Lisbon in January: Weather, Crowds and What to Do

Lisbon in January is the coldest month of the year, but still mild by European standards: the average high is 15.1°C (59°F), the average low 8.6°C (47°F), and rain falls on about 10 days. Frost is almost unknown in the city, the sun sets between 17:25 and 17:56, and once the holidays end on 6 January, Lisbon is in low season.

Lisbon weather in January is the reason most people hesitate, so this guide starts from the official numbers: IPMA, Portugal’s met office, and its 1991 to 2020 averages for the Lisboa Geofísico station. Then it turns them into plans: what closes on 1 January and on Mondays, how January compares with December and February, a 3-day plan that works in the rain, and the day trip that suits short days best. It is written by Luís Perloiro, a professional surfer and Sea & See’s surf instructor.

Is January a good time to visit Lisbon?

Yes, for a city break built around museums, viewpoints and food. No, if you want beach weather. January is cool and damp rather than cold, the holiday crowds have gone by the second week, and the main sights keep their normal winter hours on every day except New Year’s Day.

Lisbon weather in January

Lisbon’s weather in January is cool and changeable, with showers that often clear to bright spells. These are IPMA’s official averages for 1991 to 2020 at Lisboa Geofísico, the city’s reference station, 77 m above sea level.

Source: IPMA climate normals 1991 to 2020, Lisboa Geofísico. The daily mean averages day and night, so it is not the afternoon temperature.

• Coldest, not wettest. January is Lisbon’s coldest month, but November (133.9 mm) and December (108.5 mm) bring more rain.
• Showers more than washouts. Only 3.7 days a month bring 10 mm or more, so many wet days still have dry spells.
• Pack for a range. Real Januaries swing: the record runs from a 5.5°C day in 2015 to a 22.6°C day in 2008.

How much daylight do you get in January?

Not much, but it grows at the end of the day. Across the month, sunrise moves only 11 minutes earlier while sunset moves 31 minutes later, so the extra light arrives in the late afternoon.

How warm is Portugal in January?

It gets warmer the further south and out into the Atlantic you go. Madeira is the warmest, the Algarve the driest, and Porto the wettest of the big cities. These are IPMA’s 1991 to 2020 January averages.

One surprise: Cabo da Roca, the clifftop on the Sintra coast, is milder at night than Lisbon in January and gets about half the rain. That station sits on the exposed coast, though, not in the Sintra hills, which are often cooler and mistier than the city. For the full region-by-region picture, see Portugal’s winter weather region by region in our December guide.

Storm days and how to plan around them

January’s worst days come with Atlantic storms: heavy rain, strong wind and big seas. They are the exception, but they happen. On 24 January 2026, for example, Parques de Sintra closed the Moorish Castle, the Convent of the Capuchos and the Chalet of the Countess of Edla because of adverse weather.

Lisbon in winter: December, January or February?

Pick December for the Christmas lights, January for the emptiest city and the sales, and February for drier weather, longer days and Carnival. The temperatures are close. What changes is the calendar.

For the festive month, including New Year’s Eve, see our guide to Lisbon in December.

What’s on in Lisbon in January 2027

January goes quiet after the first week. These are the dates that shape a trip, with their weekdays.

What’s open on 1 January?

Very little. New Year’s Day is the one date in January when the headline sights of Lisbon and Sintra close together, so keep it for a walk. On every other day, these are the January hours.

Hours from the official sites: Castelo de São Jorge, Gulbenkian, Parques de Sintra and Quinta da Regaleira.

Dia de Reis and bolo rei

Dia de Reis, the Epiphany on 6 January, closes the Christmas season in Portugal. It is the traditional end of bolo rei season, the crown-shaped cake topped with candied fruit, and early January is when groups go door to door singing the Janeiras, also called Cantar os Reis. Lisbon’s Christmas lights have traditionally stayed on until around Dia de Reis, but the switch-off date for this winter had not been announced in early November.

For the story behind the cake and the rest of the season, see our guide to Christmas in Portugal.

