## The essentials {#the-essentials}
Lisbon’s Christmas is switched on on Sunday 29 November 2026 at 6:30 pm, when the mayor lights the big tree in Terreiro do Paço (Praça do Comércio) with a concert by Ana Moura, the Orquestra Tejo, 300 drones and fireworks, according to the programme published by Lisboa Cultura-EGEAC. The Rossio market opens earlier, on 13 November, and Wonderland Lisboa on the 27th; New Year’s Eve is celebrated in the same square with fireworks over the Tagus. 6 January is not a public holiday in Portugal.
It is one of the mildest winters in Europe, but also a rainy one. In December, the average temperature in Lisbon ranges from 9.4 °C to 15.4 °C, it rains (1 mm or more) on about 10 days with 108 mm in total and there are about 150 hours of sunshine in the whole month; in January, 8.6 °C to 15.1 °C, about 10 rainy days and 159 hours of sunshine. These are the IPMA 1991-2020 normals at the Instituto Geofísico in Lisbon.
Official weather warnings and recent earthquakes in Portugal are on [Alerts in Portugal](/alerts/portugal).
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## Getting there and what you need to enter {#getting-there-and-what-you-need-to-enter}
- **Citizens of the EU, the EEA and Switzerland:** a valid national identity card or passport. Spain recommends carrying both and keeping them apart: if you lose one, you go home with the other.
- **Other travellers, for short stays:** since 10 April 2026 the EU Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully operational. When you enter the Schengen area your fingerprints and a photo are taken, and passports are no longer stamped.
- **ETIAS**, the online travel authorisation, is not yet in operation: the EU will announce the date months in advance. The planned fee is €20.
- **From the airport:** the red metro line leaves from Aeroporto station and reaches the centre in about 20 minutes. A single Carris/Metro ticket costs €1.90 since 1 January 2026 and is loaded onto a €0.50 navegante occasional card, according to Metro de Lisboa.
> **Watch out:** Spain asks you not to keep your passport and ID card together, to carry a photocopy or a scanned copy and to always have ID on you: to replace a stolen document at the consulate you first need a police report.
## Getting around {#getting-around}
- **Metro, buses and trams:** with the navegante occasional card, a single journey costs €1.90 and the 24-hour Carris/Metro ticket €7.25 (€10.35 including the ferries to Cacilhas). The blue and green lines go to the Baixa (Baixa-Chiado, Rossio) and the green line to Cais do Sodré.
- **Christmas and New Year:** in 2025 the metro ran until 1 am on Christmas Eve, reopened on 25 December at 6:30 am and closed at 1 am on New Year’s Eve with no extension. Metro de Lisboa publishes the 2026 timetable in December.
- **Strikes:** the United Kingdom warns that in Portugal strikes that disrupt transport, airports included, can be called at short notice. Check your flight and your train the day before.
> **Watch out:** Germany places pickpockets above all on Lisbon’s historic trams, at stations and at metro stops. On the 28 and the 15, bag across your body and nothing in your back pockets.
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## What to see and do {#what-to-see-and-do}
### See the tree lit in Terreiro do Paço {#see-the-tree-lit-in-terreiro-do-paco}
On Sunday 29 November 2026, at 6:30 pm, the mayor lights the city’s main tree surrounded by children; then the Orquestra Tejo performs an original soundtrack by Diogo Clemente synchronised with fireworks, Ana Moura sings, and about 300 drones draw figures in the sky for eight minutes. It is a public event in the square. In 2025 the city lights were on from Sunday to Thursday from 5:30 pm to 11 pm and on Fridays and Saturdays until midnight, one hour longer on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve; the City Council confirms the 2026 hours with the switch-on.
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> **Watch out:** Germany lists Praça do Comércio and Rua Augusta among the Lisbon spots with the most pickpockets. At the switch-on and on New Year’s Eve, wallet in an inside pocket and phone put away when you are not using it.
### Visit the Christmas markets {#visit-the-christmas-markets}
The 2026 dates the organisers have already published; the other neighbourhood markets are announced through November.
| Market | Where | Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Mercado de Natal do Rossio | Rossio square, Baixa | 13 Nov – 21 Dec 2026, free entry |
| Wonderland Lisboa | Parque Eduardo VII | 27 Nov 2026 – 3 Jan 2027, free entry |
| Mercado de Natal das Avenidas Novas | Campo Pequeno | in 2025: 28 Nov – 1 Dec and 5 – 8 Dec (€2); 2026 dates not published |
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> **Watch out:** Spain warns that pickpocketing is frequent in Lisbon’s tourist areas: wallets, items inside cars and thefts at train, metro and bus stations. At the markets, nothing valuable in your backpack.
### Ride the Wonderland Lisboa wheel {#ride-the-wonderland-lisboa-wheel}
The fair in Parque Eduardo VII, next to Marquês de Pombal, is open from 27 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 with free entry; the big wheel, the ice rink and the rides are paid (the wheel cost €6 in 2024). The 2026 opening hours are published at wonderlandlisboa.pt.
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### Go inside the Jerónimos Monastery {#go-inside-the-jeronimos-monastery}
The monastery in Belém is open from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm, with last entry at 5 pm, and is closed on Mondays, on 1 January and on 25 December (also Easter Sunday, 1 May and 13 June). Admission is paid and free with the Lisboa Card, according to Turismo de Lisboa.
