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Where to go in October / Portugal in October / Lisbon / October

Portugal · City

Lisbon
in October.

Illustration of Terracotta rooftops above the Tagus in Lisbon; representative Alfama panorama, no church or exact lookout claimed.
Lisbon rooftops above the TagusDestination view, not month-specific.

Is October a good time?

Temperature unit

Warm days.
A steady visitor season.

October averages 73°F afternoons and 65°F seas, with about 8 rain days. Later October is typically cooler.

Afternoons
73°F
Sea
65°F
Visitor demand
90%of August peak

Historical Grande Lisboa regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Lisbon, Sintra and Cascais; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

8.0/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#6 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather9.6/10Excellent
CrowdsSteady all yearsimilar all year; overnight stays do not measure queues
CostPriceyfor Europe

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your October

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 73°F (23°C): T-shirt weather; nights around 59°F (15°C): a sweater and a light jacket. Bring rain gear: about 8 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 11 hours of daylight.

Can I swim in October?

The sea averages 65°F. Our swimming guide: fresh: fine once you are in. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.

Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 11 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:45Sunset 19:0059°F73°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:45 and sets about 19:00 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 59°F (15°C); afternoons reach about 73°F (23°C). Expect rain on about 8 days in a typical October.

Typical afternoon
73°F (23°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Octobers
Night low
59°F (15°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
65°F (18°C)
fresh; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
11h 15m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late October?

Early October is typically warmer. The afternoon high averages 76°F on the 1st, versus 69°F on the 31st. Historical wet-day frequency rises from 9% to 37% between those dates.

Early October 1 October

76°F

Typical afternoon high

9% historical wet-day frequency

Mid October 15 October

73°F

Typical afternoon high

26% historical wet-day frequency

Late October 31 October

69°F

Typical afternoon high

37% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Public holidays · 2026: 5 Oct Republic Day.

Daily calendar & holiday datesOctober 2026 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

October 2026 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2026.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
176°276°376°476°
576°676°776°876°975°1075°1175°
1274°1374°1474°1573°1673°1773°1872°
1972°2072°2172°2271°2371°2471°2571°
2671°2770°2870°2969°3069°3169°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons cool from about 76°F (25°C) in the first week to 70°F (21°C) in the last. The chance of a wet day runs 9–39%.

No school holidays here in October 2026. Public holidays: 5 Oct Republic Day. Elsewhere in October 2026, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: France 45%, Germany 33%, Netherlands 39%, Switzerland 32%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds, cost and getting there

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Steady all year. October averages 90% of August's overnight stays per day. Overnight demand varies little across the year.

Overnight stays across Grande Lisboa do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

Well above usual. Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €104 per guest-night. An average, not a booking quote.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Historical hotel average
€104
2024–2025 monthly average; hotel revenue per guest-night; not a current booking quote. +17% vs this region's usual month.
Portugal as a whole
Well below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 76 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.
Recorded US nonstop flights · 2024
Recorded this month
from Newark, Boston, New York JFK and Washington Dulles and 4 more; 2024 schedule, Eurostat

The historical regional amount comes from INE Portugal, Inquérito à Permanência de Hóspedes: hotel room revenue per guest-night; the country price level is national. Hotel averages are not live booking quotes.

Year-to-year variation

How much does October vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 70°F (21°C) and 77°F (25°C); in 11 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 73°F (23°C). Rain days ranged from 3 to 12; half the years had 6–9.

Rain days in each October

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 5 rain days520112012: 10 rain days102013: 9 rain days92014: 9 rain days92015: 12 rain days122016: 8 rain days82017: 3 rain days32018: 7 rain days72019: 6 rain days62020: 7 rain days72021: 5 rain days52022: 9 rain days92023: 10 rain days102024: 9 rain days92025: 6 rain days62025
Rain days
8
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 10 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
9 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no October in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
27 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded OctoberHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201177°F5
201270°F10
201372°F9
201474°F9
201571°F12
201672°F8
201777°F3
201873°F7
201971°F6
202070°F7
202174°F5
202274°F9
202375°F10
202472°F9
202575°F6

Checked against official climate averages for Lisboa (Instituto Geofisico). How we check

Compare dates

September, October
or November?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsSepOctNov
Afternoons78°F73°F65°F
Sea66°F65°F63°F
Rain days2811
Overnight demand93%90%71%

September: Warmer afternoons and fewer rain days than October. September guide →

November: Cooler afternoons, cooler sea and more rain days than October. November guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with October Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. October stays as your reference.

Hotel stays vary little through the year. No other scored month has a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than October.

Your comparison

October or September?

Overnight stays vary little through the year.

Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €113 per guest-night. An average, not a booking quote.

Read the September guide →
October compared with another month
Typical conditionsOctoberSeptember
Afternoons73°F78°F
Nights59°F60°F
Sea65°F66°F
Rain days82
Visitor seasonSteady all yearSteady all year
Overall / 108.08.1
Month rank#6#5
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January7.2#1260°F47°F59°F97.1Steady all year
February7.3#1161°F48°F58°F87.3Steady all year
March7.4#964°F49°F58°F77.8Steady all year
April7.8#767°F52°F60°F88.8Steady all year
May8.2#372°F55°F62°F210.0Steady all year
June8.2#476°F58°F64°F110.0Steady all year
July8.4#180°F59°F65°F010.0Steady all year
August8.4#281°F60°F65°F010.0Steady all year
September8.1#578°F60°F66°F210.0Steady all year
October8.0#673°F59°F65°F89.6Steady all year
November7.4#865°F53°F63°F118.1Steady all year
December7.3#1062°F49°F61°F77.4Steady all year

Near here

Nearby places in October

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

As good as Lisbon in October, but quieter

Lisbon's weather ranks 2 of 41 city regions this month. Lisbon already has excellent weather in October; these city regions outside Portugal are about as good and quieter for their season, nearest first.

All of Portugal in October · Everywhere in October

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

Hotel stays are steady all year here: this month is 90% of the busiest and 13% above average. That counts overnight stays, not how busy the sights are.The figures cover the whole Grande Lisboa region, suburbs included. That means about 62,000 overnight visitors on a typical October night across the region, 17% of them from Portugal itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 37,000 more: 59 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Urban, 0–100)83
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Lisboa (Instituto Geofisico) from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 3°F (1.7°C), night lows within 2°F (1.3°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day29
Busiest month hereAugust · 32
Visitors as share of people present2.8%
Rank among Europe's regions this month88th percentile
Domestic share of nights17%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights59
Visitor share if every platform night were extra4.4%
Population used2.2 million
Statistical regionPT1A · Grande Lisboa

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national; the first figure is regional (INE Portugal, Inquérito à Permanência de Hóspedes: hotel room revenue per guest-night). Full method · this region's data.