If you’re going to be spending Christmas in Portugal, or New Year, and don’t know what to expect, this post is for you. Find out how and where to celebrate, how the Portuguese do things and what events are going on during the festive season.
Note: As information gradually becomes available for this year’s events, I am continuously updating this article for 2023-2024 festivities.
Portuguese family Christmas
The Portuguese celebrate Christmas differently from the traditional turkey lunch that you or I might be familiar with.
Whereas in the UK, and the US, the main celebration of Christmas takes place on December 25th, it’s different here. So is Portuguese Christmas food.
The traditional Portuguese Christmas dinner (known as consoada or Ceia de Natal) of bacalhau (cod), special cabbage and potatoes plus a mountain of cakes and sweet things happens on 24th, as does the exchange of gifts and deliveries from Santa/Jesus. For Portuguese families in the north of Portugal, octopus may be the main Christmas fare, rather than cod.
Note: You can learn how to make 5 traditional Portuguese Christmas desserts, including my favourite, Rabanada, from a 5th generation baker. Find out more.
At midnight, those that want to can attend a Christmas mass where they admire the nativity scene and kiss the baby Jesus.
The 25th is a day to sleep late, have another family meal, this time with a meat dish, and relax as almost everything is closed (museums, restaurants, shops). By the 26th, it’s business as usual.
Portuguese Christmas cake
Known as Bolo Rei (King Cake), this is a far cry from the heavy brandy-laced fruitcakes I grew up with. These are a ring of brioche pastry with port wine, filled and topped with dried and crystallised fruit.
They contain a broad bean and used to hide a little good luck charm but that Portuguese Christmas tradition has been banned for health and safety reasons. Whoever gets the slice with the broad bean provides the cake for the following year.
I much prefer the Bolo Rainha (Queen cake), which substitutes the Bolo Rei’s dried fruit for nuts.
You can learn how to make both of these traditional Portugeuse Christmas cakes via an online baking class run by an authentic Portuguese bakery.
Visiting Portugal at Christmas and New Year
Normally, if you’re holidaying in Portugal over the Christmas period, you’ll find the only disruption to your sightseeing and shopping will be on 24th and 25th December and 1st January. On 24th, businesses will close early, if they open at all, and almost everything will be closed on 25th.
If you’re in Lisbon, Porto or the Algarve, you should be able to find a few Indian or Chinese restaurants open on those dates but it would be wise to plan and book ahead rather than leave your evening meal to chance. 5-star hotel restaurants will be open, and some 4-star but it always pays to check.
Either book into a hotel with an onsite restaurant or consider self-catering if you’ll have time to stock up on groceries before supermarkets close, ideally on 23rd.
If you want to book a Christmas or New Year’s Eve dinner at a restuarant, The Fork is a good place to find restaurants with special menus (use Google Chrome and right click to Translate to English, if needed).
I’ll go into more detail about New Year’s Eve celebrations later but suffice to say that restaurants will likely be more expensive and busier than usual on 31st and many will have a set menu and include the sultanas and espumante (Portuguese sparkling wine) so book ahead.
January 1st is another day to work around as almost all museums, shops and businesses will be closed.
For more information about visiting Portugal in winter, see this post.
White Christmas in Portugal
If it’s not Christmas without snow for you, you need to be heading for the Serra da Estrela in central Portugal, the country’s only ski resort.
The hotels here will have special packages for the festive period so you can snuggle up in front of a log fire and gaze out at the white wilderness.
Otherwise, you’d be better off heading to somewhere like Austria for a white Christmas.
Christmas lights and decorations in Portugal
Christmas lights are a big thing in Portugal, especially in the cities, and most will usually be switched on by the end of November.
Águeda, the town in central Portugal that’s become known for its umbrellas in the streets during the summer months, boasts Portugal’s biggest Santa (in lights, not human), as well as the world’s smallest Father Christmas, which you need a microscope to see.
