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

Checked on 11 October 2026. We found no 2026 Christmas or New Year programme on the official pages listed below. Event dates on this page are last year’s (2025) and say so; opening hours are the holiday hours venues published on their own pages in October 2026, which carry no year, so check them again before you go.

The short answer

December in Porto is cool and wet: highs around 15 °C, nights around 8 °C and about 12 rain days in the month [1]. The city switches on its Christmas lights and a big tree on the Avenida dos Aliados at the end of November, runs a Christmas market in the Cordoaria gardens, and ends the year with a free party and fireworks on the Aliados (all as in 2025) [3][4][6]. Three days are public holidays, 1, 8 and 25 December, plus 1 January [10]; Livraria Lello, Serralves and the Bolhão market close on Christmas Day, while Clérigos Tower and Taylor’s port cellar in Gaia open with shorter hours [11][14][15][16][25].

For 2026, the lights, the market and the New Year’s Eve programme were not yet announced as of 11 October 2026: the city’s events company, Ágora, had published nothing for Christmas 2026 in its news (latest item 9 October 2026), and its Christmas page still links only to earlier years [5][8]. The only 2026 item we found: the city’s MALHA arts programme lists a Christmas lighting project for parts of the historic centre, designed from children’s drawings, for September to December 2026 [9]. In 2025 Ágora published the Christmas programme on 18 November and the New Year’s Eve line-up on 12 December [3][6], so check again in mid-November for Christmas and in December for New Year’s Eve and transport.

Coming earlier? September to November, with the Douro harvest and what closes: Porto in autumn.

December weather

December (IPMA 1991–2020)
Average high	14.7 °C
Average low	7.6 °C
Rain	153.3 mm
Rain days (≥ 1 mm)	12.4
Sea off Porto (modelled)	15.4 °C

Figures from Porto weather by month [1][2]. December is one of Porto’s three wettest months, and from November to January about 5 to 6 days a month bring 10 mm of rain or more [1]. In practice: pack a proper waterproof and shoes that grip on wet granite and steep streets, and give each day one indoor plan, such as a port cellar, Serralves or the Bolhão market. Frost is rare (1.4 days a year, mostly in January) [1]. At about 15 °C the sea is better for a walk along Foz than for a swim, in our view [2]. Rainy-day ideas: things to do in Porto.

Christmas lights and the Aliados tree

2025. The city switched on the lights and the big tree in Praça do General Humberto Delgado, at the top of the Avenida dos Aliados, on Saturday 29 November at 18:00, with a videomapping and fireworks show on the City Hall façade and a free Mariza concert at 18:30 [3][4]. The lights covered 94 streets and stayed up until 6 January 2026, lit 17:30 to 23:00 Sunday to Thursday and 17:30 to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays [3]. The city’s general page names Rua de Santa Catarina, the Baixa and the Ribeira quayside among the lit areas [5]. Through December 2025 the Aliados stage had free shows at 18:00 on Sundays 7, 14 and 21 December and on Saturday 20 December, all with Portuguese sign language interpretation [3].

2026. Not yet announced as of 11 October 2026 [8].

Clérigos Tower’s own pages disagree on evening hours: the English ticket page gives 09:00 to 23:00 for the Christmas season, while the Portuguese page (read 11 October 2026) says 09:00 to 19:00, so check before you plan to see the lit Baixa from the top after dark [15].

Christmas markets

Cordoaria (Jardim de João Chagas). The city’s own Christmas market, by Clérigos. In 2025 it ran from 29 November to 30 December, extended to the 30th that year: Monday to Thursday 11:00 to 20:00, Fridays and the eve of public holidays 11:00 to 21:00, Saturdays 10:00 to 21:00, Sundays and holidays 10:00 to 20:00, and closed on 24 and 25 December [3][4]. Around it: Father Christmas’s house, a workshop tent for children, a free natural ice rink and a carousel in Largo do Amor de Perdição (details in the children’s section) [4]. 2026 dates not yet announced as of 11 October 2026.

The Bolhão market had carol concerts and Father Christmas on several December Saturdays in 2025 [4]. Remember it is closed on Sundays and public holidays, so on 1, 8 and 25 December too [16].

