Lisbon in December 2026Christmas lights, markets, New Year's Eve and what closes

Checked on 11 October 2026. Lisbon’s Christmas and New Year programmes for 2026 had not been announced yet. Where we give dates, they are either confirmed for 2026 or clearly marked as last year’s (2025), so you know what to expect and what to check again in November.

The short answer

December in Lisbon is mild but wet: highs around 15 °C, nights around 9 °C and about 10 rain days in the month [1]. The city switches on its Christmas lights in late November, the big Wonderland Christmas market fills Parque Eduardo VII, and the year ends with a free party and fireworks in Praça do Comércio (all three as in 2025) [3][4][10]. Three days are public holidays, 1, 8 and 25 December, and most museums and monuments close on Christmas Day; the Oceanário stays open [17][18][20][21].

For 2026, the city’s lights, the markets and the New Year’s Eve programme were not yet announced as of 11 October 2026: we found nothing for 2026 on informacao.lisboa.pt, in the Visit Lisboa events listing or in the Agenda Cultural de Lisboa [29]. In 2025 the city published its report on the lights on 23 November and the New Year’s Eve plan on 29 December [3][8], so expect the 2026 details in November and December.

December weather

December (IPMA 1991–2020)
Average high	15.4 °C
Average low	9.4 °C
Rain	108.5 mm
Rain days (≥ 1 mm)	10
Sea off Cascais (modelled)	16.5 °C

Figures from Lisbon weather by month [1][2]. In practice: pack a waterproof and shoes that grip on wet cobbles, and give each day one indoor option, such as the Gulbenkian or the Oceanário. Expect cold water: the beaches are better for walks than for a swim. Rainy-day plans by area are in things to do in Lisbon. Coming in November instead, for Web Summit, São Martinho or the 1 November holiday: Lisbon in autumn.

Christmas lights and markets

The lights. In 2025 the mayor switched the lights on in Terreiro do Paço on Saturday 22 November, and they came on every evening from 17:30 until 6 January 2026: until midnight Sunday to Thursday, until 1:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, and until 2:00 on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve. The city spread them over 46 locations and put a 30-metre tree in Praça do Comércio [3]. Dates for 2026 not yet announced as of 11 October 2026.

Wonderland Lisboa (Parque Eduardo VII). Lisbon’s biggest Christmas market. The 2025 edition ran from 28 November 2025 to 4 January 2026 on Visit Lisboa’s listing, with the official tree lighting on 29 November, and entry was free [4][5]. It had a Ferris wheel over the city, an eco ice rink, Santa’s house, a giant tree and a crafts and food market [4][5]. Metro: Parque or Marquês de Pombal [5]. 2026 dates not yet announced as of 11 October 2026.

Rossio Christmas market (Baixa). Wooden stalls with crafts and food in Praça do Rossio and a Christmas train through the Baixa streets; in 2025 it ran from 14 November to 21 December, free entry [6].

Campo Pequeno. A Christmas market at Sagres Campo Pequeno (metro Campo Pequeno); Visit Lisboa listed the 2025 edition until 8 December, with workshops from late November [7]. Check the dates before you go.

After Christmas. The season ends on 6 January, Dia de Reis, traditionally with bolo-rei cake and the Janeiras carol singing [30]. The 2025 Christmas lights stayed on until 6 January 2026 [3].

Other things to do in December

• Museums for rainy afternoons. The Gulbenkian Museum is open until 21:00 on Saturdays and closed on Tuesdays; its garden opens daily [22]; MAAT in Belém opens Wednesday to Monday and has the EDP Foundation collection show until 11 January 2027 [20][31].
• Belém. The Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower open Tuesday to Sunday; both close on Mondays and on 25 December and 1 January [18][19].
• São Jorge castle keeps winter hours, 9:00 to 18:00 with last admission at 17:30, and closes on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January [23].
• Oceanário. Open every day, including Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, with special hours on four days (table below); the four dates were confirmed on the operator page on 26 October 2026 [21].
• Day trips. Sintra and Óbidos both have Christmas programmes; see the Sintra section below and day trips from Lisbon.

Holidays: 1, 8 and 25 December

Portugal has three national holidays in December: 1 December (Restoration of Independence), 8 December (Immaculate Conception) and 25 December (Christmas Day), plus 1 January [17]. 24 and 31 December are not public holidays, but services thin out in the evening (see transport below).

