Portugal has 13 national public holidays, and they matter more to a trip than most visitors expect. Banks, post offices, government offices and many small shops close completely. Museums change their hours. Trains and intercity buses sell out on the long weekends that holidays create. Plan around them and they cost you nothing. Ignore them and you can arrive in Évora on a Monday to find the cathedral shut and every restaurant in the old town booked.
This guide lists every holiday with exact dates for 2026 and 2027, explains what is open and closed, and flags the dates that cause the most disruption. Moveable dates (Good Friday, Easter and Corpus Christi) were checked against published 2026 and 2027 calendars rather than estimated.
Full list of Portuguese public holidays
| Holiday | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| New Year’s Day (Ano Novo) | Thu 1 Jan | Fri 1 Jan |
| Good Friday (Sexta-feira Santa) | Fri 3 Apr | Fri 26 Mar |
| Easter Sunday (Páscoa) | Sun 5 Apr | Sun 28 Mar |
| Freedom Day (Dia da Liberdade) | Sat 25 Apr | Sun 25 Apr |
| Labour Day (Dia do Trabalhador) | Fri 1 May | Sat 1 May |
| Corpus Christi (Corpo de Deus) | Thu 4 Jun | Thu 27 May |
| Portugal Day (Dia de Portugal) | Wed 10 Jun | Thu 10 Jun |
| Assumption (Assunção de Nossa Senhora) | Sat 15 Aug | Sun 15 Aug |
| Republic Day (Implantação da República) | Mon 5 Oct | Tue 5 Oct |
| All Saints (Todos os Santos) | Sun 1 Nov | Mon 1 Nov |
| Restoration of Independence | Tue 1 Dec | Wed 1 Dec |
| Immaculate Conception | Tue 8 Dec | Wed 8 Dec |
| Christmas Day (Natal) | Fri 25 Dec | Sat 25 Dec |
Carnival (Shrove Tuesday) is not an official national holiday, although the government usually grants public-sector staff the day off. Easter Monday and Christmas Eve are not holidays either. Treat Carnival Tuesday, 17 February 2026, as a patchy day: some shops shut, others do not.
Local and regional holidays
Each municipality picks one extra holiday, usually its patron saint’s day, and these close local offices, banks and many shops for that town only.
- Lisbon, 13 June (Santo António): the centre of the Santos Populares street parties. The night of 12 June is the real celebration, so expect noise until dawn in Alfama. See our Portugal festivals guide for details.
- Porto and Braga, 24 June (São João): the biggest night of the year in Porto. Metro runs through the night, bridges fill with people, and the next morning the city is quiet and mostly closed.
- Coimbra, 4 July (Rainha Santa Isabel): shops and offices close in the city.
- Funchal, 21 August: the city holiday for Madeira’s capital. Madeira as a whole also observes 1 July (Madeira Day).
- Azores, Whit Monday: the regional holiday falls on the Monday after Pentecost, 25 May 2026 and 17 May 2027.
Local dates can shift if a municipality votes to change them, so confirm with the local tourist office when your trip depends on one.
What is open and closed
Banks and ATMs. Branches close on every national holiday. ATMs (Multibanco) keep working, but top up your cash the day before a long weekend. Our money and currency guide covers withdrawal fees and card use.
Supermarkets and shops. Pingo Doce, Continente and Lidl often open on holidays, sometimes with shorter hours. The reliable closures are 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 December, when nearly every shop shuts. Small family-run shops often close on any holiday.
Restaurants and cafes. Tourist districts in Lisbon, Porto and the Algarve stay open on most holidays. In small towns and the Alentejo interior, many restaurants close on Christmas Day, New Year’s Day and Easter Sunday. Book ahead for Christmas lunch and Easter lunch, which are family occasions.
Museums and attractions. Many state museums and monuments close on 1 January, Easter Sunday, 1 May and 25 December, and some on Good Friday afternoon. Sintra’s palaces, Belém’s Jerónimos Monastery and the Torre de Belém are usually open on other holidays but queues are longer. Book timed tickets online, and check the official site of each monument, since hours change.
Public transport. Services run a Sunday timetable. Lisbon Metro and Carris, Porto Metro and STCP, and CP trains all reduce frequency. Night services around Santos Populares and São João are the exception, with extra runs added.
Pharmacies and hospitals. Emergency departments stay open. Pharmacies rotate a duty (serviço permanente) system, and each pharmacy door lists the nearest open one.
The most disruptive dates for travellers
- Easter weekend (Good Friday to Easter Sunday). Domestic travel peaks, trains and rental cars sell out, and Easter Sunday closes most shops. Book transport and hotels at least a month ahead.
- Christmas and New Year. 24 December afternoon is quiet, 25 December is the most closed day of the year, and 1 January follows with late openings and slow mornings after Réveillon.
- Corpus Christi long weekend. Because it falls on a Thursday, many Portuguese take Friday off. Beaches in the Algarve and the Silver Coast fill up, and prices rise.
- Portugal Day, 10 June, followed by Santos Populares. In 2026, 10 June is a Wednesday, so the working week is broken up, and Lisbon’s festival days on 12-13 June land straight after. Hotel prices in Lisbon jump.
- 15 August. The Assumption falls in peak season. Many villages hold religious processions and festivals, and coastal accommodation is fully booked.
- 1 May. Labour Day shuts nearly everything, and public-sector strikes are sometimes timed around it. Check for transport strikes on the days before and after.
- 25 April. Freedom Day is a day for marches and commemorations in the capital. Services run normally but roads in central Lisbon, including Avenida da Liberdade, can close for parades.
Bridge days (pontes) are the hidden problem. When a holiday falls on a Tuesday or Thursday, as with 5 October 2027, 1 December 2026, 8 December 2026 and Corpus Christi, many people take the extra day for a four-day weekend. Your trip is smoother if you stay put in cities on bridge weekends and travel on the Tuesday or Wednesday instead.
Planning tips
- Visit big sights on regular weekdays between holidays. A guided Lisbon tour booked ahead avoids queue stress on holiday weekends.
- Withdraw cash before long weekends and keep small notes for cafes and taxis. The tipping guide explains what to leave.
- Buy train tickets early for Easter, Corpus Christi and the December long weekends, when Portuguese families travel.
- If you want to see Portuguese culture in action, travel on a holiday deliberately. Easter processions in Braga and Óbidos, São João in Porto and Santos Populares in Lisbon are worth the closures.
- Pharmacies, petrol stations on motorways, and tourist restaurants remain reliable fallbacks.
Our Lisbon city guide covers where to eat and stay when the city is at its busiest. Holiday dates were verified in October 2026, and Portugal occasionally adds one-off bridge days for public-sector workers, so check the government announcement before travelling.