We list only markets with an official programme; the city’s 2025 programme also sent street performers to smaller craft and antiques fairs, and its agenda (agenda-porto.pt) lists them once the season starts [3][4].

Public holidays and what closes

Portugal has three national holidays in December: 1 December (Restoration of Independence), 8 December (Immaculate Conception) and 25 December, plus 1 January [10]. In 2026, 1 and 8 December are both Tuesdays and 25 December is a Friday; 1 January 2027 is also a Friday. 24 and 31 December are not public holidays, but many places close early (table below) and transport thins out in the evening.

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

Place	24 Dec 2026	25 Dec 2026	31 Dec 2026	1 Jan 2027
Livraria Lello	not on closure list	closed	not on closure list	closed
Palácio da Bolsa	last entry 13:00	not stated, check	last entry 16:00	not stated, check
Serralves	closes 16:00	closed	closes 16:00	closed
Clérigos Tower	09:00–14:00	11:00–19:00	09:00–14:00	11:00–19:00
Bolhão market	not stated	closed (holiday)	not stated	closed (holiday)
Taylor’s cellar, Gaia	10:00–17:00	12:00–18:00	10:00–17:00	12:00–18:00
SEA LIFE Porto	closes 16:00	closed	closes 16:00	not on closure list

Sources: [11][12][13][14][15][16][18][25]. Serralves: the closure rule comes from the hours text in its website files, next to older notices, so confirm it nearer the time. The planetarium was closed on 24, 25 and 31 December 2025 and 1 January 2026 [19]; its 2026 notice was not out. The Palácio da Bolsa is seen only on a guided visit of about 30 minutes, €14 for adults and free for under-12s with an adult, and its booking page does not sell same-day tickets online [12][13]. Porto Cathedral (the Sé) says only that it “closes at Christmas” [17], and the tram museum opened 10:00 to 17:00 on 31 December 2025 and closed on 1 January 2026 [23].

Getting around over the holidays

The 2026 holiday timetables were not out on 11 October 2026; in 2025 they came out in the second half of December (CP on 19 December, STCP’s Christmas notice and Metro’s on 22 December, Metro’s New Year notice on 29 December) [20][21][22][24]. What they did over Christmas 2025 and New Year 2025/26:

• Metro. On Christmas Eve the network closed at about 20:00, and on Christmas Day it started at about 9:00 [20]. On New Year’s Eve it ran non-stop from 20:00 until 06:00 on 1 January, with line D every 6 minutes until 3:00, and then switched to the Sunday and holiday timetable. The exception was line E, the airport line, which stopped at about 1:00 as on any night [21]; on a normal timetable its last train leaves the airport at 00:42 [37].
• STCP buses and trams. On 24 December buses ran the Saturday timetable until 18:30 and were then withdrawn gradually, leaving 17 night routes; the trams stopped at 17:30. On 25 December most routes started at 7:00 on the Sunday timetable, and the trams only from early afternoon [22]. On 31 December the Saturday timetable was reinforced all day and the night network ran until dawn; on 1 January the Sunday timetable applied, and trams 1 and 18 kept their usual hours on both days [23].
• CP urban trains (Braga, Guimarães, Aveiro, Leixões and Marco lines). On Christmas Eve 2025 CP cancelled many evening trains: towards Guimarães the 19:10, 20:20, 22:20 and 23:20 from São Bento, towards Braga the 18:15, 19:45, 21:05, 21:45 and 23:10 from São Bento, and towards Aveiro the 16:50, 17:50, 18:50 and 19:50 from Campanhã and the 20:50, 22:00, 22:50 and 23:50 from São Bento. Some early trains on 25 December, a few late trains on 31 December and some early trains on 1 January were cancelled too [24]. If you sleep outside Porto, check the last train on these days or book a taxi.

How the network works the rest of the year: getting around Porto and the north; from the airport: Porto airport to the city.

