{"id":32218,"date":"2019-10-28T17:09:00","date_gmt":"2019-10-28T17:09:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/expedia.blog.uk.sandwave.dev\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit-2\/"},"modified":"2023-04-21T15:02:39","modified_gmt":"2023-04-21T15:02:39","slug":"what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do in Lisbon in Winter: 10 Reasons to Visit"},"content":{"rendered":"

“It’s a joy to visit Lisbon in winter. There’s plenty of sunshine and temperatures hover around 15C from December to February. It’s quieter than at other times of the year, meaning you won’t face long queues to get into major sights. And there are also seasonal events to enjoy during the cooler months, which you can’t experience outside of the season.<\/p>\n

Here are 10 reasons you should head to Lisbon in winter.<\/p>\n

Wrap Up to See the City From a Viewpoint
\n—————————————-<\/p>\n

Lisbon is a city of big views thanks to its hilly geography. Many of the hills have miradouros<\/em>, viewpoints that offer sweeping views of the city and sea. While Lisbon’s winter temperatures don’t drop below freezing, you’ll still want a scarf and jacket for your wintery walk up. Some miradouros<\/em>, like Miradouro de S\u00e3o Pedro de Alc\u00e2ntara, have cafes or bars where you can grab a warming beverage or glass of port.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Attend a Seasonal Concert in a Church
\n——————————————–<\/p>\n

During the winter season, many of the churches in Lisbon hold seasonal classical music concerts and performances. It’s really special experience to cosy into one of the city’s oldest churches, such as the 13th century Igreja de S\u00e3o Domingos, and listen to a carol service, symphony or Christmas-themed concert. The Lisbon Metropolitan Orchestra also plays a New Year’s Eve concert every year at the Centro Cultural de Bel\u00e9m.<\/p>\n

\"1620px-Igreja_de_S%C3%A3o_Domingos_Lizbona_prezbiterium.jpg?1572952961\"<\/p>\n

Igreja de S\u00e3o Domingos – By Jacek555 (Jacek Plewa) – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=15337664<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/a>Browse the Christmas Markets in Rossio Square
\n—————————————————-<\/p>\n

The Christmas markets in Lisbon aren’t as big as the ones in other parts of Europe, but there are still a few festive markets that pop up around the city in early December. The main Lisbon Christmas market is held in Rossio Square, where you’ll find a cheery selection of huts selling mulled wine, snacks and gifts. In early December, head to the Natalis<\/a> fair to poke around the 180-odd Christmas-themed gift and craft stalls.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Sample Wintery Portuguese Treats
\n—————————————<\/p>\n

Eating out is one of the best things you’ll do in Lisbon, and wintertime brings its own particular set of seasonal treats. Around Christmas, you’ll see sweets and pastries to celebrate the season in bakeries across the city. Bolo Rei, or King’s Cake, is the dessert of the season: it’s a sweet cake with nuts and dried fruits. Meanwhile, filh\u00f3s<\/em> are deep-fried dough puffs covered in powdered sugar and cinnamon, sonhos<\/em> are fried pumpkin pastries, and rabanada<\/em> is fried eggy bread similar to French toast.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Climb Lisbon’s Hills Without the Heat
\n——————————————–<\/p>\n

Temperatures soar during the summers in the Portuguese capital, leaving you hot and sweaty even after the shortest of walks. Strolling around Lisbon in winter, however, is a different proposition – especially when it comes to its more hilly terrain. This includes a trot up to Castelo de S\u00e3o Jorge , the city’s main fortress. You may even be tempted to keep the blood pumping by further exploring the back streets around the castle.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Watch Lisbon’s New Year’s Eve Fireworks Show
\n—————————————————<\/p>\n

Lisbon holds a big fireworks show to ring in the new year every 31 December. There are a number of places around the city to catch some bangers, but the top spot is in Pra\u00e7a do Com\u00e9rcio. The fireworks go off at midnight, but people start to gather in the square from 10pm, and there’s a stage with live music all evening. There’s also a fireworks display and concert near the Dom Fernando II e Gl\u00f3ria frigate, a tall-ship museum across the river in Cacilhas.<\/p>\n

\"1920px-Pra%C3%A7a_do_Com%C3%A9rcio_111.jpg?1572953067\"<\/p>\n

The Pra\u00e7a do Com\u00e9rcio in Lisbon, Portugal – Por Dudva – Obra do pr\u00f3prio, CC BY-SA 4.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=47483250<\/a><\/em><\/a>Sample a Piping-Hot Custard Tart Without the Queue
\n———————————————————<\/p>\n

The traditional custard tarts from Past\u00e9is de Bel\u00e9m bakery are a Lisbon must-taste, but the queues to get them in the summertime can be long. In winter, you won’t have to wait to get a piping-hot pastry into you. It’s arguably much more enjoyable when gobbled up in chilly weather too. Pair with a hot coffee for the perfect Lisbon winter warmer.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Grab a Deal at Lisbon’s Winter Shopping Sales
\n—————————————————-<\/p>\n

