World Children’s Day: young explorers discovering World of Discoveries

This year, we have prepared a special experience for younger visitors, inspired by the Age of Discoveries and by the work of a figure essential to any great expedition: the cartographer.

Between the museum and the gardens of Palácio de Cristal, children will be invited to observe, decode, imagine and discover, just like true explorers.

After all, what is a cartographer?

A cartographer is someone who makes maps.

During the Age of Discoveries, cartographers played a very important role. They gathered information brought back by navigators, pilots and explorers in order to draw nautical charts, represent coastlines, islands, seas, routes and points of reference.

These maps helped sailors find their way, plan voyages and better understand the world they were encountering. In simple terms, a cartographer turned knowledge into maps, and maps into new possibilities for discovery.

It is precisely this spirit that we want to bring to children: the curiosity to observe, the courage to look for answers and the imagination to see the world as one great map waiting to be explored.

A great expedition inside the museum

At World of Discoveries, children will be able to take part in a special activity created to mark World Children’s Day.

During the visit, they will be challenged to read signs, decode hidden clues and find treasures kept among the seas of discovery. At the end, those who complete the challenge will receive a symbolic certificate, recognising their participation in this great adventure.

More than a simple keepsake, this certificate celebrates each child’s curiosity, attention and exploratory spirit.

Because at World of Discoveries, learning also means playing, searching, imagining and experiencing History up close.

World of Discoveries at Children’s Festival 2026

This year, World of Discoveries has also been invited by Porto City Council to take part in Children’s Festival 2026, taking place at the gardens of Palácio de Cristal on 30 and 31 May and 1 June. Admission is free.

On 30 and 31 May, the event will be aimed at families, with activities open to the general public. On 1 June, the programme will be dedicated to 4th-year primary school groups from Porto.

Children’s Festival 2026 brings together dozens of playful, cultural and sporting activities, with workshops, performances, demonstrations and experiences created for younger audiences. World of Discoveries joins this celebration with a proposal linked to adventure, History and discovery.

A museum designed for learning through curiosity

World of Discoveries is a museum that is especially engaging for children because it turns History into an accessible and immersive experience.

Here, younger visitors do not find only dates, names and events. They find settings, sounds, vessels, characters and environments that help them imagine what the Portuguese maritime voyages were like and what it meant to encounter different parts of the world.

It is an educational museum because it allows children to learn in a visual, sensory and participatory way. They can observe, ask questions, recognise objects, understand the importance of navigation and discover how knowledge, science, courage and curiosity helped draw new maps.

For families and schools, World of Discoveries is an excellent way to bring children closer to the History of Portugal, making learning lighter, more intuitive and more memorable.

An adventure to celebrate every child

This World Children’s Day, we want to celebrate what is most special in every child: the desire to ask, explore and imagine.

Whether inside the museum, through the Great World Children’s Day Expedition, or in the gardens of Palácio de Cristal during Children’s Festival 2026, World of Discoveries invites younger visitors to embark on a journey filled with maps, clues and discoveries.

Because every child has a little explorer inside.

And every discovery can be the beginning of a new adventure.