New Year’s Eve on the Aliados

Porto’s main party is free and outdoors on the Avenida dos Aliados, with the fireworks launched from City Hall at the top of the avenue [5][7]. The 2026/27 programme had not been announced as of 11 October 2026 [8]. This is how the city ran 2025/26 [6][7][21]:

31 December 2025 to 1 January 2026
19:00	The Baixa closes to traffic (until 07:00 on 1 January)
20:00	Metro switches to its non-stop New Year’s service
21:30	Area around City Hall closed to circulation until 1:00 (fireworks)
22:00	Concert: Clã
00:00	11-minute multimedia and fireworks show (“Fluxo”, by Grandpa’s Studio)
00:30	Concert: Nininho Vaz Maia
02:00	DJ set: Beatbombers
1 Jan, 16:00	New Year’s Concert on the Aliados, Banda Sinfónica Portuguesa

Rules in 2025/26: the concert area could be reached only on foot through six entry points, with security checks for glass and fireworks [7]. The city asked everyone to come by public transport [7].

Aliados or the Ribeira? The official show in 2025/26 was on the Aliados, not by the river: the 2025 press release described it as the party’s return “to the heart of the city” [7]. We found no official programme at the Ribeira for that night.

Getting home in 2025/26: the metro ran all night (not line E after about 1:00) [21], and STCP reinforced 11 night routes from 21:00 to 2:30 and ran 12 dawn routes, eight of them reinforced until 5:30, with special stops at Cordoaria, Bolhão, Batalha and São Bento [23]. Earlier that week, on 28 December 2025, the S. Silvestre 10 km race started and finished on the Aliados [4].

Where to stay. To walk home after midnight, stay in the Baixa around the Aliados, São Bento or the Ribeira; elsewhere, pick a place near a metro station, checking the new holiday timetable first: airport line E stopped at about 1:00 in 2025/26 [21]. Areas compared: where to stay in Porto. Book early for 31 December and check the minimum stay and cancellation terms.

Port cellars in Gaia in December

The cellars across the river are indoors, so they suit a wet day. Of the houses we checked, only Taylor’s publishes holiday hours:

• Taylor’s: cellar daily 10:00 to 18:15; on 24 and 31 December 10:00 to 17:00, on 25 December and 1 January 12:00 to 18:00 [25].
• Graham’s: from November to March, visits 10:00 to 17:00 and by reservation [26].
• Sandeman and Ferreira (both Sogrape): daily 10:00 to 12:30 and 14:00 to 18:00; their page lists no special holiday hours, so check before 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January [27].

Walk over the lower deck of the Luís I bridge from the Ribeira. Prices, the cable car and children’s tickets: port cellars in things to do in Porto.

The Douro valley in winter

• The historic train does not run in December. CP’s vintage train between Régua and Tua is scheduled from 6 June to 18 October 2026 [28]. For 2027, watch cp.pt in spring.
• The ordinary trains do. CP regional trains run along the Douro all year, from Porto São Bento to Régua, Pinhão and Pocinho [29]. The current timetable has been valid since 5 August 2026; check that it is still the one in force in December.
• Boats. In Pinhão, Magnífico Douro’s regular rabelo trip leaves at 10:30 in winter, against 10:00 in the season [30].
• Weather. Inland is colder than Porto in winter: Vila Real, above the valley, averages a 9.9 °C maximum in January (see Porto weather by month) [38]. Check each quinta’s winter hours and book visits in advance.

How to do the day, with times and fares: the Douro valley from Porto.

Guimarães and Braga at Christmas

• Guimarães. In 2025 “Guimarães Cidade Natal” ran from 30 November to Christmas, with lights in more than 40 streets and monuments, a Ferris wheel in Parque das Hortas, an ice rink in Largo Condessa do Juncal, a giant tree and Father Christmas’s house in Largo do Toural, and a Christmas train and market in Alameda de São Dâmaso [33]. The Paço dos Duques is closed on 25 December and 1 January [34].
• Braga. In 2025 the city’s “Braga é Natal” season included a Christmas market on the Avenida Central from 29 November to 24 December (dates from the city’s call for stallholders) [35]. The Bom Jesus funicular runs on winter hours, with a lunch break from 12:55 to 13:55 [36].
• Trains. On Christmas Eve 2025 CP cancelled many evening trains on both lines [24]. We did not find 2026 programmes for either town; check the councils’ sites in November.