Elsewhere, decorations vary from the sublime to the ridiculous with many smaller towns proudly displaying the recycling feats of local schoolchildren. As you might expect, the biggest and best lights will be in the main squares and shopping areas, along with the tree.
Christmas in Lisbon is usually a twinkly affair. Lisbon’s biggest tree is usually in Praça do Comércio, aka Terreiro do Paço with a smaller one in Rossio. The best lights can usually be found along Rua Augusta and in Rossio square. The official switch on event is on 30th November 2023.
Tip: You can take a tuk tuk tour of Lisbon’s Christmas lights – book here.
In Porto, try a Segway tour of the city’s lights.
If you’re in Madeira, you can check out the lights of Funchal in a VW Beetle.
The main Christmas tree in Porto is outside the City Hall at the top of Avenida dos Aliados and illuminations will be switched on on 1st December 2024.
Coimbra’s ‘tree’ tends to be in Largo da Portagem, although there’s usually a better one in Alma shopping centre near the stadium. The whole downtown area is alight and shimmering with colour.
Christmas concerts and events in Portugal
I said that Christmas is relatively understated in Portugal but by no means is it ignored. Several places around the country go all out with fairs, events, nativity scenes, ice rinks and Christmas markets between the end of November and around the 7th of January (check exact dates for specific events).
Christmas markets and events in Lisbon
If you’re in Lisbon at Christmas, seek out some of the 17th and 18th century nativity scenes made for the aristocracy at Estrela Basilica, Mártires Basilica, Lisbon Cathedral, the National Museum of Ancient Art and the National Tile Museum. They’re not to my taste at all but are remarkably detailed.
Lisbon’s main Christmas market in 2023 is in Campo Pequeno in Lisbon (30th November to 3rd December 2023 and 7th to 10th December).
There are usually a couple of candlelight concerts in December so check Lisbon’s Cultural Agenda nearer the time to see what’s on.
Wonderland Lisboa is a massive Christmas fair with free entry in Eduardo VII park open from 30th November 2023 to 1st January 2024 with music, fun fair rides, food and drink, ice rink and a cave plus other seasonal entertainment. Typical opening times: Monday to Thursday Noon to 9 pm, Fridays midday to midnight, Saturdays and Holidays 10 am to midnight, Sunday 10 am to 10 pm, December 24th and 31st 10 am to 4 pm, December 25th and January 1st 4 to 10 pm.
If you enjoy the circus, the Coliseu dos Recreios has a Christmas circus from 1st to 26th December 2023.
Christmas in Porto
Porto officially lights up on 1st December 2023 with a city-wide party to mark the occasion, with most of the fun happening in Avenida dos Aliados.
Porto usually has two ice rinks, one in Praça Dom João I and another in Praça de Mouzinho de Albuquerque.
There are several candlelight concerts in and aroud Porto over the festive period – see this page for details, and there will likely be a Christmas concert at Casa da Musica.
As for Porto Christmas markets, there are several to choose from:
Mercado da Alegria, in front of Santo Ildefonso church and Praça da Batalha is open from 1st to 30th December from 10 am to 8 pm, or 10 pm on Friday and Saturdays, with various stalls selling crafts and Portuguese products as well as entertainment.
For handmade arts and crafts, head to Feira Artesanatus in Largo Amor de Perdição, in Cordoaria. 2022 dates are yet to be announced but last year it was between December 8th and 23rd.
Porto’s other Christmas Market is in Jardim de Cordoaria from 1st to 23rd December 2023.
World of Wine (WOW) is putting on a range of Christmas-related events between 25th November 2023 and 7th January 2024.
Algarve at Christmas
As for the Christmas in the Algarve, there are lots of activities and events to enjoy, including a Santa swim and Christmas kayaking at Armação da Pêra.
Vale de Lobo has a Christmas market on 2nd and 3rd December 2023, open 10 am to 5:30 pm.
Vila Real de Santo António has a record-breaking nativity scene in the Centro Cultural António Aleixo, which contains over 5,500 figures (dates to be announced)!
Castro Marim, a town known for salt production, has its own version of the presépio – theirs is made using 10 tons of the “best salt in the world”.
