Best Time to Visit Lisbon: Expert Tips for a Perfect Trip

Although southern Portugal is in general always mild, but as a first-timer you want to have your perfect trip in Lisbon. In this guide we’ll show you the best time to visit Lisbon including temperature per month in Lisbon and outfit suggestions.

We love Portugal and after traveling in all the seasons to Lisbon, we’ve put together our favorite months in Lisbon.

I’m writing this guide, because the first time we traveled to Lisbon it was in January, and although we quite enjoyed it, but honestly it was so cold. We heard from friends that Portugal is always warm, but that’s not true. As a first-timer, you want to enjoy the beaches, promenades and walking up the Pena Palace without freezing.

Also after helping hundreds of travelers with their Lisbon trips, I realized that’s not a general rule. Some travelers prefer to travel off-season for better prices or less crowd. Others only have vacation time during Christmas or holidays. That’s why we’ll cover all season in Lisbon as well as our favorite months to go to Lisbon.

Tip: If you’re visiting as a first-timer, Also read our free Ultimate Guide for Lisbon, for the 15 best things to do in Lisbon and Best areas to stay in Lisbon!

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When is the Best Time to Visit Lisbon

The reason we’re writing a full post about it, is this: Lisbon offers so many attractions which are outdoor and requires walking. Actually most of the main attractions in Lisbon are outdoor, like Belém Tower, Jerónimos Monastery, Alfama district and much more.

So if you ask us, the best time to visit Lisbon is from April to November, the best months to go to Lisbon are May and September. the coldest month of the year is January, but we still love it, because no crowd. For those who want to visit Lisbon in winter, Christmas in Lisbon is magical, but take your Jacket.

In General, Shoulder seasons are the best for visiting Lisbon and that being said, our favorite months are May and September with pleasant temperatures and better hotel prices. Also you can still swim and enjoy the beaches with less crowd. Now let’s dive in each season and each month in Lisbon!

Spring in Lisbon

Spring is one of the best seasons to visit Portugal and specially in Lisbon. The temperature is around 15°C – 22°C (60°F to low 70s) .

And for a visitor that means you can comfortably walk around and enjoy the weather, when streets are blooming. It starts from March through May. May in Lisbon is also one of our favorites.

Spring in Lisbon: Blossoms and less touristy

We normally go to Lisbon in April or May, as March can be still more rainy. It’s a perfect time to visit Lisbon, because it’s still not very touristy as in summer and the hotel prices are also lower than the summer months. Also Lisbon in March is fantastic and the spring begins.

Pros of traveling to Lisbon in Spring:

First of all it’s about the weather which is genuinely very pleasant at that time, although you can’t swim and might be a bit rainy, but it’s mild. Patios are open and you can enjoy eating outdoor. Although the city is busy with tourists, but it’s still more quite than in summer.

Also hotels and flights prices are normally lower than in summer. In general shoulder seasons are the best months to travel to Lisbon. You can see the Jacaranda trees blooming everywhere in Lisbon from late April to mid May and we love that.

Cons of traveling to Lisbon in Spring

Well, it’s a spring weather in Lisbon and that means you’ll have occasional rain and cooler evenings, but it’s still warmer than most of the other cities in Europe. Also if you’re looking for a beach getaway in spring, that’s not the right place.

Although you might also see some people occasionally swim, when the weather is shiny, but the water is really cold and won’t give you a true beach atmosphere. So let’s say that it’s a true spring weather in Lisbon and not a beach getaway.

Monthly overview of Weather in Lisbon during spring

Here is a short breakdown of the weather for each month in Lisbon, but it can vary from year to year. So it’s always better to check in advance:

Also we love to sit outside and enjoy Tagus river. We often get a dish from Time-out Market and sit by the river and eat. (Also a good option for budget travelers). sitting outside and enjoying our dinner and do some rooftop bar hopping at night. If you’re into rooftop bars with summer atmosphere, visit Park Bar or Topo Chiado.

Summer Festivals in Lisbon

Lisbon is home to great summer festivals and the city really comes to life specially in June with the famous Santo Antonio Festival on June12 -13. This is the most important festival in Portugal and it’s truly amazing. It’s full of street parties, food stations, live music and so much more. Check the details here.

Another one of our favorites is the Nos Alive which is one of the biggest music festivals in Portugal and what I love about it, is that it’s by the Tagus river and just imagine having that view with fantastic music by the sunset is so dreamy. If you’re visiting Lisbon in June, you can find more Festivals in the table below.

