The Ultimate 2025 Lisbon Christmas Guide by a Local (+ Free Map!)

Christmas has always been a big deal in Portugal and one of my favourite seasons – but it’s only in recent years that we have seen a surge of Christmas markets and decorations take up the streets! As we get ready to celebrate yet another magical season, I’ve written this Lisbon Christmas Guide to help with your upcoming visit.

I’m a born-and-raised Portuguese who lived in Lisbon for years, and Christmas is when I often return to visit family and friends. As Lisbon continues to evolve as a cosmopolitan city, there’s always new exciting things to do and enjoy in December – keep reading on!

*Last updated on 20 November 2025

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Is Christmas a big deal in Portugal?

As a historically Catholic nation for many centuries, traditional Christmas celebrations are very important in Portugal.

However, for the majority of history, the significance of Christmas celebrations in Portugal were mainly rooted in their traditional Christian origins (including setting up a Nativity scene at home and going to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve). My mother, who grew up in the 1970s, used to place a shoe by the fireplace for Baby Jesus to leave her a small present overnight – not Santa Claus!

Only since the 80s did Santa Claus become a bigger Christmas figure in Portugal, and the influence from other European countries and the recent boom in tourism has resulted in fancier Christmas celebrations, decorations, and the much-loved Christmas markets year after year!

Lisbon Christmas Guide: Christmas things to do in Lisbon in 2025

1. See the Lisbon Christmas Lights

Over the years, Lisbon has invested more and more into festive street lights and Christmas decorations – especially downtown, along the city’s most iconic landmarks and touristic areas. This makes planning a trip to Lisbon in December an especially-magical experience!

The Lisbon Christmas lights are usually up by late-November, with the official festive season kick-off happening with the switch-on of Lisbon’s Christmas Tree at Praça do Comércio.

The switch-on of Lisbon’s Christmas Tree at Praça do Comércio has become a big event that marks the official start of the holiday season in the city. The event is organised by the Lisbon City Council and it’s free to attend – in recent years, it has featured live concerts and light shows.

Lisbon Christmas Lights Walking Route (With Map!)

If you don’t have accessibility or mobility issues that prevent you from doing so, I would always recommend first-timers to do a Lisbon Christmas Light Walk.

Not only do you get to admire and snap photos of the prettiest Christmas lights in Lisbon, but you also get to experience many of downtown Lisbon’s iconic landmarks, streets, and markets.

I created the below map with a Lisbon Christmas Lights Walking Route that you can follow as a self-guide (zoom in to see it).

It starts at Wonderland Lisboa and ends in Praça do Comércio, passing by the most beautiful and Christmassy streets and squares in Lisbon (like Avenida da Liberdade, Rossio Square, and Rua Augusta). The map also includes all the best Christmas photo op spots, Lisbon Christmas Markets, Ice Rinks, and places where kids can meet Santa!

The walking route on the map avoids steep inclines as much as possible and takes about 2 hours to complete, including plenty of time for breaks and photos!

Lisbon Christmas Lights Tours

If you’d rather opt for a guided tour of Lisbon along with sights of the city’s Christmas lights (or if you or anyone you’re travelling with have mobility issues), there are a fair few tour options, from open top bus tours to Christmas lights Tuk Tuk tours. And why not see the Christmas lights from the river Tagus on a sunset or night river cruise?

In December, there is also a special hop-on-hop-off X-Mas Bus service that runs from the Wonderland Lisboa entrance, in Marquis of Pombal Square. The ride lasts 50 minutes and drives through Lisbon’s most Christmassy streets.

Children under 6 go free. Tickets are €5 for children aged 6-12, and €10 for adults.

2. Visit Lisbon’s Christmas Markets and Ice Rinks

Your trip wouldn’t be complete without exploring Lisbon’s Christmas Markets, sipping some mulled wine, hot chocolate, or traditional ginjinha, and perusing through the many arts & crafts stalls for unique local souvenirs.

I’ll be honest – Portugal didn’t use to be particularly good for Christmas Markets. The increasing number of European tourists in Portuguese cities is what’s caused a surging demand for Christmas fairs and markets – and now Lisbon has been going all out on them!