Christmas events in other parts of Portugal
There are too many Christmas markets and fairs to cover them all in detail but these are a few of the main ones to look out for.
Coimbra’s Christmas market is in Praça do Comércio from December 1st to 23rd 2023. Other events including video mapping and Coimbra Magic Land in the riverside park are detailed here.
Cascais Christmas Village transforms the gorgeous Parque Marechal Carmona into a festive scene with stalls, rides, live nativity scene, ice rink, giant Christmas tree and performances 30 Nov 2023 to 2 Jan 2024).
In Sintra, head to the square in front of the National Palace and check out the Reino Natal (Christmas Kingdom) from December 1st to 30th 2023.
Evora is planning a repeat of its Jardim do Natal in the public gardens, with activities for all ages (dates tbc).
The tiny village of Cabeça in the Serra da Estrela is becoming known as a Christmas Village, decorating its cottages and streets with items made from natural materials and festive activities planned between 8th December and early January 2024.
Óbidos transforms into a winter wonderland between 30th November to 31st December 2023. Information and tickets here.
The schist villages of Central Portugal offer a range of activities in their quaint and atmospheric settings. See 2023-2024’s agenda (in Portuguese).
The medieval villages of Penela and Monsaraz become living nativity scenes (presépios), as does the UNESCO World Heritage town of Elvas. The village of Priscos near Braga boasts the largest live nativity scene in Europe!
This is the video for the Penela Presépio in central Portugal, to give you an idea of what to expect:
Many smaller towns and cities in Portugal have Christmas activities. This website (in Portuguese but if you use Chrome, you can rightclick to translate into English) has details of what’s likely to be on offer this year.
Expat Christmas dilemmas
Compared to the UK, Christmas celebrations in Portugal can seem rather short and low-key, leaving some people unsatisfied and others relieved. Christmas in Portugal really is a family affair so if you’re away from yours it might seriously affect your enjoyment of it. For good or bad!
So, should you stay in the relative warmth of your adopted country or wrap up warm (depending on where you’re from) and head back to your people, assuming that’s possible?
My own family commitments have meant that I’ve spent many Christmases back in the UK, in a whirl of visits to family and friends. I’m not a fan of the festive period and find the whole experience quite exhausting and stressful. I would much rather see my loved ones at different times of the year but it’s not entirely up to me.
If you do plan to travel back to your home country, all I can say is book your flights/transport well in advance to get a good deal and keep your fingers crossed that snow doesn’t interfere with your travel plans.
Have a British Christmas in Portugal
If you’re staying in Portugal and want to celebrate the way you’re used to, it’s possible to get most things here. Especially if you’re willing to order online or get friends to send you things like crackers. Now that Amazon.es do free delivery to Portugal (if you order over €29 or €19 in books), it should be much easier to stock up on all your Christmas needs.
Real Christmas trees are available in Portugal but you have to be quick to nab one. They tend to go on sale relatively early so don’t leave it until the last minute.
You can buy all the tinsel, baubles and other Christmas decorations you could ever want from high street stores, although I would urge you to reconsider buying plastic stuff that will end up in landfill.
Christmas cards, however, are still a novelty, although they are becoming more available. Again, do you really need to send them? Would a phone call be a more meaningful experience and have less impact on the planet?
Nor will you find crackers, cranberry sauce or mincemeat/mince pies readily available, except perhaps in the expat enclaves in the Algarve or ‘foreign’ grocery stores in larger cities/’food for Brits’ style market stalls. Order these online from British Store Online if needs be.
I have seen whole turkeys in Continente and other supermarkets but you could just buy smaller pieces from the butcher if you don’t need that much.
You may be lucky enough to track down some fresh Brussels sprouts, although they are most likely to be frozen ones. Parsnips are a rare find and you’ll be lucky to find frozen ones if you don’t plan ahead. We tried growing some one year but they were rubbish. Other people have been more successful though. Try your local market.