Our Tips for visiting Lisbon in Summer

During the above-mentioned festivals, hotels are expensive and might sell out fast, so you need to book much earlier in advance. But if you’re like us and enjoy being in those festivals, then you need to start your planning early. We normally book 6 months in advance to get better rates.

Our favorite hotels in Lisbon are Hotel Mundial (mid-range) which is very central and good walkable. Also Lisboa Pessoa Hotel (mid-range) is a fantastic hotel with a great roof top view. But specially Lisboa Pessoa sells out fast, so you need to book early. Check the prices and availability here.

Also as a first-timer you want to visit all the best attractions in Lisbon, but that’s exactly all the crowd wants there too. LOL! So our recommendation is to get your tickets in advance specially for Belem, Jeronimos Monastery and your tour to Sintra.

Also If you want to avoid waiting in the long lines, I would suggest the skip the line tickets, as you can even stand around an hour in the line by the heat to enter Belem. They amount of visitors per hour in Belem is limited, so the line is long. Check the skip-the-line tickets here.

Cons of traveling to Lisbon in Summer

Lisbon in summer can be quite expensive and very crowded. So if your budget is limited, we suggest to stay in Lisbon for 2 nights and then travel around. If you want to visit northern Portugal, Porto is a great option and the prices for hotels and restaurants are lower than in Lisbon.

Porto is such a picturesque city and our favorite city in Portugal. It’s about 2 hours and 45 minutes from Lisbon by train. Our favorite hotel in Porto is Eurostars Douro (Mid-Range) and the view is breathtaking. Check the availability here.

Also southern Portugal is fantastic. If you’re more into rocks and scenic ocean views Algarve should be on your list. We normally stay in Faro city center, as it’s a bit cheaper instead of the resorts by the water.

You can easily travel around and go to beaches by bus from Faro city. (around 20 minutes for 2 euros). Our favorite hotel in Faro is Roots hotel and the reviews are true. It’s a modern hotel apartment and best for the families. We normally book the one-bedroom apartment. Check the availability and prices here.

Lisbon Temperature by Month (Summer)

Here is a short breakdown of the weather for summer months in Lisbon, but it can vary from year to year. So it’s always better to check in advance:

In general if you want to visit Portugal in summer, we recommend June, July and the last week of August. August in Lisbon can be really crowded and hot.

Fall in Lisbon: Best Time to Visit Lisbon

Fall is definitely our second favorite season in Lisbon after Spring. If you’re a wine lover, this is the best season to visit Portugal in general, as it’s the harvest season. That means it’s the best time to do day trips around and do wine tastings.

The best places to visit as a day trip from Lisbon are Arrábida and Sessimbra. We did a tour this time and it was fantastic with both sightseeing and wine tasting in both cities. Arrábida Natural park is so beautiful and we also visited Palmela and made a visit to some of the family-run wine estates. We highly recommend it for the wine lovers. Here is the link, if you want to book.

Fall is the best time to visit Lisbon if you want less crowd, lower prices and fantastic warm weather, but not hot. September and October are definitely the sweet spots, while November in Lisbon can start getting cold. October in Lisbon is still mild , but the temperatures normally drop by the end of October.

Pros of traveling to Lisbon in Fall

There are so many good things about traveling to Lisbon is September and actually no cons. So let’s start with lower hotel prices and you can still enjoy the beach and go swimming. The temperatures are around 27°C and very pleasant. We love it.

I could even say that September is the best month to visit Lisbon, if you want nice weather without summer crowd. Also days are long until early October and accommodation prices drop a little bit comparing to high summer months. September in Lisbon is truly amazing.

Cons of traveling to Lisbon in Fall

Well I can’t find any cons, except if you’re there for the festivals, those are not the right months, although there are some interesting events like Film festival. Also we were in Lisbon in November once and honestly it was a bit rainy and the weather wasn’t as pleasant as in September or Mid October, but the city is still lively.

Monthly overview of Weather in Lisbon during Fall

Travel Expert Tips for visiting Lisbon:

• Lisboa Card: If you’re visitng Lisbon for the first time, think about getting the Lisboa card, as you’ll save a lot of money for the sightseeing in Lisbon as well as the public transport. You can also get it online here.
• one of the best traditional dishes in Portugal is called Bacalhau (Cod fish), you should definitely try that in the restaurant Maria Catita. you definitely need a reservation.
• Don’t miss to visit Pena Palace and Sintra, it’s one of the most beautiful places we’ve ever seen in Portugal. it’s a day trip from Lisbon to visit Pena Palace, Sintra Village and Quinta da Regaleira. Here you can book your tour.

You want to see the full film: See the full Day-trip from Lisbon to Sintra, Pena palace and Cascais on our Youtube channel. Here is the direct link.