Lisbon in December: Weather, Christmas and What to Do

Lisbon in December is mild and often wet: the average high is 15.4°C and the average low 9.4°C, with rain on about 10 days of the month. The city lights up for Christmas from late November, the sun sets around 17:15, and most monuments close on 25 December and 1 January. It is a good month for the city and for short day trips.

This guide gives you the real December weather from Portugal’s met office, what to pack, where to see the Christmas lights and markets, exactly what closes over Christmas and New Year, and the day trips that work best when the days are short.

Is Lisbon worth visiting in December?

Yes, if you can live with some rain. December brings shorter queues at the big sights and a city decorated for Christmas, and it stays mild enough to walk all day. The trade-offs are wet days, early sunsets and a run of closures over 24 to 25 December and 31 December to 1 January.

Lisbon weather in December

December in Lisbon averages 15.4°C by day and 9.4°C at night, and frost is rare: the 1991 to 2020 normals record zero frost days. Expect about 108 mm of rain spread over 10 days, but only 3.7 of those days bring 10 mm or more, so most wet days are showers rather than a washout.

The temperature and rain figures are the official IPMA climate normals for Lisbon (1991 to 2020). Individual Decembers vary: the warmest day on record reached 21.5°C, and the coldest night fell to 2.1°C.

How much daylight do you get?

About nine and a half hours. Plan sightseeing and day trips around an early sunset.

Is Lisbon or Porto better in December?

For weather, Lisbon. Using the same official 1991 to 2020 normals, Lisbon is about 2°C warmer at night and about 30% drier than Porto.

What to wear in Lisbon in December

Dress in layers you can add to at night, and bring something waterproof. Daytime in the sun can feel like spring, while a wet evening by the river feels much colder than the thermometer says.

• Layers: a T-shirt, a jumper and a warm jacket cover most days
• Rain: a waterproof jacket or a compact umbrella
• Shoes: closed shoes with grip; Lisbon’s limestone pavements get slippery in the rain, and the city is steep
• Evenings: a scarf for viewpoints and the riverside after dark

Christmas in Lisbon: lights, trees and markets

Lisbon switches on its Christmas lights in late November, puts a giant tree in Praça do Comércio and opens Christmas markets across the city. The 2026 switch-on date had not been announced at the time of writing, but installation was already under way in early October at Rossio, Praça da Figueira and Rua Ferreira Borges.

To give you an idea from last year: in 2025 the lights went on on 22 November at Terreiro do Paço (Praça do Comércio), with a 30-metre tree, and covered 46 streets and squares, mostly in the Baixa, Chiado and Avenida da Liberdade. They ran from 17:30 to 23:00 Sunday to Thursday and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

• Lights walk: start at Praça do Comércio, walk up Rua Augusta to Rossio, then climb into Chiado
• Wonderland Lisboa: the big Christmas fair in Parque Eduardo VII, free to enter in 2025 (28 Nov to 4 Jan), with paid rides and an ice rink; the press reports 27 November 2026 as this year’s opening, not yet confirmed by the organiser
• Rossio: a Christmas market on the square in the run-up to Christmas
• Bolo rei: the crown-shaped Christmas cake; Confeitaria Nacional in Praça da Figueira, open since 1829, says it introduced it to Portugal in the 1870s

What’s open on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January?

Expect most monuments to be closed on 25 December and 1 January, and many on 24 and 31 December too. Public holidays on 1 and 8 December are lighter: shops and sights mostly open, but expect holiday crowds.

The castle’s winter hours and closing days are on the official Castelo de São Jorge website. The extra closures on 24 and 31 December at state-run museums and monuments are decided year by year, so check close to the date. The metro also changes its hours on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve; in 2025 it ran until 01:00 on both nights.

New Year’s Eve in Lisbon

Lisbon’s free public New Year’s Eve party takes place at Terreiro do Paço (Praça do Comércio), with concerts and fireworks over the Tagus at midnight. The 2026 line-up had not been announced at the time of writing.

• In 2025: free entry, music from 21:30, fireworks over the river at midnight, music until about 01:00
• Security: in 2025 the square closed to people and cars from 18:00 for checks, and Terreiro do Paço metro station closed from 17:00
• Getting home: use Baixa-Chiado or Cais do Sodré metro, and expect crowds after midnight

Things to do in Lisbon in December

December suits a mix of indoor sights for wet days and short outdoor walks in the dry spells. Mornings are often the clearest time for viewpoints, and evenings belong to the Christmas lights and to fado.

• On a dry morning: Alfama and the castle viewpoints, then Tram 28 across the old town
• On a wet day: the Gulbenkian, the tile museum, the Oceanário or a long lunch
• In the evening: the lights walk from Praça do Comércio to Chiado, then fado in Alfama or Mouraria
• Food: roasted chestnuts from street sellers, bolo rei, and ginjinha at Rossio

For a full list of the city’s sights by neighbourhood, see our guide to things to do in Lisbon, and for an evening of Portugal’s own music, our guide to fado in Lisbon.

Day trips from Lisbon in December

The best December day trips are the Óbidos Christmas Village, Nazaré in big-wave season, and Sintra, whose palaces are mostly indoors. With about 9.5 hours of daylight, leave early and keep each trip to one or two stops.

Óbidos and Nazaré make the most of a December day together. Our Óbidos Christmas Village 2026 guide has the dates, ticket prices and timed sessions, and our guide to the Nazaré big waves explains when they break. For Sintra in winter, our best time to visit Sintra guide covers the weather on the hills.

Our private Óbidos and Nazaré tour runs the pairing door to door: hotel pickup in Lisbon at 9:30, a ginjinha tasting in Óbidos, then Nazaré, over about 8 hours with Francisco. Óbidos Vila Natal tickets and lunch are not included.

Frequently Asked Questions

Pack a raincoat and plan around the light

Lisbon in December rewards a little planning: check the rain forecast each morning, put the outdoor sights first, and save the evenings for the Christmas lights and a fado house. Avoid booking monuments on 24, 25 and 31 December or 1 January, when most of them close. For one day outside the city, Francisco’s private Óbidos and Nazaré tour pairs the Christmas village with Nazaré’s winter waves, with pickup from your hotel.