Lisbon now has several Christmas Markets that your can visit, and they’re all marked in the Lisbon Christmas Guide Map shared in this article (click to jump!)

Plus, if you like ice skating, you can’t miss Lisbon’s ice rinks!

While most of them are located in shopping centres dotted around the city, the most popular one is undoubtedly the ice rink at Wonderland Lisboa. With capacity for over 100 people at a time, it is free to skate for 20 minutes.

This does mean that there is usually a long queue to go in – but since you’ll likely be enjoying the food stalls and activities on the grounds, you might as well give it a go!

3. Chase Lisbon’s Christmas Decorations

Lisbon tends to decorate for Christmas from mid-November, with most of the decorations up by late-November. The Christmas spirit in the city remains strong all throughout December, and up to the few days just after New Year’s Eve.

More and more shops and public buildings are starting to join the festive season decorations – some of my favourites include the façade at Armazéns do Chiado (which display a light show at timed intervals in the evenings), the street decorations at Praça Luís de Camões, Rua Augusta, and of course the Christmas tree at Praça do Comércio.

Aside from street decorations, you might also spot the Christmas-themed No. 25 Tram, which departs from Praça da Figueira.

I’ve marked all the best locations for Christmas decorations and photo spots in the Lisbon Christmas Guide Map shared in this article (click to jump!).

4. Meet Santa Claus

While the festive frenzy of Christmas markets is relatively new in Lisbon, the city’s shopping centres have been true holiday spirit hubs for decades.

Lisbon’s shopping centres are known for their impressive decorations over Christmas, with my favourite highlights being the giant Christmas tree at Colombo Shopping Centre and the Nativity Scene at Amoreiras Shopping Centre.

With shopping centres being so important for the Portuguese preparations ahead of Christmas Eve, nearly all of them host events where children can meet Santa Claus and personally ask him for their desired Christmas presents. If you’re visiting Lisbon with kids over Christmas, this can be a special addition to your plans!

5. Taste Bolo Rei (Portuguese Christmas King Cake)

The Portuguese King Cake (Bolo Rei) is a quintessential item at every Portuguese Christmas table. It’s a ring-shaped brioche-dough cake (often with a touch of liquor) topped with mixed nuts, raisins, candied fruit chunks, and powdered sugar – a little similar to the Italian panettone.

The cake is associated with the story of the Three Kings bringing gifts to Baby Jesus, and traditionally it would come with a dried broad bean and a small trinket hidden inside.

The tradition was that whoever cut the cake and got the trinket would have good luck for the following year, whereas whoever got the broad bean had to buy the cake on the following year’s Christmas. However, the hidden trinkets and broad beans have been banned since 2001, due to injury and choking hazard.

Regardless, no Portuguese family actually makes their own Bolo Rei at home. Families buy their cake from pastry shops, and everyone has an opinion on where to get the best one – as recipes vary slightly.

If you’d like to try Bolo Rei during your visit, head over to one of these pastry shops in Lisbon:

Tip: If you don’t like candied fruits (I’m personally not a fan), then the most popular alternative to Bolo Rei is Bolo Rainha (Queen Cake), which instead uses a lot more mixed nuts, like walnuts, almonds, and hazelnuts. You can usually find them next to each other in shops.

6. More Magical Christmas Activities and Experiences in Lisbon

If the above list still isn’t enough to satisfy your festive spirit, here are a few festive experiences and activities you can do in Lisbon this Christmas:

Where to Stay: Hotels in Lisbon Near the Christmas Markets

If you’d like to immerse yourself in Christmas spirit during your visit to Lisbon, then the trick is staying closer to the prettiest streets and decorated areas.

To save you time, I’ve compiled some hotel recommendations close to Lisbon’s Christmas Markets:

London at Christmas FAQ

Visiting Lisbon through New Year’s? Check out these Lisbon New Year’s Eve experiences:

Last Thoughts

I hope this Christmas Guide helps you plan your next trip to Lisbon during the festive season, and make the most of it. I’m sure you’re going to love soaking up the holiday spirit!

Feel free to let me know in the comments if you have questions regarding any part of this post, and I’ll do my best to help.