In January, most of Lisbon’s stores put on post-Christmas sales that bring shoppers in for great deals. The winter sale period typically lasts from 26 December all the way through to mid-February. You can find heavy discounts on luxury goods at the upmarket shops on Avenida da Liberdade, the main avenue that slices Lisbon in half. Indoor shopping centres, like Embaixada and the Centro Vasco da Gama mall on the waterfront, are good for getting in from the chill.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Browse the Books at the World’s Oldest Bookshop
\n——————————————————<\/p>\n

Chiado is a relaxed neighbourhood full of small cafes and local shops, including the Livraria Bertrand do Chiado, which holds the Guinness record as the oldest bookstore in the world. It opened in 1732 and is stocked with books in several languages (including English). There are cosy seats where you can settle in for a few hours to escape the cold Lisbon winter weather.<\/p>\n

<\/a>Visit Bel\u00e9m Tower Without the Crowds
\n——————————————-<\/p>\n

The tower of Bel\u00e9m is one of Lisbon’s most popular attractions – but it’s naturally short on space (it’s not easy to cram lots of visitors into a 16th century ceremonial gateway, after all). Luckily, in winter, Lisbon sees far fewer crowds, easing the strain on this historic fortress and making the experience of a visit all the more memorable.<\/p>\n

\"1440px-Belem_Tower_-_April_2019_%282%29.jpg?1572953389\"<\/p>\n

_The Bel\u00e9m Tower in Lisbon, Portugal – Di Rehman Abubakr – Opera propria, CC BY-SA 4.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=78022623__Find<\/a> somewhere to stay by checking out our hotels in Lisbon<\/a><\/em> or explore Lisbon holidays<\/a> and find great deals on flights and accommodation”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here’s what to do during the winter in Lisbon, from enjoying Portuguese treats and adding a seasonal concert to browsing Christmas markets.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":288,"featured_media":23673,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[71,101,33],"tags":[69,102,34],"authors":[],"class_list":["post-32218","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-city-break","category-guide","category-winter","tag-city-break","tag-guide","tag-winter","entry"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhat to Do in Lisbon in Winter | Explore by Expedia<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Here's what to do during the winter in Lisbon, from enjoying Portuguese treats and adding a seasonal concert to browsing Christmas markets.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What to Do in Lisbon in Winter: 10 Reasons to Visit\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Here's what to do during the winter in Lisbon, from enjoying Portuguese treats and adding a seasonal concert to browsing Christmas markets.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Expedia.co.uk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2019-10-28T17:09:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-04-21T15:02:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/a.travel-assets.com\/findyours-php\/viewfinder\/images\/res40\/186000\/186867-share-image.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Expedia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Expedia\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/\",\"name\":\"What to Do in Lisbon in Winter | Explore by Expedia\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/186867-share-image.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2019-10-28T17:09:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-04-21T15:02:39+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/b74fa6a5436681198b518cf0402d23c8\"},\"description\":\"Here's what to do during the winter in Lisbon, from enjoying Portuguese treats and adding a seasonal concert to browsing Christmas markets.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/186867-share-image.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/186867-share-image.jpg\",\"width\":1024,\"height\":576},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Explore\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"City break\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/city-break\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"What to Do in Lisbon in Winter: 10 Reasons to Visit\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/\",\"name\":\"Expedia.co.uk\",\"description\":\"Your journey begins here\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/b74fa6a5436681198b518cf0402d23c8\",\"name\":\"Expedia\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e6d64665862720ffdd56b834ca2d40ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e6d64665862720ffdd56b834ca2d40ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Expedia\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/author\/expedia\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"What to Do in Lisbon in Winter | Explore by Expedia","description":"Here's what to do during the winter in Lisbon, from enjoying Portuguese treats and adding a seasonal concert to browsing Christmas markets.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"What to Do in Lisbon in Winter: 10 Reasons to Visit","og_description":"Here's what to do during the winter in Lisbon, from enjoying Portuguese treats and adding a seasonal concert to browsing Christmas markets.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/","og_site_name":"Expedia.co.uk","article_published_time":"2019-10-28T17:09:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-04-21T15:02:39+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/a.travel-assets.com\/findyours-php\/viewfinder\/images\/res40\/186000\/186867-share-image.jpg"}],"author":"Expedia","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Expedia","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/","name":"What to Do in Lisbon in Winter | Explore by Expedia","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/186867-share-image.jpg","datePublished":"2019-10-28T17:09:00+00:00","dateModified":"2023-04-21T15:02:39+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/b74fa6a5436681198b518cf0402d23c8"},"description":"Here's what to do during the winter in Lisbon, from enjoying Portuguese treats and adding a seasonal concert to browsing Christmas markets.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/186867-share-image.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/186867-share-image.jpg","width":1024,"height":576},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/what-to-do-in-lisbon-in-winter-10-reasons-to-visit\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Explore","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"City break","item":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/city-break\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"What to Do in Lisbon in Winter: 10 Reasons to Visit"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/","name":"Expedia.co.uk","description":"Your journey begins here","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/b74fa6a5436681198b518cf0402d23c8","name":"Expedia","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e6d64665862720ffdd56b834ca2d40ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e6d64665862720ffdd56b834ca2d40ea?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Expedia"},"url":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/author\/expedia\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32218"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/288"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=32218"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32218\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35599,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/32218\/revisions\/35599"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23673"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=32218"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=32218"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=32218"},{"taxonomy":"authors","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.expedia.co.uk\/stories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/authors?post=32218"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}