Christmas in Portugal

Although winter time is low season for tourism in Portugal, still a considerable amount of travellers choose the month between December and February to visit the westernmost country of Europe.

The weather, although unreliable, is usually still better than in other parts of Europe and you may even be surprised with full sun shine and daytime temperatures around 15 degrees Celsius (have a warm jacket ready for chilly and humid winter and nights, though). Read more about winter weather in Portugal further below.

Christmas and New Year are a popular time for a winter visit to Lisbon, Porto or Faro, especially amongst travelling families who rely on school holidays.

Christmas traditions in Portugal
The large Portuguese cities – and you are most likely to arrive to Portugal via the country’s major airports in Lisbon, Porto and Faro – are not much different to other big cities worldwide in the way they celebrate Christmas.

The festive season is evident, as the city and especially retail areas ‘dress up’ rigorously, often already in November, urging people to start Christmas shopping. Many of the original traditions, however, are lost in the big cities.

The city centres exhibit special illumination during Christmas season; especially Downtown Lisbon is famous for extravagant lighting.

Despite the cuts in costs due to the tough economy, Lisbon Baixa (downtown) still enchants with the beautiful decorations and a trip ‘to see the lights’ is already a tradition amongst many Portuguese families.

Nativity scenes, some of them very elaborated are often seen in Portuguese cities and towns.

A curious fact: the world’s largest animated nativity scene, inscribed in the Guinness World Record Book, is located in northern Portugal, in a small town of São Paio de Oleiros. It consists of 8 thousands items and pieces and takes up an area of 4 thousands square meters:

What is on the table? Portuguese Christmas food
In the privacy of their homes, families will gather for the Christmas Eve dinner. The seasonal menu consists of dishes based on cod-fish. This salted and dry Portuguese delicacy can be served in many ways: boiled with vegetables, oven roasted or as a part of complex dishes as for instance bacalhau com natas:

Roasted suckling pig or turkey are another staples of the traditional Christmas menu in Portugal.

As far as deserts are concerned, bolo rei, meaning king cake, is by far the most emblematic Christmas treat. It resembles an English fruit cake, except it is shaped as a circle and decorated abundantly with crystalized fruit. Bolo rainha, or queen cake, is another variety, in which, instead of crystalized fruit, different types of nuts are used:

Outside of Christmas season, bolo rei, is hardly seen in Portugal.

After the Christmas  Eve dinner, which often lasts until very late at night, many families attend a Christmas mass celebrated at midnight and called missa do galo – cockerel’s mass.

Christmas day is, once again spend with families and plenty of food.

As far as presents’ unwrapping goes, it traditionally happens on Christmas Eve night, however some families prefer to leave all the excitement for the Christmas morning.

Christmas markets Portugal
Still not as popular as in other countries across Europe, Christmas markets are slowly emerging in Portuguese city centres. They are usually small, neighbourhood markets featuring seasonal products, as well as handicrafts and souvenirs. You will also be able to warm yourself up with some spiced mulled wine and try roasted chestnuts which are the favourite autumn/winter snack of Portuguese.

Portugal: weather in December
Winter temperatures in Portugal vary considerably, depending on location within Portugal. The southern region of Algarve is, without a doubt the warmest one, with an average day temperatures of 14 degrees Celsius in December. In Lisbon, the capital, around 12 degrees can be expected throughout most of December. In Porto, the largest city of northern Portugal, however, the temperatures are slightly lower, at 11 degrees on average.

Please note, however, that the further away from the cost you are in Portugal, the colder it gets. In the interior, for example in Guarda, Castelo Branco or Bragança districts, the average daytime temperatures in December are of only 10 degrees Celsius.

Be prepared for rain, when travelling to Portugal in December, as it is considered the wettest month with an average of 17 days of rainfall.

See Lisbon weather in December graph.