In 2026, 1 and 8 December both fall on a Tuesday, the day the Gulbenkian Museum and MAAT close every week anyway [20][22]. The Jerónimos Monastery, the Belém Tower and São Jorge castle do not list those two days among their closures [18][19][23].

What is open on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January (official pages read 10–11 October 2026; check again before you go):

Place	24 Dec 2026	25 Dec 2026	31 Dec 2026	1 Jan 2027
Jerónimos Monastery, Belém Tower	not on closure list	closed	not on closure list	closed
MAAT	closes 15:00	closed	closes 15:00	closed
Gulbenkian Museum and CAM	closed	closed	not on closure list	closed
São Jorge castle	closed	closed	closed	closed
Oceanário	10:00–19:00	11:00–20:00	10:00–19:00	11:00–20:00
Pavilhão do Conhecimento	closed	closed	closed	closed
Pena, Moorish Castle and other Parques de Sintra sites	closed	closed	closed	closed

Sources: [18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. The national tile museum (Museu Nacional do Azulejo) has been closed for renovation since November 2025; see its page.

Getting around over the holidays

The 2026 holiday timetables were not out on 11 October 2026; in 2025 the operators published them on 22 and 23 December [11][13][16]. What they did in 2025:

• Metro. Runs 6:30 to 1:00 every day, holidays included [12]. In 2025 it kept that 1:00 close on 24 and 31 December and restarted at 6:30 on 25 December and 1 January; in earlier years it had closed earlier on Christmas Eve [11].
• Carris buses and trams. Special timetables from 20 December to 2 January. On 24 December after 20:00 only 12 routes ran; on 25 December and 1 January service was reduced, with the biggest cuts before midday; on 31 December the night network was reinforced [16]. Check the route’s own timetable for those days.
• CP trains (Sintra and Cascais lines). On Christmas Eve 2025 CP cancelled selected evening departures: on the Sintra line, for example, the 21:01, 22:01 and 23:01 from Rossio and the 20:10, 21:50, 22:50 and 23:50 from Sintra; on the Cascais line several departures from 20:05. Some night and early trains on 25 December were cancelled too [13]. If you plan Christmas Eve dinner in Lisbon and sleep in Sintra or Cascais, check the last train or book a taxi.
• New Year’s Eve has its own extra trains and buses, below.

How the network works the rest of the year: getting around Lisbon and the coast.

New Year’s Eve in Praça do Comércio

Lisbon’s main party is free and outdoors in Praça do Comércio (Terreiro do Paço) by the river [10]. The 2026/27 programme had not been announced as of 11 October 2026 [29]. This is how the city ran 2025/26 [8][9][10]:

31 December 2025 to 1 January 2026
16:00	Road closures start in the Baixa, Cais do Sodré, Avenida 24 de Julho and Avenida Infante D. Henrique
17:00	Terreiro do Paço metro station closes
18:00	The square is cleared for security checks
19:30	Gates open, with bag checks at the entrances
21:30	DJ set, then a headline concert at 22:30
23:55	Drone and pyro-musical show
00:00	Fireworks over the Tagus
01:00	End of the party

Rules in 2025/26: no glass and no dangerous objects; establishments inside the perimeter could not sell drinks in glass containers to take outside from 16:00 on 31 December to 4:00 on 1 January; ride-hailing cars (Uber, Bolt and other TVDE) were not allowed in the perimeter, and taxis and buses had restricted access [8][9]. A step-free entrance for people with reduced mobility was on Avenida Infante D. Henrique [9].

Getting home in 2025/26: the metro ran extra trains and closed at 1:00 [9][11]; CP added trains from Rossio to Sintra between 01:20 and 05:00 and from Cais do Sodré to Cascais at 02:00, 03:00 and 04:00 [14][15]; Carris ran its full night network with extra buses at Cais do Sodré, Rossio and Santa Apolónia; and the river ferries added departures [9]. Walk to another metro station rather than queueing near the square.

With children. Go early, agree a meeting point, and know the rule: in 2025/26 lost people were taken to the PSP police station in the Baixa (2.ª Esquadra) [9].

Where to stay. If you want to walk home after midnight, stay in the Baixa, Chiado or Cais do Sodré; elsewhere, pick a place near a metro station, remembering that the metro closed at 1:00 in 2025 [9]. Areas compared: where to stay on the Lisbon coast. Book early for 31 December and check the minimum stay and cancellation terms.

