Dino Parque da Lourinhã

Dino Parque Lourinhã, in Abelheira, in the municipality of Lourinhã, turns the region’s palaeontological richness into an open-air journey through the history of life. Opened in February 2018, it is presented as the largest open-air museum in Portugal. The route brings together more than 200 life-size models of dinosaurs and other animals, scientifically verified, distributed across six themed trails that cover major stages in the history of the Earth, from the Palaeozoic to the Cenozoic, including Sea Monsters and the Ice Age. The museum space presents fossils, original dinosaur eggs and replicas from the Museu da Lourinhã, including material associated with Torvosaurus and the Lourinhanosaurus nest. In the Live Lab, fossil preparation makes the patient work of palaeontology visible. Among pine woods, walkways and monumental figures, the park brings science, territory and imagination together without losing its link to local Jurassic finds.

Why it matters

Dino Parque Lourinhã is an open-air museum dedicated to dinosaurs, located in the village of Abelheira in the municipality of Lourinhã, a region internationally known as the "Portuguese dinosaur capital" due to its abundance of Late Jurassic fossils. The park was created through long-standing cooperation between the Municipality of Lourinhã, the Dinosaur Park in Münchehagen (Germany) and the Museu da Lourinhã, with the aim of bringing the area’s remarkable palaeontological heritage closer to the general public. In 2012 a cooperation agreement was signed that laid the foundations for the future theme park, whose construction began in 2017. The official opening took place on 9 February 2018, with the inauguration of a large open-air exhibition area set within about 10 hectares of coastal pine forest. From the outset, the concept combined scientific rigour – thanks to the involvement of Portuguese and international palaeontologists – with a strong educational and leisure component. Over the years, Dino Parque has expanded its trails and models, incorporating recent discoveries and new ways of communicating science. Today it is presented as the largest open-air museum in Portugal and one of Europe’s major dinosaur theme parks, featuring more than 200 life-size models, an indoor museum with fossils, a visible preparation laboratory and activity spaces that operate in close connection with the Museu da Lourinhã and ongoing research projects.

Architecture and history

Dino Parque occupies a vast wooded site of around 10 hectares, organised into outdoor walking trails that wind through the pine forest, creating the impression of "walking" through different geological eras. Along these paths more than 200 life-size models of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals have been installed, based on up-to-date scientific evidence and positioned within landscaped settings that suggest their original habitats. The park is structured into six main themed routes: a Palaeozoic + Triassic circuit, evoking the first terrestrial vertebrates and the emergence of dinosaurs; a Triassic trail; a Jurassic route, particularly relevant for Lourinhã; a Cretaceous route, with iconic species such as Tyrannosaurus rex and Triceratops; the "Sea Monsters" trail, dedicated to fossil marine fauna; and the Cenozoic – Ice Age route, with mammoths and sabre-toothed cats. Each trail includes multilingual interpretation panels, models and viewpoints that place the reconstructions within the broader history of the Earth. At the heart of the park stands the main building, with contemporary lines and a simple volume, housing the indoor museum. Here visitors will find original fossils from the Lourinhã region, replicas, multimedia resources and the "Live Lab", a glazed laboratory where the preparation of real fossils can be observed. Attached to the main building are the Activities Pavilion, used for palaeontology workshops, and several rest areas such as picnic zones and play spaces, completing a complex clearly designed for families and school groups.

More context

A typical visit to Dino Parque begins in the central building, where it is worth exploring the fossil exhibition from the Lourinhã region, including eggs, nests, footprints and dinosaur bones that help explain why this territory is one of the richest Late Jurassic areas in the world. In the "Live Lab", large windows allow visitors to watch technicians cleaning, consolidating and studying real fossils, offering an initial, direct contact with the work of palaeontologists. From here, the route continues along the outdoor trails. The Palaeozoic + Triassic circuit presents forms of life that predate the great dinosaurs and the first groups from which they evolved. On the particularly extensive Jurassic trail, visitors encounter large sauropods, big predators and nesting scenes with dozens of eggs, some inspired by actual finds from the region. On the Cretaceous route, emblematic species such as Tyrannosaurus rex, Triceratops and Velociraptor appear in dynamic poses suggesting hunting, feeding or moving in groups. The "Sea Monsters" and "Cenozoic – Ice Age" trails extend the time journey into aquatic environments and the period after the extinction of large dinosaurs, with marine reptiles, giant fish and Ice Age mammals. Throughout all the trails there are rest areas, viewpoints and activity spaces, such as simulated excavation zones, themed play fields and the Paleo Camp, aimed at younger visitors. Those wishing to deepen their experience are encouraged to combine a visit to Dino Parque with the Museu da Lourinhã and other palaeontology-related sites in the municipality.