Port wine, of course, is plentiful and delicious so don’t limit yourself to traditional rubies – read more about Portuguese drinks. and use the occasion to try some new flavours. If you want mulled wine, you’ll probably have to make your own.
Stilton is usually available in places like El Corte Inglês or larger supermarket chains. There are plenty of other blue cheese alternatives and Portuguese cheese, especially the runny stuff, is wonderful so why not make the most of it?
If you feel like mixing in a few other Portuguese Christmas treats, this list of traditional festive fare may help.
If you’re alone or would prefer a larger group of people to celebrate with, expat-oriented restaurants and fancy hotels often put on a special Christmas or New Year meal so look for these and book well ahead.
How to celebrate New Year in Portugal
The Portuguese way to bring in the New Year is by eating 12 raisins, one for each month, and making a wish with each one. What you won’t see is another tradition which is based on the colour of your underwear. Depending on what you most desire for the coming year, choose your knickers with care:
- Red for love and passion
- Yellow for good fortune and prosperity
- Blue for good health
- White for peace and happiness
- Black brings bad luck!
Many hotels and restaurants typically offer packages for New Year’s Eve with meals, drinks, music and raisins included. These are usually advertised from early December.
These set dinners can be quite expensive so what many local people do is buy a bottle of bubbly and pack of raisins (or sultanas) beforehand and gather in a public square (see below) to join in the celebrations and watch fireworks.
Whoever you’re with, this is how you celebrate the Portuguese way: on the stroke of midnight, make a toast and wash the raisins down with some espumante (sparkling wine) then enjoy the fireworks before dancing, and eating, the night away.
Funchal in Madeira has the most famous firework displays in Portugal so hotels in Funchal get booked up well in advance. Your best bet if you haven’t booked way ahead is to try the travel agents to get a package deal.
If you are going to be in Madeira for New Years Eve, and especially if you’re staying somewhere with a less-than-wonderful view, you might want to book a catamaran trip and watch the fireworks display from the water, followed by dancing (and food and drink, of course!).
Mainland Portugal usually offers some great New Year’s Eve celebrations too so hopefully you can enjoy one of these while you’re here.
People gather in various parts of Lisbon for fireworks and DJs. Praça do Comércio offers great views of the fireworks over the River Tejo but you can also have fun in Parque das Nações, near the Torre de Belém or across the river in Almada.
Sometimes Castelo de São Jorge (St. George’s Castle) opens its gates to allow revellers to see the firework displays from all across the city. If you want to party the first few hours of the new year in the streets, Bairro Alto and Cais do Sodre are the places to be.
Porto puts on a free street party with fireworks, DJs and big name musicians. For the 2023/2024 NYE, the location is back to its habitual spot in Avenida dos Aliados.
In Coimbra, a similar party spreads out around Largo Dom Dinis, Praça da República, Municpal Market and old cathedral with fireworks over the Mondego River at midnight. This is a change in venue for 2023/2024 due to roadworks at the usual location of Largo da Portagem.
The place to be in the Algarve is Praia dos Pescadores (Fisherman’s Beach) in Albufeira, where the fireworks are followed by a concert, although there is plenty of fun to be had in Tavira, Portimão, Faro and other major towns.
Further up the coast in the Alentejo, you can join outdoor revellers in Vila Nova de Milfontes, Sines and Porto Covo.
G’Day Julie from Australia.
Thank you so much for your informative posts over ’22. Looking forward to more through ’23. We thoroughly enjoyed our 2 (too short) weeks in Portugal early 2020. The foods, wine, history, foods, wine, culture, foods, wine, scenery, people….
We can’t stop talking about Portugal.
Wishing you & yours a VERY Merry & safe Christmas & a wonderful ’23
Ray & Meredith Kelly
Australia
Merry Christmas to you both, Ray & Meredith. I hope you’ll be able to return to Portugal some day.
we shall be travelling from Malta to Porto [2 adults and 2 kids 3yr and 5 years old] between 22nd and 29th december and planning to visit lisbon and Porto and some other small villages – can you advise where its best to spend 24th and 25th december please – lisbon or porto?
thanks
Hi Christine, either city would work. I was in Lisbon over Christmas last year and there were restaurants etc open on 24th and 25th, although 24th has a special menu and would need pre-booking in most cases.