The January sales

Portugal has no national sales dates. Each shop may hold sales at any time of year, up to 124 days a year in total, and must tell ASAE, the economic and food safety authority, at least five working days ahead, as the government’s sales rules set out. In practice most shops start their winter sales soon after Christmas, which makes January the month for them.

Things to do in Lisbon in January, rain or shine

Plan each part of the day twice: once for dry weather and once for rain. The table pairs them, so a shower only changes what you do for the next hour.

For the full list of sights by neighbourhood, see our guide to things to do in Lisbon. For the evening, our guide to fado in Lisbon explains where to hear it.

Surf and big waves in January

January falls in the middle of Nazaré’s big-wave season, about 120 km north of Lisbon. The world record, 26.21 m, was surfed there in 2020, but giant swells need an Atlantic storm, so check a forecast and treat them as a bonus. Our Nazaré big waves guide covers where to watch from. Closer to the city, our Carcavelos surf lesson runs daily and includes the wetsuit and board.

The best day trip from Lisbon in January: Sintra

Sintra is the best January day trip because its palaces open every day except 1 January, Pena’s rooms give shelter from a shower, and a full day there fits inside January’s light.

• Pena Palace: 09:30 to 18:30, last ticket 17:30, entry by timed slot; the park opens 09:00 to 19:00
• Quinta da Regaleira: 10:00 to 18:30 from January to March, last entrance 17:30
• Closed: 1 January, and 25 December
• Weather: the hills are often mistier than Lisbon, and storm warnings can close some sites
• Light: the sun sets between 17:25 and 17:56

Be realistic about the mist. On a grey morning the views from Pena’s terraces can vanish, while the palace rooms are unaffected. If IPMA has a warning out, swap Sintra for a museum day and go later in the week. Our page on Sintra in winter covers timing in more detail.

Our private day fits January well. It starts with a 09:00 hotel pickup, then a guided visit to Pena Park and Palace with interior and exterior tickets included. You get two hours in Sintra’s historic centre for lunch (not included), then a guided visit to Quinta da Regaleira, tickets included, and a 17:00 drop-off in Lisbon, before sunset on every day of the month. Francisco Gomes guides it.

If you prefer to go on your own, our one-day Sintra itinerary has the train and bus plan, and our list of the best day trips from Lisbon has alternatives.

A 3-day Lisbon itinerary for January

This plan puts the outdoor sights in the morning and keeps an indoor swap for each day. It assumes you are not starting on 1 January.

1. Day 1, Baixa, Chiado and Alfama: Praça do Comércio and Rua Augusta in the morning, then up to the Castelo de São Jorge before its 17:30 last admission. Catch the sunset from a viewpoint, then fado in Alfama. Wet-day swap: the Gulbenkian Museum (closed Tuesdays).
2. Day 2, Belém: The Jerónimos cloister and Belém Tower, a river walk if it is dry, and a pastel de nata. Jerónimos closes on Mondays, so if Day 2 falls on a Monday, swap it with Day 3.
3. Day 3, Sintra: Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira, either on our private day with pickup or by train with a timed Pena ticket. Storm-warning swap: a museum day in Lisbon, and Sintra later in the week.

What to wear in Lisbon in January

Dress for cool, damp days rather than freezing ones: about 15°C in the afternoon, 8 to 9°C at night, rain on about 10 days and, on average, no frost.

• A waterproof jacket with a hood: viewpoints are windy for umbrellas
• A warm mid-layer: a fleece or jumper for the evenings
• Closed shoes with good grip: Lisbon’s limestone calçada gets slippery in the rain
• A scarf: for viewpoints after dark
• A compact umbrella: for showers in the streets
• A warm layer for indoors: and check your rental’s listing for heating

Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira in one private day, back in Lisbon before the January sunset.

Frequently Asked Questions

Plan around the light and the 1st

January in Lisbon works best with a simple plan: outdoor sights in the morning, an indoor swap for every day, and nothing ambitious on New Year’s Day. For the day out, our Best of Sintra private tour covers Pena Palace and Quinta da Regaleira with tickets included and has you back in Lisbon by 17:00.