A good place. At the right time.

Portugal
in December.

Is December a good time?

°F°C

2 of 9 scored regions rate very good or better for weather.

National overnight stays are 36% of the August peak.

Regional afternoon highs: 58–66°F
Very good weather: 2 / 9 regions

Weather falls below the very-good band in 7 scored regions.

Find your December base

Based on 9 statistical regions. Typical conditions, not a forecast for individual towns.

The Algarve’s cliffs and covesDestination view, not month-specific.

One month. 9 possibilities.

Choose your December base.

The useful differences, side by side. Open a region for its full month guide.

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

Find a place or region

Trip focus

9 of 9 regions · Best weather first

Overall scores use the Balanced mix. Choose a different priority to order the regions by that mix.

Illustration of Whitewashed old-town streets in Évora, Alentejo; representative streetscape, no exact street or facade claimed.

CountrysideAlentejoÉvora · ComportaRead the December guide ↗ Overall8.4/10#7 month here · Balanced Weather7.6/10Very good61°F afternoons · 7 rain days Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level

Illustration of Terracotta rooftops above the Tagus in Lisbon; representative Alfama panorama, no church or exact lookout claimed.

CityLisbonSintra · CascaisRead the December guide ↗ Overall7.3/10#10 month here · Balanced Weather7.4/10Very good62°F afternoons · 7 rain days Visitor seasonSteady all yearsimilar all yearAbove country typicalregional accommodation level

Illustration of Golden sandy coast on Porto Santo, Madeira archipelago; representative beach view, no exact headland or lookout claimed.

BeachMadeiraFunchal · Porto SantoRead the December guide ↗ Overall6.8/10#10 month here · Balanced Weather6.4/10Good66°F afternoons · 9 rain days Visitor seasonSteady all yearsimilar all yearAbove country typicalregional accommodation level

Illustration of Golden sea cliffs, arch and turquoise cove on the central Algarve coast

BeachThe AlgarveLagos · Albufeira · FaroRead the December guide ↗ Overall7.9/10#8 month here · Balanced Weather6.3/10Good64°F afternoons · 5 rain days Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level

Illustration of Wooded hills, pale sand and clear sea on the Arrábida coast, Setúbal Peninsula; representative cove, no exact shoreline geometry claimed.

BeachSetúbal PeninsulaArrábida · SetúbalRead the December guide ↗ Overall7.4/10#10 month here · Balanced Weather5.4/10Good62°F afternoons · 7 rain days Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level

Illustration of White houses and terracotta rooftops in Óbidos; representative medieval town fabric, no exact castle or church claimed.

BeachÓbidos, Nazaré & the Tagus ValleyÓbidos · Nazaré · TomarRead the December guide ↗ Overall6.8/10#11 month here · Balanced Weather4.8/10Fair61°F afternoons · 8 rain days Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level

Illustration of Low basalt-walled vineyards on Pico, Azores; representative vineyard landscape, no exact parcel or windmill claimed.

BeachAzoresSão Miguel · Ponta Delgada · PicoRead the December guide ↗ Overall6.4/10#12 month here · Balanced Weather4.4/10Fair65°F afternoons · 14 rain days Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level

Illustration of A canal and traditional moliceiro boats in Aveiro, Central Portugal; representative waterfront, no exact facade claimed.

BeachCentral PortugalCoimbra · AveiroRead the December guide ↗ Overall5.5/10#11 month here · Balanced Weather3.5/10Fair59°F afternoons · 10 rain days Visitor seasonLow seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level

Illustration of Terraced vineyards above the Douro River, northern Portugal; representative valley view, no exact estate or river bend claimed.

BeachPorto & northern PortugalPorto · Douro Valley · BragaRead the December guide ↗ Overall4.7/10#11 month here · Balanced Weather2.7/10Poor58°F afternoons · 13 rain days Visitor seasonModerate seasonvs its own yearBelow country typicalregional accommodation level

Cost words compare a published regional accommodation level with Portugal's typical level, or describe a region's price season against its own year. The Cost score still uses Portugal's price level on the Europe scale; where regional money levels are unavailable, a cheaper season does not establish which region has the cheapest rooms.

What goes into the scores?

Overall combines weather, crowds and cost. It is not a weather rating. By default, the list ranks weather first and shows Balanced Overall scores (50% weather, 30% crowds, 20% cost). Other priorities order it by your Overall mix. Missing cost is excluded and the available parts are reweighted.

Visitor season compares each region with its own year. A higher crowd score does not establish which place has fewer people in absolute terms. Regions cover whole statistical areas; open a guide for its geographic scope. Read the scoring method.

Weather across the country

December weather & packing.

Regional averages vary; check a forecast closer to your trip.

Typical afternoons: 58–66°F
Typical nights: 43–55°F
Rain days: 5–14 days

Ranges span available regional monthly averages, not daily extremes. A dash means a measurement is unavailable or withheld; individual guides explain the gaps.

What to bring.

Afternoons around 66°F (19°C): light layers; nights around 55°F (13°C): a sweater and a light jacket. Bring rain gear: about 9 days with at least 1 mm of rain.

Weather, region by region Afternoons, nights, rain & weather

Available regional monthly averages. Very good weather means a displayed score of at least 7.0/10.
Region	Afternoon	Night	Rain days	Weather
Alentejo	61°F	44°F	7	very good
Lisbon	62°F	49°F	7	very good
Madeira	66°F	55°F	9	good
The Algarve	64°F	50°F	5	good
Setúbal Peninsula	62°F	49°F	7	good
Óbidos, Nazaré & the Tagus Valley	61°F	46°F	8	fair
Azores	65°F	55°F	14	fair
Central Portugal	59°F	43°F	10	fair
Porto & northern Portugal	58°F	44°F	13	poor

Before you go

Check the trip details.

The visitor season

Moderate season, nationally.

December records 36% of August's overnight stays. This measures overnight demand, not queues or day-trippers.

Hotel prices

Well below usual.

−17% on Portugal's historical national hotel-price index, versus its usual month in 2024–2025. This describes a price season, not a live room quote.

Published regional hotel revenue per guest-night ranges from €41 in The Algarve to €72 in Lisbon. The Algarve uses the 2024–2025 monthly average. Historical averages, not booking quotes.

Thinking about the coast?

Check the water, too.

Among beach-focused regions, the warmest measured seas this month are Madeira (69°F), Azores (64°F), The Algarve (63°F). Sea temperature is one part of a beach trip; open a region for weather and seasonal closures.

Events & holiday dates Check the year against your trip

Holidays: 52% of people in Portugal live where schools are out on a typical December 2026 day. Public holidays: 1 Dec Independence Day; 8 Dec Immaculate Conception Day; 25 Dec Christmas. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Same country. A different chapter.

Dates still up in the air?

Portugal through the year ↗

December is fixed, but the destination isn't? Find somewhere else in Europe ↗

How we know Sources, scope & limitations

Each row is a statistical region (NUTS 2); open it for the full month, the sources and what moving your dates would change. National lines are built from the regions: season is Portugal's total tourist nights this month against its busiest month (Eurostat, primarily 2024–2025; earlier published years where needed); weather counts regions whose displayed Weather score is at least 7.0/10 (very good or better) rather than averaging across the country; visitors ranks overnight visitors per resident against all Europe's regions (for a region) or the other countries (for Portugal) that month.

A regional accommodation level is shown only where publishable money data exists; elsewhere the cost words describe a regional season against its own year, and the score starts from the national price level. Separately, Portugal's 2024 restaurants-and-hotels level is well below EU average (76 where the EU average is 100). Full method.