Lisbon in summerheat, Santo António in June, beaches by train and bus, and summer with kids

Checked on 11 October 2026. The 2027 Festas de Lisboa programme has not been announced. Dates from 2026 are labelled 2026; check the city’s programme in May.

The short answer

Summer in Lisbon is hot, dry and bright: highs of about 26 °C in June and 28–29 °C in July and August, with almost no rain [1]. The sea off Cascais stays cool, about 19 °C on average from June to August [2]. June is the month of Santo António: the city’s street parties peak on the night of 12 to 13 June, when the neighbourhood marchas parade down Avenida da Liberdade, and 13 June is a Lisbon holiday [4][6][7]. For the beach without a car, take the train to Carcavelos or the bus to Costa da Caparica [17][20]. On hot days, plan the outdoors for the morning and evening: Portugal’s health authority advises avoiding the sun between 11:00 and 17:00 [13].

Weather in June, July and August

Lisbon (IPMA 1991–2020)	June	July	August
Average high	26.1 °C	28.2 °C	28.8 °C
Average low	16.8 °C	18.2 °C	18.8 °C
Rain days (≥ 1 mm)	2.0	0.6	1.1
Days at 30 °C or more	5.7	8.5	10.2
Sea off Cascais (modelled)	18.6 °C	18.9 °C	19.6 °C

Figures from Lisbon weather by month [1][2]. The averages hide the hot spells: the city station’s record is 43.3 °C, on 4 August 2018 [1]. The station is in the city; the coast is not measured separately there. September is just as warm in the sea (19.9 °C) and less hot in the city [1][2]; which month suits which trip: best time to visit Lisbon.

Santo António and the Festas de Lisboa in June

Every June the city runs the Festas de Lisboa, a month of street parties, concerts and parades, with a programme that the city’s culture company describes as mostly free [3]. The heart of it is Santo António, Lisbon’s favourite saint, whose day is 13 June [7].

The 2027 programme had not been announced on 11 October 2026. EGEAC lists programmes up to 2026, and Visit Lisboa shows the festivities for June 2027 as “to be confirmed” [3][8]. Here is how 2026 ran [4][5][6]:

2026	What happened
29 May to 28 June	Arraiais: neighbourhood street parties with food stalls and music
29, 30, 31 May, 21:00	The neighbourhood marchas perform at the MEO Arena
12 June, from 11:30	Santo António weddings: civil ceremony at the city hall, religious ceremony at 14:00 in the Sé
12 June, 21:00	The marchas parade down Avenida da Liberdade
Night of 12 to 13 June	The big night: arraiais across the old neighbourhoods
13 June	Santo António’s day and Lisbon municipal holiday

What the arraiais are like. Visit Lisboa describes the June parties in Alfama, Bica, Bairro Alto, Castelo and Mouraria with grilled sardines, caldo verde and wine, and packed terraces on the festival days [8]. The 2026 programme listed arraiais run by local clubs and associations in many parishes, from Alcântara to Marvila [4].

On 13 June. It is a holiday in Lisbon only. The Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower close that day [9][10]. In 2018 the city described the day as starting with mass at the Igreja de Santo António and ending with an evening procession through Alfama [7]; check the current year’s programme.

Getting home on the night of 12 to 13 June (2026 plan) [6]:

• Metro: stations kept their doors open until 03:00 on 13 June, except Avenida, which closed when the parade started (open only as an underground passage).
• CP trains: extra trains from Rossio to Sintra every 30 minutes from 01:30 to 05:30, and from Cais do Sodré to Cascais at 02:30, 03:30 and 04:30.
• Ferries: extra Cais do Sodré to Cacilhas crossings at 01:00, 01:40, 02:30 and 03:00, then a Saturday timetable on the 13 June holiday.
• Carris: the normal night network, adjusted around road closures; the Graça funicular closed at 19:00.

Look for the 2027 plan shortly before the night; the 2026 notice appeared on 11 June [6].

Where to stay. For the night of 12 June, a base you can walk home from, or near a metro station, saves the queues; the metro closed at 03:00 in 2026 [6]. Areas compared: where to stay on the Lisbon coast. Book early for mid-June and check the cancellation terms.

Beaches in summer without a car

All the beaches near Lisbon face the Atlantic, so the water is cool and the open-coast beaches have real waves [2][19]. Swim only in the lifeguard season and inside the watched zone. In 2026 the seasons were 1 May to 30 September in Cascais, 1 June to 30 September in Oeiras and Almada (Costa da Caparica), 30 May to 13 September on the Sintra beaches and 13 June to 13 September in Ericeira (Mafra) [14]. In Portugal a yellow flag means swimming is prohibited, red means do not enter the water [16].

Carcavelos: the easy one by train. About 26 minutes by CP train from Cais do Sodré in the October 2026 timetable data [17]. A long sandy beach with medium surf waves and surf schools, Blue Flag in 2026 [15][19]. Closer in and calmer, Santo Amaro de Oeiras is a few minutes earlier on the same line. Evenings: under CP’s notice of 21 September 2026 (works since 6 April), replacement buses run instead of trains between Caxias and Cascais on weekday evenings from 21:50, Saturdays from 20:50 and Sundays from 19:50 (and on Sunday mornings from 05:30 to 08:50), and they take no wheelchairs, bikes or scooters [18]. Check whether the works are still on when you travel. More: Praia de Carcavelos and Carcavelos.