Lisbon with kids in December

• Wonderland Lisboa (2025 edition) had a Ferris wheel, an ice rink and Santa’s house, where children could hand in their letters [4][5]. Entry was free; check the 2026 programme and ride prices before you go.
• Father Christmas in the Baixa. In 2025 he walked through the Baixa, Chiado and Rossio on 28 and 29 November and 6 and 13 December, 16:30 to 21:30 [3]. 2026 dates not yet announced as of 11 October 2026.
• The Christmas train through the Baixa streets ran with the Rossio market in 2025 [6].
• Rainy days: the Oceanário and the Pavilhão do Conhecimento sit side by side in Parque das Nações. The Oceanário is open on Christmas Day; the Pavilhão is closed 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January and, in winter, on Mondays [21][24].
• Óbidos Vila Natal, a Christmas village inside the walls of Óbidos, is confirmed for 27 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 [27][28]. Check prices and session times on the organiser’s site, obidosvilanatal.pt. Getting there: day trips from Lisbon.

The rest of the year with children: Lisbon with kids.

Sintra in December

Sintra works well in December on a dry day, with three things to watch:

• Closures. Pena, the Moorish Castle, Monserrate, the National Palace of Sintra and the other Parques de Sintra sites are open every day except 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January [25]. Check the current hours on the official page before you go.
• Christmas in the old town. In 2025 the council ran “Sintra Mágica” from 1 to 31 December in the square in front of the National Palace: free, with the lights switched on on 1 December and concerts mostly at 17:00 at weekends and on 8 December [26]. 2026 programme not yet announced as of 11 October 2026.
• Trains. On Christmas Eve 2025 CP cancelled selected evening trains in both directions (from Sintra from 18:56 towards Alverca and from 20:10 towards Rossio, from Rossio from 21:01) and some on 25 December [13]. Check the 2026 holiday notice, usually published a few days before Christmas.

How to plan the day, tickets and the bus up to Pena: Sintra day trip from 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, read 9 October 2026
2. seatemperature.org: Cascais sea temperature, read 9 October 2026
3. Informação Lisboa: Lisboa celebra o início do Natal (23 Nov 2025)
4. Informação Lisboa: Wonderland Lisboa anima Natal na cidade (29 Nov 2025)
5. Visit Lisboa: Wonderland Lisboa’25
6. Visit Lisboa: Rossio Christmas Market
7. Visit Lisboa: Christmas Market, Campo Pequeno
8. Informação Lisboa: Lisboa reforça segurança e mobilidade na Passagem de Ano (29 Dec 2025)
9. Câmara Municipal de Lisboa: Viva 2026! (PDF)
10. Visit Lisboa: New Year’s Eve, Lisboa’25/26
11. Metro de Lisboa: service until 01:00 on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve (22 Dec 2025)
12. Metro de Lisboa: Horários e frequências
13. CP: Comboios suprimidos, Natal 2025 (PDF)
14. CP: New Year special trains, Sintra line (PDF)
15. CP: New Year 2025/2026 special trains, Cascais line (PDF)
16. Carris: Horários especiais de Natal e Ano Novo 2025
17. Diário da República: Lei n.º 8/2016 (national holidays)
18. Museus e Monumentos de Portugal: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, read 10 October 2026
19. Museus e Monumentos de Portugal: Torre de Belém, read 10 October 2026
20. MAAT: Planear visita
21. Oceanário de Lisboa: Plan your visit (Internet Archive, 1 Oct 2026)
22. Gulbenkian: Opening hours, read 10 October 2026
23. Castelo de São Jorge: Schedules, read 10 October 2026
24. Pavilhão do Conhecimento: Informações gerais
25. Parques de Sintra: FAQs
26. Câmara Municipal de Sintra: Concertos aquecem o Natal no Terreiro do Palácio Nacional de Sintra (26 Nov 2025)
27. Município de Óbidos: Óbidos Vila Natal
28. Visit Portugal: Óbidos Vila Natal
29. Agenda Cultural de Lisboa: search “natal”
30. Informação Lisboa: Janeiras e bolo-rei assinalam fim da época natalícia (7 Jan 2025)
31. Visit Lisboa: Turn around, EDP Foundation Art Collection at MAAT