Lisbon in autumnSeptember to November weather, rain, sea, events and what closes

Checked on 11 October 2026. Event dates are the 2026 editions as announced by the organisers. Weather figures are long-term averages, not a forecast.

The short answer

Autumn in Lisbon starts as summer and ends as winter. September is still warm and dry, with highs of about 27 °C and the sea at its warmest, close to 20 °C [1][2]. October brings the rain back, about 9 rain days, but highs still around 23 °C [1]. November is the wettest month of the year, mild at about 18 °C [1]. Lifeguards leave the beaches in September [3], the clocks go back on 25 October 2026 [5], and November has the big events: LEFFEST (6–15 November), Web Summit (9–12 November) and São Martinho chestnuts on 11 November [14][18][20]. Two national holidays fall in the season, 5 October and 1 November [6].

Weather in September, October and November

Lisbon	September	October	November
Average high (IPMA 1991–2020)	26.6 °C	22.8 °C	18.1 °C
Average low	17.6 °C	15.3 °C	11.8 °C
Rain	38.6 mm	110.6 mm	133.9 mm
Rain days (≥ 1 mm)	3.8	8.7	9.9
Sea off Cascais (modelled)	19.9 °C	19.8 °C	18.1 °C

Figures from Lisbon weather by month [1][2]. September still averages 5.7 days at 30 °C or more [1]. The sea lags behind the air: it is as warm in October as in September, and almost as warm in November (18.1 °C) as in June (18.6 °C) [2]. Air temperatures and rain come from one IPMA station in the city, so the coast and Sintra are not measured separately; the sea figures are modelled averages for Cascais [2].

What to pack. Light layers for September; from October, a rain jacket or umbrella and a warm layer for the evenings; in November, shoes that cope with wet, steep stone streets. Plan one indoor option for each rainy day: museums and ideas in things to do in Lisbon.

September: the warm end of summer

September is summer with fewer days of heat. Highs average 26.6 °C, there are only 3.8 rain days, and the sea is at its warmest of the year [1][2].

Lifeguards end during the month. In 2026 the bathing seasons ran until 30 September on the Cascais line (Cascais and Oeiras) and at Costa da Caparica (Almada), but only until 13 September at the Sintra beaches and in Ericeira (Mafra) [3]. Outside those dates, do not count on lifeguards. Which beaches to pick and how to get there without a car: best beaches near Lisbon and the summer detail in Lisbon in summer.

October: rain returns, the sea stays warm

October is the month the weather turns. Rain jumps from 38.6 mm in September to 110.6 mm, over 8.7 rain days, while highs stay around 23 °C [1]. The sea, at about 19.8 °C, is as warm as in September [2], but the lifeguard season is over [3].

• Lisbon Marathon. In 2026 the EDP Lisbon Marathon ran on Saturday 10 October, from Carcavelos to Praça do Comércio along the sea and the river, with the half marathon and an 8 km race on Sunday 11 October [13]. Expect road closures on the route on race days; for 2027, check the organiser’s site.
• Doclisboa, the documentary film festival, runs 15 to 25 October 2026 at Culturgest, Cinema São Jorge, the Cinemateca and Cinema Ideal; tickets are sold at the venues and online [17].
• 5 October is Republic Day, a national holiday [6]. What it means for sights: see the table below.
• Clocks go back on Sunday 25 October 2026. At 01:00 UTC, 02:00 local time, mainland Portugal returns to winter time and the clocks go back to 01:00 [5]. From that day sunset comes an hour earlier by the clock, so plan viewpoints and beach walks for earlier in the afternoon.
• Last long evenings at the castle. The São Jorge castle keeps its summer hours, 9:00 to 21:00, until 31 October, although the wall walks and towers may close earlier, between 18:00 and 21:00 depending on daylight [8].

November: wettest month, busiest calendar

November is mild but wet: highs average 18.1 °C, lows 11.8 °C, and it has the most rain of the year, 133.9 mm over 9.9 rain days [1]. The sea is still about 18 °C [2], which suits surfers in wetsuits rather than swimmers.

• 1 November, All Saints’ Day, is a national holiday [6]. In 2026 it falls on a Sunday.
• From 1 November the São Jorge castle switches to winter hours, 9:00 to 18:00 with last admission at 17:30 [8].
• LEFFEST, the Lisboa Film Festival, runs 6 to 15 November 2026, with screenings at venues including Cinema São Jorge, Culturgest and Medeia Nimas [18].
• Web Summit is on 9 to 12 November 2026 at the MEO Arena and FIL in Parque das Nações, by Oriente metro station [14][16]. The organiser speaks of more than 70,000 people [15]: if your trip overlaps, book your bed early and allow extra time on the metro to Oriente that week.
• São Martinho, 11 November. The day of the magusto: a bonfire, roast chestnuts and young-wine drinks, jeropiga or água-pé, for the adults [20]. In autumn, and especially around São Martinho, chestnut sellers roast them in the street; Visit Portugal suggests buying a packet and pairing it with água-pé or jeropiga [21]. Magustos are also held around All Saints’ Day, and the popular phrase “Verão de São Martinho”, St Martin’s summer, comes from the legend that the rain stopped on his day [22].
• Further afield: the Feira Nacional do Cavalo, Portugal’s national horse fair, fills Golegã in the Ribatejo from 6 to 15 November 2026 [19].

December, with its lights, markets and holidays, has its own guide: Lisbon in December.

Holidays on 5 October and 1 November: what is open

Both days are national holidays under the Labour Code, restored in 2016 [6]. We found no official list of what closes in shops and offices, so this table covers the sights and transport whose own sites list their closing days.