Amazing!! Thank you Julie this was very well written I’m looking forward to spending Christmas in Lisbon!
Hi Julie. We are heading to estrela for new year 2017! Booked whilst flights are cheap as we will have family living out there by then. Was just wondering on the off chance if anyone knows of any good restaurants that can cater for gluten free as my son is coeliacs. Would be really grateful of any advice. Thanks x Tracey
Hi Tracey, I don’t know of anywhere off the top of my head. I could look into it for you as part of my Quick Query service if you like: https://juliedawnfox.com/quick-query/
I was looking for expats’ take on Christmas in Portugal to pass on to my British friends and fortunately stumbled on Julie’s blog.
Can I first apologise for the two nasty comments posted here by two people with (apparently) Portuguese names. They clearly did not understand the appreciative comments made by everybody else. And even if those comments had not been appreciative, maybe asking Santa/Jesus for a more robust ego that can take and learn from criticism could be a good idea. In any case, visitors to Portugal know that the average welcome here has absolutely nothing to do with that nastiness.
Julie, I found your comments very insightful. Though less frantic than the likes of London, I find Xmas here in Lisbon frantic enough, but the fairy lights in the streets are beautiful this year, and there’s a videomapping show on the Terreiro do Paço façades again.
One “correction”: the fava bean hidden in the bolo rei tradition lives on, you get it, you pay for next year’s cake. Only the trinket was banned for health & dafety reasons (children could choke on it – makes sense, though I never heard of a single case ever). And not only because of abstract EU. We don’t need the EU to come up with over-the-top H&S regulations, we can be very creative with our own (like bread in plastic bags in restaurants – thankfully scrapped in the meantime) – something I’m sure you can totally understand coming from the UK.
Happy Christmas / Feliz Natal
Rui
Hi Rui, Thank you for taking the time to comment and for your support and corrections. I am glaf to hear that the fava bean tradition lives on. I prefer Bolo Rainha so perhaps that’s why I haven’t found one yet 🙂
Hi Julie,
A date/temperature display at Restauradores, Lisbon, while waiting for the Aerobus, showed 23 degrees at 4:15pm last Tuesday afternoon 15 December. Hot enough to give a north European a tan on some days. Besides the winter hot chestnut vendors, there was a family-oriented Christmas market on the Praça do Município, with entertainers, food and drinks, at affordable prices. Coffee at 80c, for example. At nearby Praca do Comercio the evening son-et-lumiere was a jaw dropping experience. I’ve never seen anything like it before. The ice rink installed there contained just water. Possibly too warm daytime for it to freeze. A treat perhaps, waiting for those visiting over the New Year. My usual jazz and blues venues in Bairro Alto, and meeting friends, just made this Lisbon visit a perfect seasonal break. Everywhere people were well behaved, even in the night-economy district of Bairro Alto. Low-key by British standards, yes. But all the better for that, I say. Garry
Hi Garry, Thanks for sharing your experience. I also saw the melted ice rink but wasn’t able to catch the video mapping show in Praça do Comércio, unfortunately. It sounds as though you had a great time!
Julie, thanks for your well-written and insightful articles. I am lucky enough to be able to hit Lisbon and surrounding areas for four days at the end of this year. This Texan loves to experience other cultures and will try the bike tour and hopefully take about 500 pictures. I was fortunate enough to have just completed a Viking River Cruise on the Rhine, so I can actually say that I have had my fabulous fill of Christmas markets (numbering in the dozens), I want to soak-in Portugal and it has taken me way too long to get there. Cheers, or Howdy from Texas!
Hi John, I’m sure you’ll thoroughly enjoy it! And the light is often great for photography in Portugal.
Hi Julie, thanks for your timely greeting here.