The full day out: Braga and Guimarães day trip.

Porto with kids in December

• Cordoaria in 2025: a free natural ice rink (30-minute sessions, with a voucher collected the same day at the information point), a Parisian carousel free for children aged 3 to 12 (3 to 6 may ride with an adult), Father Christmas’s house with set visiting afternoons, and children’s workshops in the “Tenda de Cristal”. The market, rink, carousel and Father Christmas’s house were closed on 24 and 25 December [4].
• Christmas steam train. In 2025 CP ran a decorated steam train from São Bento to Ermesinde on Saturdays and Sundays from 13 December 2025 to 4 January 2026: €13 one way for adults and €6.50 for children aged 4 to 12, and the ticket also covered Porto urban trains that day. In Ermesinde a Christmas village and a 55-metre tree stood five minutes from the station [31]. The 2026 edition is not yet announced [32].
• Rainy days: SEA LIFE Porto (closed on Christmas Day, early closing on 24 and 31 December) [18], the planetarium, closed 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January in 2025/26 [19], and the tram museum. More in our rainy-day plan for kids.
• New Year’s Eve with children: in 2025/26 the first concert started at 22:00 and the fireworks at midnight; the daytime alternative was the New Year’s concert on the Aliados at 16:00 on 1 January 2026 [6].

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

Sources

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

1. IPMA: Climate normal 1991–2020, Porto / Pedras Rubras, read 9 October 2026
2. seatemperature.org: Porto sea temperature, read 9 October 2026
3. Ágora Porto: Mariza, Capitão Fausto, Vizinhos e Rita Rocha animam o Natal no Porto (18 Nov 2025)
4. Ágora Porto: Boas Festas 2025 programme (PDF)
5. Ágora Porto: Natal e Passagem de Ano
6. Ágora Porto: Clã, Nininho Vaz Maia e Beatbombers animam Passagem de Ano no Porto (12 Dec 2025)
7. Ágora Porto: Passagem de Ano de regresso aos Aliados (29 Dec 2025)
8. Ágora Porto: news
9. MALHA: Last Christmas I Gave You my Arte
10. Diário da República: Lei n.º 8/2016 (national holidays)
11. Livraria Lello: ticket-voucher info
12. Palácio da Bolsa: Turismo
13. Visit Porto and North: Palácio da Bolsa guided visit
14. Fundação de Serralves: Visitar
15. Torre dos Clérigos: Bilheteira
16. Mercado do Bolhão: contacts and opening hours
17. Diocese do Porto: Catedral do Porto
18. CP: Sea Life Porto
19. Planetário do Porto: Boas Festas 2025
20. Metro do Porto: Christmas Eve and Christmas Day hours (22 Dec 2025)
21. Metro do Porto: Metro sem parar até 2026 (29 Dec 2025)
22. STCP: Operação com ajuste de horário no Natal (22 Dec 2025)
23. STCP: Passagem de Ano 2025/26
24. CP: Comboios suprimidos, Natal e Ano Novo, Urbanos do Porto (PDF, 19 Dec 2025)
25. Taylor’s: Port Cellars
26. Graham’s Port Lodge: visit
27. Sogrape Wine Tourism: contacts and hours
28. CP: Douro Historical Train 2026
29. CP: Linha do Douro regional timetable
30. Magnífico Douro: rabelo boat trip in Pinhão, read 9 October 2026
31. CP: Comboio Histórico a Vapor de Natal 2025
32. CP: Christmas steam train
33. Câmara Municipal de Guimarães: Guimarães ilumina-se para o Natal (26 Nov 2025)
34. Turismo de Guimarães: Paço dos Duques de Bragança, read 9 October 2026
35. Município de Braga: Mercado de Natal 2025 (2 Oct 2025)
36. Bom Jesus do Monte: informações, read 9 October 2026
37. Metro do Porto: Frequências from 7 September 2026 (PDF), read 10 October 2026
38. IPMA: Climate normal 1991–2020, Vila Real, read 9 October 2026