Portugal Weather in December
If you are planning a trip to Portugal in December, the weather will decide more of your days than any itinerary. Portugal weather in December looks mild on paper: Lisbon averages 14.9°C by day, Porto gets the most rain at 153 mm, and Faro on the Algarve is the warmest and driest of the three. In practice it is damp, the light goes early, and a solo traveler feels the long evenings more than most. That changes what you pack and where you base yourself.
Portugal weather in December at a glance
Portugal in December weather comes down to three numbers per city: the daytime high, the night low and how often it rains. These are the official 1991 to 2020 averages from IPMA, the Portuguese weather institute, and a rainy day means 1 mm of rain or more.
| City (weather station) | Average high | Average low | Rain in December | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lisbon (Gago Coutinho) | 14.9°C | 8.7°C | 100 mm | 9.7 |
| Porto (Pedras Rubras) | 14.7°C | 7.6°C | 153 mm | 12.4 |
| Algarve (Faro) | 17.1°C | 9.7°C | 90 mm | 7.0 |
Source: IPMA climate normals 1991 to 2020 for the Lisbon, Porto and Faro stations. This covers mainland Portugal only, so Madeira and the Azores are not included.
The gap between the three matters more than it looks. Porto gets about half as much rain again as Lisbon, and Faro runs a couple of degrees warmer than both. If your dates are fixed and the city is your choice, the table does most of the deciding.
Lisbon weather in December
Lisbon averages 14.9°C by day and 8.7°C at night, with 100 mm of rain over about ten rainy days. Only three or four of those days bring 10 mm or more, so most of the rain comes as showers with gaps between them, not all day downpours. Portugal Lisbon weather in December is steadier than the headline rainfall suggests.
Mild does not mean never cold. In the 1991 to 2020 record, the coldest December day at the Lisbon station topped out at only 7.8°C, and the lowest December night fell to 0.9°C. A warm layer is not optional, even in a city that feels Mediterranean in summer, and weather in December in Lisbon Portugal can still surprise you after dark.
The bigger problem is the pavement. Lisbon’s polished stone gets slippery when wet, and the hills make that worse, so I would take shoes with real grip over anything that photographs better.
Porto in December
Porto is cooler at night than Lisbon, at 7.6°C, and noticeably wetter: 153 mm of rain on 12.4 rainy days, with 5.3 days of 10 mm or more. Frost is rare but not impossible, and the Porto station averages 0.1 frost days in December.
Porto is the one city here where I would not count on the weather at all. Build each day around an indoor anchor, such as the port lodges across the river in Gaia, and treat the dry hours as a bonus. Arrive expecting clear skies and you will be disappointed; arrive expecting a city that looks good in the rain and you will be fine.
The Algarve in December
Faro is the warmest of the three, with highs near 17°C and lows near 10°C, and the driest, with 90 mm of rain on seven rainy days. That is your best chance of leaving the jacket in the bag by midday, though best is not guaranteed, because December is still the wettest month of the year at Faro.
Beach days are not the plan. Coastal walks on dry mornings, an old town wander and a long lunch are. If you want winter light and a gentler pace, this is where I would send you.
Why averages are only a middle
The weather in Portugal in December can swing a long way from the average. IPMA reported a mainland average temperature of 12.72°C for December 2022, which was 2.76°C above normal, and 250.4 mm of rain, and it called the month very rainy. For December 2025 it described the month as rainy, with the mainland total above the 115.5 mm normal. Those are national figures, not city ones, but they show the range.
So treat the table as the middle of a wide range. Check the IPMA forecast a few days before you leave, and keep one day in your plan loose enough to swap with another.
What to pack for Portugal in December
This is a layers trip. You are dressing for 8 to 17°C, wet pavements and indoor heating that is uneven, and my list reflects that.
- A waterproof jacket with a hood. In my view a hood beats an umbrella on narrow, crowded pavements.
- A warm mid layer, such as a fleece or a light wool jumper, that you can take off indoors.
- Two or three thin tops you can layer, so one wet one does not ruin the day.
- Waterproof shoes with a grippy sole. This is the one item I would spend money on.
- A scarf and a light hat for evenings.
- A dry bag or bag cover for your phone and documents, and offline maps downloaded before you go.
For the wider approach to packing light across Europe, see my guide on what to pack for a Europe trip.
December as a solo traveler in Portugal
December can suit a solo trip if you go in with clear eyes about the trade offs. Cities tend to be quieter outside the holiday weeks, and a table for one is easy to find. The harder part is the dark. Evenings are long, and the weather chooses your plans more than you do.
Evenings are where December solo travel is won or lost. I would pick a base within a short walk of lively streets, so getting back after dark takes minutes, not a wet climb alone. I cover the areas in my guide to where to stay in Lisbon as a solo traveler.
It also helps to know the calendar. Portugal has public holidays on 1, 8 and 25 December, and some attractions close or run short hours around Christmas and New Year, so check each opening time before you plan a day.
What to do in Portugal in December
On a wet day
In Lisbon, the Jerónimos Monastery in Belém, the National Tile Museum and the Gulbenkian Museum all give you hours indoors, and a pastry stop finishes the afternoon. Porto’s port lodges in Gaia are the obvious wet day plan, and Faro’s old town and its cafes handle a wet morning well.
On a dry day
Lisbon is best on foot when it is dry: the viewpoints around Alfama, a long walk along the river at Belém, and the old streets with your hood down. Porto rewards a slow walk through the Ribeira and across the Dom Luís I bridge. On the Algarve, a coastal walk on a dry morning is the best use of the month. Sintra works as a day trip on a clear forecast, but mist and wet paths can change the whole day, so keep it flexible.
Lights and markets
Lisbon and Porto both put up Christmas lights and seasonal markets. Dates and places change every year, so check the official city tourism sites for the current programme before you plan around them.
Frequently asked questions
What is the weather like in Portugal in December?
Mild and damp. Highs are about 15°C in Lisbon and Porto and about 17°C in the Algarve, with lows between 8 and 10°C. Rain falls on roughly seven to twelve days depending on where you are, with Porto the wettest and Faro the driest of the three.
Is Portugal warm enough in December to go to the beach?
Not for beach days, in my view. The Algarve is the warmest part of the mainland, but it is a month for coastal walks and sunny lunches, not for swimming and lying on the sand.
Which part of Portugal has the best weather in December?
The Algarve, based on the official averages. Faro has the warmest days and the fewest rainy days of the three cities in this guide, although December is still its wettest month.
Does it snow in Portugal in December?
Not in Lisbon, Porto or Faro. Even frost is rare in the IPMA records for those three stations, and snow belongs to the mountains of the interior, so it is not something to plan around in the cities.
Is Portugal worth visiting alone in December?
Yes, if you are comfortable with early darkness and flexible plans. Pick a base near lively streets, keep indoor options ready for wet days, and treat the quiet as part of the trip.
December will not give you Portugal’s best light, and it will not give you beach days. What it gives you is space, a quieter version of cities that fill up in summer, seen the way the people who live there see them: in a wool jumper, between showers. Pack for rain, keep one day loose, and choose a base you can walk home to. Have you been to Portugal solo in winter? Drop your experience in the comments, and pin this post for your trip planning.
