Lisbon in December (2027): Weather, Prices, Christmas, New Year's Eve & Things to Do

⭐ Best-value December window, based on our hotel sample: 1 to 18 December. Medians on those dates were about €166 to €179, against €237 on 29 December and €245 on New Year's Eve. This is a price observation, not a weather claim; rain is about as likely in early December as later in the month.

ℹ️ These are our editorial assessments of how December conditions affect each part of a trip, not review scores. Temperature and rainfall figures are climate normals from IPMA, Portugal's weather service, for 1991 to 2020.

💰 December 2027 hotel rates in our sample (central Lisbon, 4-star):
1 to 18 December: median ~€166–179 (middle half roughly €117–283) · 24 to 31 December: median ~€190–245 (middle half roughly €133–370)
From a sample of 24 to 31 four-star hotels within 2 km of Baixa, quoted on 2 October 2026 for one night for two adults, room only, before taxes, on ten December 2027 dates. Few hotels had loaded rates this far ahead, so treat these medians as indicative; we also compared the same 19 hotels across dates. Lisbon's tourist tax of €4 per person per night (maximum seven nights) is added on top. Rates change daily, so check live prices for your dates.

December is a month of two halves in Lisbon. For the first three weeks, the city is quiet, the Christmas lights and market are up, and hotel rates in our sample stayed at their autumn low. Then the holidays arrive: many tours pause on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and rates climb steeply toward New Year's Eve, when a free party fills Praça do Comércio.

The weather is the same throughout: mild days around 15°C, rain on about one day in three, and dark by about 17:30. We would book the first half of December for a lower-priced city break with the lights, and the last week only if New Year's Eve on the river is the point of the trip.

Temperature

IPMA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals put the December average high at about 15°C and the low at about 9°C. The highest December temperature in IPMA's 1991 to 2020 record is 21.5°C. A warm jacket covers most days, with an extra layer for the evenings.

Rain Pattern

December averages about 109 mm of rain on roughly 10 days, a little less than November's 134 mm but on a similar number of days. That still leaves around two thirds of days dry on average. The limestone and basalt pavements of the old town are slippery when wet, so shoes with grip matter more than an umbrella.

Daylight and Outdoor Conditions

December has the shortest days of the year, at about nine and a half hours. Sunrise moves from about 07:35 to about 07:54, while sunset stays between about 17:15 and 17:25 all month; the earliest sunsets fall in the first half of December. Station averages from the German Weather Service put December at about 150 hours of sunshine, the lowest of any month. The sea cools to about 16.5°C, which seatemperature.org describes as cool.

Only 24 to 31 hotels returned December rates this far ahead, so we also compared the same 19 hotels across dates. On those hotels, the median was about €237 in mid-October and about €160 from mid-November right through to 18 December, before rising to about €190 on Christmas Eve, €200 on Christmas Day, €237 on 29 December and €243 on New Year's Eve.

1 to 18 December: the quiet weeks

Medians across our full sample were about €166 to €179, with no clear premium for the two public holidays, Restoration of Independence Day on Wednesday 1 December (€169) and the Immaculate Conception on Wednesday 8 December (€168). Saturdays were about €169 to €179. This is the best-value stretch of the month; in 2025, the lights and Wonderland Lisboa were both up by the end of November.

24 to 31 December: Christmas and New Year

Medians rose to about €190 on Friday 24 December and €210 on Saturday 25 December, then to about €237 on 29 December and €245 on Friday 31 December, the dearest night of the month. Most people do not realise how early the jump starts: in our sample, the week between Christmas and New Year cost about as much as mid-October. Remember the tourist tax of €4 per person per night on top of the room rate.

The Christmas lights

Lisbon's Christmas lights run along the main streets and squares of the centre; in 2025 they were switched on on 22 November, according to Público. With darkness falling around 17:20, an early-evening walk from Avenida da Liberdade through Rossio and Rua Augusta to Praça do Comércio sees them at their best. The 2027 switch-on date had not been announced when we checked.

Wonderland Lisboa

Wonderland Lisboa, billed as the largest Christmas market in Portugal, fills Parque Eduardo VII with a giant Christmas tree, a Ferris wheel, an ice rink, Santa's house and a craft and food market. Entry is free. The 2025 edition ran from 28 November 2025 to 4 January 2026, according to Visit Lisboa; the 2027 dates had not been announced when we checked. Our best things to do in Lisbon for families guide covers more for children.

New Year's Eve at Praça do Comércio

The city's New Year's Eve party takes place on Praça do Comércio, also called Terreiro do Paço, beside the river. For 2025/26 it was free, with live music from the evening and a midnight fireworks display over the Tagus, according to Visit Lisboa. The square gets very crowded, so arrive early or watch from the riverside at Cais do Sodré or Ribeira das Naus. The 2027/28 programme had not been announced when we checked. Our Lisbon by night guide covers the city's evenings beyond the party.

December's downsides are short days, rain and holiday closures.

Day trips over the holidays

On the 2026 calendars, the small-group Sintra and Fátima, Nazaré and Óbidos day trips we compare did not run on 24, 25 or 31 December or 1 January, and the food tour paused on 24 and 25 December and 1 January. Book day trips for the first half of the month, and check the 2027 holiday calendars when they are published. Our day trips from Lisbon guide compares the options.

A budget New Year

In our sample, the median on New Year's Eve was about €245, roughly half as much again as in early December. If price matters, travel in the first half of the month; our Lisbon in January guide covers the low prices that return after New Year.

Long outdoor days

With about nine and a half hours of daylight and rain on about 10 days, December is not the month for long beach walks or open-air tours. Plan indoor afternoons and keep outdoor tours flexible; a private tour guide in Lisbon can switch between indoor and outdoor stops as the weather changes. Our is Lisbon safe guide covers the practical advice for slippery cobbles on wet days.

• Wonderland Lisboa: the free Christmas market in Parque Eduardo VII, with an ice rink and Ferris wheel.
• Roasted chestnuts on the street: the sellers' carts stay through the cooler months in Baixa and Chiado.
• The Gulbenkian Museum on a wet day: one of the city's great art collections, with gardens for when the rain stops.
• The lights on Avenida da Liberdade: walk down to Rossio and Rua Augusta after dark, around 17:30.

• Choose your week first: 1 to 18 December was the low-price stretch in our sample; the last week was far dearer.
• Book day trips early in the month: on the 2026 calendars, the Sintra and Fátima trips did not run on 24, 25 or 31 December.
• Check holiday opening hours: 1, 8 and 25 December are public holidays in Portugal, and museums and shops change hours over Christmas.
• See the lights after 17:30: sunset is around 17:15 to 17:25 all month.
• Arrive early on New Year's Eve: Praça do Comércio fills up, and the riverside at Cais do Sodré is an alternative.
• Pack a warm, waterproof layer: evening lows average about 9°C, and rain falls on about 10 days.
• Plan Belém for a day other than Monday: Jerónimos Monastery is closed on Mondays.
• Budget for the tourist tax: Lisbon adds €4 per person per night, up to seven nights, on top of the room rate.
• Visiting at a different time of year? Our Lisbon in November guide covers the month before, with São Martinho and similar rates, and our Lisbon in January guide covers the quiet weeks after New Year.