I’m really looking forward to the low-key break, and to meeting my Alfacinha, Brazilian and Philipino friends sometime during next week. The Christmas emphasis in Portugal, as I see it, is on spiritual and family celebration, rather than the commercial razamataz that characterises much of the season in UK. This is to the greater credit of Portuguese people, I’d say. Your similar remarks on this matter chime for me. More broadly, I follow the political, economic, and social affairs of Portugal closely, and hope that my frequent visits contribute in a small way to the greater benefit of its economy, and to social inclusion there. Unsolicited remarks from residents and business people I’ve met with in Funchal, Lisbon, Porto and elsewhere, suggest I have indeed done so. I see some cultural and economic similarities between Portugal and my native Wales, and this interests me, compelling me to be an advocate for both, particularly with regard to economic development and cultural exchange.
Season’s greetings to you Julie, Mike, your children, dog, and all bona fide bloggers. Garry
Julie, I too share your disdain for Chrismas in UK. As a boy I was spoilt, and couldn’t wait for Christmas’s and birthdays. Now, as a retiree, I prefer to avoid both. I’ll be in Lisbon again next week, my fifth to Portugal this year, and look forward to the ‘low-key’ way that Portuguese people celebrate this event. I’m also planning a visit to Coimbra next February, or more likely March. Following a recent meeting with a postgrad student friend, where we talked about Portugal and our respective study journies, he too is planning a visit to Coimbra University next year. When I next email him I’ll bring your website to his attention.
Scrooge Gary, get the hell out of our country, we don’t morons and idiots who want to destroy other people’s joys!
Pyla, I think you’ve very much misunderstood Garry’s comment and there is absolutely no need for such a nasty response. It’s hardly an example of the joy and Christmas spirit you seem to want to protect!
Hi Garry, Hope you’re having a great time in Lisbon, with or without the Christmas cheer 😉
I spent 10 days last winter, just after Christmas, in Madeira to catch their New Years Festivities. I will admit I booked my flights 9 months in advance as I had to secure them. Being from Canada, I found that I was able to reap the savings! And we did. The total cost for 2 was what would have cost for one person, had we left it for last minute (and that’s if there are any seats) May I recommend renting a condominium, as we did. We were right on the main road, just up from Reids Palace. We walked every day, but bus service is frequent. Highly recommend New Years IN Madeira. Sure in Dubai, London etc, it may be more jolly, but for a small island, I tell you, I was amazed! This years will be so boring in comparison to 2015!
Thanks for your suggestions, Hilda. It’s great to hear from those who’ve had first hand experience of these things. Like you, I’ll book way ahead of time if I do decide to go there for NYE.
Thanks for the holiday info and links, Julie. I’m pretty Grinchy myself and really like the low key approach to Christmas but I also appreciate seeing how the holiday is celebrated in various countries. The artesan markets sound like a lot of fun and I’m looking forward to going to several. Anita
I hope you enjoy them, Anita. You’ll find some great gifts, for sure.
Lets be honest here – there’s bugger all to do in Portugal over Christmas! If you don’t want to experience Christmas, Portugal is a good place to go, but IMO, that’s a pity. Best get into the Christmas spirit in a different country. If you don’t like buying gifts for friends, an easy modern solution is to buy food and drinks from some of the nice shops that already offer them packaged nicely.
Hi Eddie, thanks for sharing your thoughts. I’m quite happy to ignore Christmas altogether so the low-key approach suits me just fine. But you’re right that those who are used to and like more activity will find it somewhat underwhelming.
Wow! I really enjoyed this article, Julie. Crammed full of information about Portuguese Christmas traditions. Sounds to me like they have the right idea – one gets totally disillusioned with all the hype we’re fed in the UK, starting many weeks before the great event!
Hi Vivienne, I’m quite a bah humbug so I like that Christmas doesn’t intrude too much in Portugal. Although I end up going back to the UK most years, it’s only because of family and not because I want the hype. Last year was lovely!
Get a life woman!
Cynics should leave Portugal, we don’t need any more!