30 to walk around a derelict theme park?
I honestly think the only thing this place might be useful for would be a film set for a budget horror film.
Sorry parque da Mina. I think you need to try harder for peoples money or just keep the doors closed until peak season (if that is what I hope the reason for what I experienced was?)
If it was free I suppose it would have broken the day up with the kids but honestly the old house is a bit creepy, the cafe was open but I didn’t see anyone working in there or any ice creams in the freezer..
The animals certainly look fed up and there were some quite odd manikins around the place that just looked unkempt and fit for the bin.
Also there were what looked liked water features with hardly any water in and what was in there looked like you might catch something by just being within eye shot of them.
Not really sure what this place is supposed to be and if the reason for its bad presentation was the fact it was off season then I’m not sure why they were open and what they expect people to think paying €30 to walk around a derelict theme park?
I honestly think the only thing this place might be useful for would be a film set for a budget horror film.
Sorry parque da Mina. I think you need to try harder for peoples money or just keep the doors closed until peak season (if that is what I hope the reason for what I experienced was?)
Written 4 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rachel Goddard
Spalding, UK417 contributions
June 2018 • Couples
Stumbled upon this place as looked good from the main road, no prices until your at the window paying €24 to get in... ok, there wasn't anything to see?? We didn't see a museum there was one building but the door was closed? Maybe because we was the only 2 people there mid-morning? We thought how strange! The ponies had open sores on their backs, clearly has skin problems. The donkey was so pleased to see us like it hadn't seen anyone in a year and it had no water? Very strange place and wish we hadn't gone in. Needs major improvement and more looked after animals & signs then maybe you'd be more busy.
Written 27 June 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fernando P
Lagos, Portugal260 contributions
June 2016 • Friends
The place is well kept and all the staff was extremely friendly.
The name of this attraction is "Mine's Park" but you will find very little pertaining to the mine (just a glimpse of the old entrance) or the mining activity.
The old estate house has a collection of all that is old: old work instruments, old furniture, old artifacts, etc.
To help fill in the grounds of the park they scattered a few animals, threw in an old horse carriage here and there, created a couple of very dismal looking artificial ponds and a couple of other things more.
The name of this attraction is "Mine's Park" but you will find very little pertaining to the mine (just a glimpse of the old entrance) or the mining activity.
The old estate house has a collection of all that is old: old work instruments, old furniture, old artifacts, etc.
To help fill in the grounds of the park they scattered a few animals, threw in an old horse carriage here and there, created a couple of very dismal looking artificial ponds and a couple of other things more.
Written 15 June 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anastasia K
Stockholm108 contributions
Jan 2014 • Family
This little mansion is a real gem for families travelling with small children, especially in winter, when 90% of Lagos region is deserted. There are animals: goats, donkeys and ponies. The goats are really friendly. The smallest pony has a size of a big dog, walks freely, and we could pet him as well as the cat, who is also very friendly with the little children. Parque da Mina has an impressive collection of birds: hens and pigeons of various kinds. It is the first time I've seen so many frillback pigeons. The mansion itself has a collection of original furniture, agricultural tools and machines from different times. There is a waterfall and a suspension bridge. The lovers of exotic alcohol may learn a lot about medronho and try its effect on themselves. For me the most important though was the feeling of home, carefully created by the host. She makes everything by herself: guiding (no problems with English and understanding French), feeding animals, working in the cafe. It seems that she loves the place, and the place loves her. As a tourist, I've definitely found some harmony in Parque da Mina. Btw, they have a website http://www.parquedamina.pt
Written 6 January 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Perrine
Geneva, Switzerland63 contributions
Aug 2019 • Family
The animals are all sick and miserable, in the sun with... nothing else was on display mid august. They tried to charge us a family ticket (30€) when we arrived when all we where to pay was two adult tickets (24€) as our baby was under 4 (free) .... honestly a bad experience and a total rip off. A shame for algarve to advertise this place.
Written 6 August 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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