Lisbon — Portugal
Lisbon sits on hills above the Tagus estuary, wide enough here to look like a bay. A grid of low ochre blocks rebuilt after the great earthquake fills the flat centre; around it, older districts climb in stairways and tramlines. The airport is 5 km from the middle of town.
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Why go
Lisbon is unusual among European capitals in that its geography is still doing the work. The river sets the light, pale and low in winter, hard and white in July. The hills force the city into viewpoints, so you spend the day arriving at terraces you did not plan for. And the reconstruction of the eighteenth century left a rational grid in the middle of an otherwise medieval tangle, which means you can lose your bearings in Alfama and find them again in three streets.
It rewards travellers who like walking, food markets, tiles and slow afternoons, and people who want a capital small enough to cross on foot. The city works against you if stairs and steep cobbles are a problem, or if you want a beach holiday with a capital attached: the ocean beaches are a train ride away and the water is cold. It is also a city that now fills up, so an unplanned weekend in high season can feel like queueing.
Month-by-month climate
The city manages to be mild and wet at once in winter: January reaches 15.3 °C by day and drops to 8.9 °C at night, with 72.8 mm of rain, and November is wetter still at 87.3 mm, the year's high. Spring warms slowly, 18 °C in March, 20.4 °C in April, then jumps to 23.9 °C in May, when rain falls to 36 mm over 5 days. Summer is dry rather than merely dry-ish: 12.4 mm in June, 1.5 mm in July with no day above 1 mm, 2.6 mm in August. The daily maximum peaks at 29.3 °C in August, but nights stay near 18.9 °C, which keeps the old districts usable after dark. September is the quiet winner at 27.1 °C and 23 mm. Over the year we count 581 mm of rain over 71 days with measurable rain, about 8.2 mm on each of them — a series our records complete with a model where station measurements are missing.
| Month | Avg. high (°C) | Avg. low (°C) | Rainfall (mm) | Days ≥ 1 mm | Days ≥ 5 mm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15.3 | 8.9 | 73 | 8 | 5 |
| Feb | 16.2 | 9.4 | 62 | 8 | 4 |
| Mar | 18.0 | 10.5 | 73 | 9 | 5 |
| Apr | 20.4 | 12.3 | 66 | 9 | 4 |
| May | 23.9 | 15.2 | 36 | 5 | 2 |
| Jun | 26.0 | 16.9 | 12 | 3 | 1 |
| Jul | 28.2 | 18.6 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug | 29.3 | 18.9 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Sept | 27.1 | 17.9 | 23 | 3 | 1 |
| Oct | 23.3 | 16.0 | 66 | 8 | 4 |
| Nov | 18.2 | 12.2 | 87 | 9 | 5 |
| Dec | 16.1 | 10.2 | 78 | 8 | 4 |
Source: Meteostat — Lisbonne (Portugal) station, 1.1 km away, 10 sample years. Monthly totals rebuilt from daily averages. Data partly modelled (Meteostat, DWD/met.no).
When to go
Target May, or the stretch from early September to mid-October. Both give you warm days without July heat on the stairs. June is dry and busy, and the city's street parties fill the old quarters. July and August are hot, full and priced accordingly. Winter is mild but genuinely rainy, and the cobbles are at their worst.
The most favourable months, on these records
- April
- May
- June
- July
- August
- September
- October
What to see in 2, 4 and 7 days
In 2 days
- Start in the Baixa grid, walk up to the castle hill, then descend through Alfama on foot rather than by tram.
- Late afternoon at a viewpoint terrace in Graca, then dinner and fado in one of the old quarters.
- Second morning in Belem for the monastery and the tower, out along the river by tram or train.
- Return by ferry across the Tagus for the skyline, then finish in Chiado and the streets below it.
In 4 days
- Two days for the centre on foot: Baixa, Chiado, Bairro Alto, Alfama, Mouraria and the castle hill.
- One day in Belem: monastery, tower, the modern riverfront museums, and the pastry shops of the district.
- One day in Sintra, by train, choosing two sites at most and booking entry in advance.
- Keep an evening for a food market and one for a neighbourhood tasca away from the tourist streets.
- Slot the flea market into the morning it is held, then walk down to the river afterwards.
In 7 days
- Give three days to the city itself, spread across the hills, with no more than two districts a day.
- Take the coastal train west to Cascais and walk part of the seafront path towards the old fort.
- Spend a full day in Sintra rather than half of one; the park walks matter as much as the palaces.
- Cross the river for a day: the south bank gives you the best view back onto the seven hills.
- Add a day for contemporary Lisbon: converted industrial sites, street art, riverside galleries.
- Use one day on the ocean beaches south of the river, accepting that the Atlantic is cold.
- Keep the last day light, for the market, the pastry you meant to go back for, and the flight.
Getting there and around
Lisbon (LIS) is 5 km from the centre and connected by metro, so the transfer is one of the simplest in Europe. Cascais aerodrome (CAT), 18 km west, is a general aviation field and not an option for arriving. Portimao (PRM) is 185 km south and irrelevant here. In the city, the metro covers the flat ground, trams and funiculars handle the slopes, and suburban trains run west along the river to Cascais and north to Sintra. Walking works, but plan routes around the hills, not across them.
Nearest airports
- LISLisbon Portela Airport5 km from the centre
- CATCascais Municipal Aerodrome18 km from the centre
- PRMPortimao Airport185 km from the centre
Budget
Country price level compared with France : −31 %
Price index for restaurants and hotels, France = 1000, from European purchasing power parities. It is a country average: it says nothing about one hotel in particular.
A capital that costs distinctly less than Paris without being cheap any more. In the centre and in shoulder season, 90 to 170 € a night buys a comfortable double room, and 15 to 30 € a head a proper sit-down dinner with wine. Transport is the good news: a day of metro, trams and funiculars stays in single-digit euros per person.
Common mistakes
- Underestimating the cobbles. Polished limestone paving becomes slippery in rain, and smooth soles are a genuine hazard on the slopes.
- Queueing for the famous hillside tram at midday. It is a crowded commuter line at that hour, and a known pickpocket spot.
- Booking Sintra as a casual half-day. Without advance tickets and an early train you spend the day in queues.
- Assuming the nearest beaches are warm. They give onto the open ocean, and the water stays cold even in August.
- Planning walking routes on a flat map. Two streets on paper can be a hundred steps of staircase in reality.
Frequently asked questions
Can I see Lisbon on foot?
Yes, but not in a straight line. The historic districts are compact, and the flat Baixa grid links most of them. The difficulty is vertical: several neighbourhoods sit on ridges reached by stairways. The practical method is to gain height once by funicular, tram or lift, then walk downhill through a district. Budget more time than distance suggests.
Is Sintra worth a separate day from Lisbon?
Yes. Sintra is a wooded hill of palaces and gardens above the coast, reached by suburban train, and it takes hours rather than a morning. Squeezing it into a half day means seeing one interior and a bus queue. Book entry in advance, arrive early, choose two sites, and walk between them where the park paths allow.
When does it actually rain in Lisbon?
Mostly in the winter half. 71 days a year clear the 1 mm mark, for an annual total of 581 mm. The wet months are clustered from October to March, with November the wettest at 87.3 mm. July did not produce a single day above 1 mm, so a summer rain plan is wasted effort.
Updated on 21 September 2026