Immerse yourself in the Portuguese Holiday Spirit with the most wonderful Christmas Lights in Lisbon.
Each year during the holiday the Portuguese capital dresses up to celebrate the most joyous time of the year. We hold Christmas so dearly that even the more suburban areas around Lisbon have some form or other of Christmas decorations. So, wherever you’re staying in Lisbon, chances are that you’ll get to marvel at the Christmas lights.
However, if you want to make a thing of it and provide some fun moments for your kids or bring some magic to your friends and family, you might need to find the best places to see the Christmas lights in Lisbon. To help in that task, here are our top 6 favourites.
In a quick glance
Campo Pequeno & Avenidas Novas
A bit outside the old part of town, Campo Pequeno is a bullfighting arena that also hosts a shopping area. Like most places during the holiday season, its façade becomes covered in sparkly lights. Accompanying the mood of the arena, the streets around also get their fair share of decorations.
Since the Avenidas Novas quarter is located a bit outside the most touristic area and is mainly known for being a business district, you’ll be able to enjoy the lights without the hustle and bustle of downtown Lisbon.
Marquês de Pombal Square
Connected to Campo Pequeno by Avenida da República and Avenida Fontes Pereira de Melo, Marquês de Pombal Square is located right outside what is known as downtown Lisbon at the top of a hill.
The privileged location and the imposing statue in the middle of the square make it a great place to visit even outside the holiday season. However, during Christmas, it gets decorated with all manner of lights.
If you drop by between November 30th and January 1st, don’t miss out on Wonderland Lisboa. This fair type of event has many street food stations available where you can warm your heart and stomach. For the little ones, there is ice skating, carousel rides and a Ferris wheel.
Liberty Avenue
The next recommendation to see the Christmas lights in Lisbon must be the one and only Liberty Avenue. Strolling along its wide sidewalks with the trees all decorated in cascading lights makes for an unforgettable joyous moment. It’s like walking along a Christmas-themed tunnel. Make sure you save a bit of time to spend here.
Rossio
The Rossio area, or as some call it downtown Lisbon, is one of the most visited places. During the holiday season, it gets even more crowded with people looking to enjoy the lights and do some Christmas shopping.
Despite the packed feel of the place, it’s still worth it to enjoy the numerous lights and decorations that change every year. To most of the people that live in and around Lisbon is a tradition to grab your family on a Saturday or Sunday and go see which lights have been put up every year.
Besides the obvious allure of the decorations, the city hall organizes a few Christmas-themed markets, which offer visitors a great chance to shop for unique, and sometimes rather delicious, gifts.
Chiado
Located right beside Rossio, the Chiado neighbourhood is unmissable during the holidays. The façade of the Armazéns do Chiado shopping centre gets decorated with sparkly deer and a huge Christmas tree that, even though are the same every year, fill all our hearts with joy.
The street that connects the shopping centre with Camões Square is also worth noting since it’s decked in a different theme every year.
Comércio Square
Finally, we must recommend Comércio Square as the culmination of this rundown of the best places to see the Christmas lights in Lisbon. Here you’ll get to see the giant Christmas tree that gets erected every year and take some pictures with your family and friends.
Now that we’ve concluded this recommendation list, we want to share a little secret with you! You can enjoy the Christmas lights accompanied by your friends and family without the tiring aftermath of walking around in the cold with our Xmas Lights Lisbon and Xmas Lights Lisbon II tuk tuk tours. The driver will take you through some of the places we’ve talked about here and share with you some tidbits and interesting facts about the story of Lisbon.
Are you feeling Christmassy yet? We sure are!