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### Climb up to Castelo de São Jorge {#climb-up-to-castelo-de-sao-jorge}
From November to February it is open from 9 am to 6 pm, with last entry at 5:30 pm; it is closed on 24, 25 and 31 December and 1 January, according to EGEAC. The standard ticket costs €17; ages 13 to 25, €8.50, and over-65s, €14. The views over the Tagus at sunset are the best time.
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> **Watch out:** Germany names Alfama and Castelo de São Jorge among the places with the most pickpockets in the city. Go up with just what you need.
### See the year out in Terreiro do Paço {#see-the-year-out-in-terreiro-do-paco}
The City Council’s New Year’s Eve party is free and takes place in Praça do Comércio. On 31 December 2025 it started at 9:30 pm with DJs and a concert by Plutonio, and at midnight there were ten minutes of fireworks launched from the Tagus and synchronised with 250 drones. The 2026 programme has not been announced yet; we will add it here when it is published.
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> **Watch out:** The United Kingdom asks you to follow the police’s instructions at large gatherings and to keep your drink in sight in nightlife venues.
## Shopping {#shopping}
Christmas shopping is concentrated in the Baixa (Rua Augusta), Chiado (Rua Garrett and the Armazéns do Chiado) and Avenida da Liberdade, with the lights on from 29 November. In Portugal the sales, the “saldos”, have no official dates: each shop announces its own, and the big chains usually start in the days after Christmas.
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> **Watch out:** Spain includes thefts from inside cars among the frequent crimes in tourist areas: leave nothing on view in your hire car.
## Safety {#safety}
### What governments say {#what-governments-say}
Checked on 12 November 2026.
- **The United States** asks for “normal precautions” (level 1 of 4): Portugal is generally a safe destination, with petty theft in crowded tourist areas and on public transport.
- **The United Kingdom** does not advise against travel. It mentions street crime with distraction techniques and thieves working in teams, asks for care on public transport and at crowded bus and tram stops, warns of spiked drinks in nightlife venues and of strikes and demonstrations called at short notice.
- **Spain** sets no restrictions on travel to Portugal: “conditions similar to Spain’s”. It asks for care with personal belongings in tourist areas (Lisbon, Porto, Estoril, Cascais, Sintra, Algarve), where wallet theft, thefts from cars and thefts at train, metro and bus stations are frequent.
- **Germany** has no travel warning. It says pickpocketing has risen year after year to a “very high” level, with Praça do Comércio, Rua Augusta, Alfama, Castelo de São Jorge, the historic trams and the stations as hotspots, and asks for special care at night in the nightlife districts.
### Documents and theft {#documents-and-theft}
- **Report it at a PSP police station** (also online, through the Portuguese government’s Queixa Eletrónica). Your insurer and consulate will ask for it.
- **Stolen passport:** your consulate can issue an emergency travel document to get you home. See which one serves you, according to your passport, in the [Portugal safety guide](/travel-safety/portugal).
## Health and emergencies {#health-and-emergencies}
- **Phone numbers:** 112 is the single emergency number; 808 24 24 24 (SNS 24) handles urgent problems that are not emergencies, 24 hours a day.
- **European Health Insurance Card:** it covers care that becomes necessary during the trip in Portugal’s public health service; it does not replace travel insurance.
- **In bars and clubs**, the United Kingdom warns of spiked drinks: buy your own and keep it in sight.
## Staying connected {#staying-connected}
- **With a mobile plan from an EU country**, in Portugal you use your data at no extra cost (roam like at home).
- **With a plan from outside the EU** (United Kingdom, United States, Brazil, Latin America…), check the roaming price first. A data eSIM for Portugal connects you as soon as you land and you keep your usual number: [see plans for Portugal](/pricing?country=PT).
## Travellers’ questions about Lisbon at Christmas {#travellers-questions-about-lisbon-at-christmas}
### When are Lisbon’s Christmas lights switched on in 2026?
On Sunday 29 November 2026 at 6:30 pm, in Terreiro do Paço, with a concert by Ana Moura, the Orquestra Tejo, 300 drones and fireworks.
### When does the Rossio Christmas market open?
From 13 November to 21 December 2026, with free entry and the free Christmas train from 3 pm to 10 pm.
### When does Wonderland Lisboa 2026 open?
From 27 November 2026 to 3 January 2027 in Parque Eduardo VII. Entry is free; the wheel, the ice rink and the rides are paid.
### Are there fireworks in Lisbon on New Year’s Eve?
Yes, in Praça do Comércio and for free: in 2025 there were concerts from 9:30 pm and ten minutes of fireworks from the Tagus with 250 drones at midnight. The 2026 programme is yet to be announced.
### Does the Lisbon metro run on 25 December?
Yes. In 2025 it ran until 1 am on Christmas Eve and reopened on the 25th at 6:30 am; on New Year’s Eve it closed at 1 am. The 2026 timetable is published in December.
### What is the weather like in Lisbon in December?
Mild and rainy: between 9.4 °C and 15.4 °C on average, about 10 rainy days and about 150 hours of sunshine in the whole month (IPMA, 1991-2020 normals).
### What do I need to enter Portugal?
If you are from the EU, the EEA or Switzerland, an identity card or passport. If not, since 10 April 2026 you are registered in the Entry/Exit System (fingerprints and photo) when you enter the Schengen area. ETIAS is not working yet.
## Where next {#where-next}
- [London at Christmas and in winter 2026-2027: what to do, dates and safety](/blog/london-christmas-winter-2026-what-to-do-dates-safety)
- [Safety in Portugal: what governments say today](/travel-safety/portugal)
- [eSIM for Portugal: prices and networks](/esim/portugal)
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