	5 October (Republic Day)	1 November (All Saints’ Day)
Day of the week	2026: Monday (passed). 2027: Tuesday	2026: Sunday. 2027: Monday
Jerónimos Monastery	Not on the closure list; closed on Mondays anyway (5 Oct 2026) [7]	Not on the closure list; closed on Mondays anyway (1 Nov 2027) [7]
São Jorge castle	Open, summer hours [8]	Open, winter hours from that day [8]
Gulbenkian Museum	Not on the closure list; closed on Tuesdays anyway (5 Oct 2027) [9]	Not on the closure list [9]
Oceanário	Open every day [10]	Open every day [10]
Sintra parks and palaces	Open every day except 24, 25, 31 Dec and 1 Jan [11]	Same [11]
Metro	Normal hours, 6:30 to 1:00 [12]	Normal hours [12]

“Not on the closure list” means the venue does not list the day as closed; it does not mean normal hours, so check on the day. For buses and suburban trains, look up the operator’s holiday timetable. The castle also posted a notice of a strike on 17 October 2026 that may disrupt visits that day [8].

Sintra in autumn

Sintra sits in hills above the coast, and the hills can be in mist or cloud when Lisbon is clear, so a sunny morning in the city does not promise views from Pena; check the forecast for Sintra itself. Take a layer and a rain jacket, and keep the palace interiors for the greyest day. The Sintra parks and palaces open every day except 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January, but the operator warns that some may close because of extreme weather or fire risk [11], so check the opening-times page before you go. Trains, tickets and a one-day plan: Sintra day trip from Lisbon.

Surfing in autumn: Ericeira and Carcavelos

Autumn opens the season for experienced surfers. A local surf school puts the best season for advanced surfers at September to April, and for advanced beginners at May to September, when waves are smaller [4]. In practice:

• Experienced surfers: Ericeira, a World Surfing Reserve, with Ribeira d’Ilhas as its main competition beach.
• Beginners: book a lesson and go with the school, especially once the bathing season is over: in 2026 it ended on 13 September in Ericeira and on 30 September on the Cascais line [3]. Carcavelos, on the Cascais train line, has a surf school on the beach that runs all year, including kids’ lessons: Carcavelos Surf School. Train times: best beaches near Lisbon.
• Water: about 18–20 °C on average from September to November [2]; plan on a wetsuit.

Which coastal town to base yourself in: Cascais vs Ericeira.

Lisbon with kids in autumn

• September beach days: the Cascais line beaches had lifeguards until 30 September in 2026 [3]; after that there is no lifeguard cover, so keep beach days to the sand.
• Rainy days: the Oceanário opens every day [10], and the Pavilhão do Conhecimento science centre next to it is on winter hours from 7 September 2026, Tuesday to Friday 10:00 to 18:00 and 10:00 to 19:00 at weekends and on holidays [25]. Prices and ages: Lisbon with kids.
• LEGO exhibition: an exhibition of LEGO-brick models, billed by Visit Lisboa as Europe’s largest, is at the Cordoaria Nacional in Belém until 10 January 2027, with more than 120 models and an interactive play area; Visit Lisboa estimates about two hours [23]. Check prices on the day.
• Changing of the Guard: on the third Sunday of each month at 11:00, the GNR changes the guard at the Belém Palace, free, followed by a mounted band in the Jardim Vieira Portuense [24]. By that rule the next dates are 18 October and 15 November 2026; check the listing before you go.
• São Martinho: a packet of roast chestnuts from a street seller is an easy autumn treat for children [21]; the jeropiga and água-pé are for adults [20].
• Doclisboa runs DOCS 4 KIDS workshops for younger viewers [17].
• Earlier evenings: after 25 October it gets dark an hour earlier by the clock [5]; plan sunset viewpoints an hour earlier.

Planning an autumn trip

• Best weeks: September for the sea and lifeguards; October for city walks with a rain plan; November for festivals and the lowest heat, with the most rain [1][3].
• Book early for Web Summit week (9–12 November 2026) [14].
• Day trips: Sintra, Cascais, Évora and more: day trips from Lisbon.
• Getting around: the Navegante card, trains and buses: getting around Lisbon and the coast.
• Where to stay: where to stay on the Lisbon coast.
• Other seasons: Lisbon in summer, Lisbon in December and best time to visit Lisbon.

Sources

Numbered references match the source list on this page. Read on 11 October 2026 unless stated.

1. IPMA: Climate normal 1991–2020, Lisboa / Instituto Geofísico (PDF), read 9 October 2026
2. seatemperature.org: Cascais sea temperature, read 9 October 2026
3. Portaria n.º 204-A/2026/1: bathing seasons 2026 (PDF), read 10 October 2026
4. Ericeira Surf House: surfing seasons by level, read 9 October 2026
5. Observatório Astronómico de Lisboa: Mudança da hora
6. Diário da República: Lei n.º 8/2016 (PDF)
7. Museus e Monumentos de Portugal: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, read 10 October 2026
8. Castelo de São Jorge: Schedules
9. Gulbenkian: Opening hours
10. Oceanário de Lisboa: Plan your visit (Internet Archive, 1 October 2026)
11. Parques de Sintra: FAQs
12. Metro de Lisboa: Horários e frequências
13. Maratona Clube de Portugal: EDP Maratona de Lisboa
14. Web Summit: Venue essentials
15. Web Summit
16. Visit Lisboa: Web Summit Lisboa’26
17. Doclisboa: FAQ
18. LEFFEST: Venues
19. Visit Golegã
20. RTP Zig Zag: São Martinho
21. Visit Portugal: Tempo para saborear Portugal
22. Wikipedia (pt): Magusto
23. Visit Lisboa: LEGO exhibition
24. Visit Lisboa: Changing the Guard
25. Pavilhão do Conhecimento: Informações gerais