Best time to visit Lisbon

Lisbon has one of the mildest climates in Europe, and the city works in every month, with winter days that often reach 15 °C and sunshine most of the year. The trade-off is crowds: June to September are hot, bright and packed, with the Santo António sardine parties in mid-June and the cruise ships adding thousands a day to Alfama and Belém. April, May, late September and October offer warm weather, jacarandas in spring, a warm sea in autumn and shorter queues for the trams and the Jerónimos monastery.

Winter is quiet, cheap and rainy in spells, but rarely cold. Tram 28 is packed by mid-morning all year; ride it before nine or take the 12 and 24 lines instead. The Jerónimos monastery and the Belém Tower close on Mondays; Sintra's palaces sell timed tickets and the town is overwhelmed at weekends from April to October. The Atlantic is cold even in summer, around 19 °C, and the beaches at Cascais and Costa da Caparica are a train or bus ride away. For warm days at normal prices, take April after Easter or October before Web Summit.