Costa da Caparica: the long sandy coast. Across the river, with ten Blue Flag beaches in 2026 [15]. Two ways without a car:

• Bus 3710 from Areeiro, 45–60 minutes in October 2026 data [20]. The operator warned of significant delays for about ten months from April 2026 because of tunnel works [21], so allow extra time.
• Ferry from Cais do Sodré to Cacilhas (single €2.00 in 2026) plus a bus to the Costa [22].

The town beaches by the bus terminal lose much of their sand at high tide; the council points families to Praia da Mata and Rainha, a little further south [23]. Full detail: Costa da Caparica.

Summer-only buses. Carris Metropolitana runs its Linhas Mar beach lines from 4 July to 31 August (2026), to Costa da Caparica and Sesimbra; a ticket bought on board was €4.65, prepaid €3.10, and the Navegante Metropolitano pass is valid [24]. In the 2026 timetable data, the Caparica lines start from suburbs north of Lisbon (Cidade Nova, Bucelas, Forte Casa, Caneças, Póvoa de Santo Adrião), not from the centre [25]. The Transpraia mini-train along the Caparica coast historically ran from June to September [26]; we found no confirmation that it ran in 2026, so check locally.

More beaches, by train and bus, with a table: best beaches near Lisbon. Cascais beyond the beach: things to do in Cascais.

Heat: warnings and how to plan the day

IPMA warnings. Portugal’s weather institute publishes warnings by district, colour-coded green, yellow, orange and red, with high temperature as one of the warning types [11]. For the Lisbon district, a hot-weather warning is yellow at 34–37 °C, orange at 38–40 °C and red above 40 °C, for a spell lasting at least 48 hours [12]. Check ipma.pt the day before and on the day.

What the health authority advises (DGS) [13]:

• Avoid the sun between 11:00 and 17:00.
• Drink more water; avoid alcohol and sugary drinks.
• Wear a hat, sunglasses and clothes that cover the skin; use sunscreen of SPF 30 or more and reapply every 2 hours, and after swimming.
• Babies under six months should not be exposed to the sun, and children under three should avoid direct sun.

In practice: walk the hills and viewpoints early, keep the hottest hours for museums, an indoor attraction or a long lunch, and go back out in the evening, when the arraiais and terraces fill up anyway. Rainy-day and indoor ideas that work just as well in the heat: things to do in Lisbon.

Lisbon with kids in summer

• Beach mornings: the Cascais line is the easiest family beach trip, with Santo Amaro and the sheltered Cascais town beaches, in the lifeguard season only [14]. On the Caparica side, the council points families to Mata and Rainha [23].
• Hot afternoons indoors: the Oceanário and the Pavilhão do Conhecimento science centre sit side by side in Parque das Nações. Prices and ages: Lisbon with kids.
• Sun rules: no direct sun for babies under six months, avoid direct sun under three, and keep everyone out of the sun from 11:00 to 17:00 [13].
• Santo António with children: the 2026 programme included the Marchas Infantis, children’s marchas from the city’s schools, now 30 years old [4]. With small children, an arraial in the early evening is an easier start than the parade crowd on the Avenida; plan the trip home before the night of 12 June gets late [6].
• A day in Cascais: the town beaches, Marechal Carmona park and a free sea museum: things to do in Cascais.

Planning a summer trip

• Book early for mid-June (Santo António) and for August, the hottest month.
• Check the year’s programme in May: egeac.pt and informacao.lisboa.pt publish the Festas de Lisboa, and the city publishes the transport plan for the night of 12 to 13 June [3][6].
• Day trips: Sintra, Cascais, Évora and more, with times: day trips from Lisbon.
• Getting around: the Navegante card, CP trains and buses: getting around Lisbon and the coast.
• Other seasons: Lisbon in autumn, 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. EGEAC: Festas de Lisboa
4. EGEAC: Festas de Lisboa 2026 programme (PDF)
5. Informação Lisboa: Festas apresentadas e já Cheira a Lisboa (22 May 2026)
6. Informação Lisboa: Transportes reforçados na Noite de Sto. António (11 Jun 2026)
7. Informação Lisboa: Procissão de Santo António (13 Jun 2018)
8. Visit Lisboa: Festas de Lisboa
9. Museus e Monumentos de Portugal: Mosteiro dos Jerónimos, read 10 October 2026
10. Museus e Monumentos de Portugal: Torre de Belém, read 10 October 2026
11. IPMA: Weather warnings
12. IPMA: Weather warning criteria
13. DGS: Calor e frio (holiday health advice)
14. Portaria n.º 204-A/2026/1: bathing seasons 2026 (PDF), read 10 October 2026
15. ABAE: Blue Flag beaches 2026, read 10 October 2026
16. AMN: Edital de Praia, beach flags (PDF), read 10 October 2026
17. CP: GTFS feed
18. CP: Cascais line replacement bus service
19. cascais-portugal.com: The best beaches in Cascais (2026)
20. Carris Metropolitana: line 3710 pattern (API), read 9 October 2026
21. Carris Metropolitana: service alerts (API), read 9 October 2026
22. TTSL: Tarifário 2026, read 9 October 2026
23. Câmara Municipal de Almada: beaches to visit, read 9 October 2026
24. Carris Metropolitana: the return of the Linhas Mar
25. Carris Metropolitana: GTFS feed
26. Wikipedia (pt): Transpraia, read 9 October 2026