Hi fellow travelers - I am looking for some advice for a Portugal visit this coming December around Christmas roughly Dec 20 - Dec 26 , 5 nights How cold is Lisbon then ?
Lisbon - 5 night,
Fly in Lisbon, Fly out Lisbon
Day 1 - Dec 21: Lisbon - sight see
Day 2- Dec 22: Lisbon - sight see
Day 3 - Dec 23 Day trip to Sintra
Day 4- Dec 24: Day trip to Obidos
Day 5 - Dec 25: Day trip to Evora
Obidos will only take a few hours at most to see. Evora has more to see, is larger, lots of history.
Average December high is 58, low 47. Plan seems good but I think I’d stay in Lisbon on Christmas Day and visit Evora earlier in the week. It might be a good day to take Rick’s 3 walking tours since many things will be closed. If you don’t spend your whole day in Obidos (it’s a small town) get back to Lisbon and visit the Gulbenkian Museum.
Doing a day trip anyplace on December 25 isn’t going to work as most everything is closed Christmas Day. And a lot of places close early on the 24th, as this is the day most Portuguese really celebrate the holiday.
I would suggest you visit Evora as early in your stay as possible and consider dropping Obidos. Spending both the 24th and 25th in Lisbon will be best, as you can walk around and enjoy the city even if a lot of things are closed. The public transport will still be running to help you get around.
Also on the 25th most restaurants are closed. You will find the Indian restaurants open and hotel restaurants, but you might want to do your research as to where you will eat on Christmas Day.
And, the biggest issue with the weather that time of year is more chance of rain. Depending on where you are from, the temperatures here will possibly be an improvement. And, there are a lot of very sunny, fairly warm days that are glorious in the winter.
Thanks All for the wonderful suggestions. My tweaked travel plans:
Lisbon - 5 night,
Fly in Lisbon, Fly out Lisbon
Day 1 - Dec 21: Lisbon - sight see
Day 2- Dec 22: Day trip to Sintra
Day 3 - Dec 23 Day trip to Evora
Day 4- Dec 24: Lisbon - sight see
Day 5 - Dec 25: Lisbon - sight see
Hi Savvy traveller, Re: your day trip to Sintra, there are many worthwhile sites to tour so I strongly recommend that you go as early as you can. We spent two afternoons there with local friends and didn't see everything that we wanted to. Enjoy Portugal!
