What to Wear in Lisbon in February
Lisbon in February: 16°C / 61°F afternoons, 9°C / 48°F nights, rain on about 9 days, and camellia season in Sintra, a train ride from Rossio.
- Light tan mac — Pena Palace is often in mist, and Lisbon sees rain on about 9 days
- Navy lambswool crew — for the ride back after sunset into a night that falls to 9°C / 48°F
- White cotton shirt — what you climb in once the knit comes off on the steep route to Pena Palace
- Dark olive waterproof walking shoes on a lugged sole — damp woodland paths, and no private cars up to the palace
- Khaki waxed-cotton bucket hat — a brim for mist that leaves both hands free on narrow paths
- Small navy backpack — carries the knit through a swing of about 7°C between dawn and afternoon
- Driving to Pena — private vehicles are barred from Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle
- Smooth soles — the route from Pena's main entrance to the palace is steep
- An umbrella in Pena's woods — it catches on branches and takes a hand you need on steep paths
- Dressing for the 16°C / 61°F afternoon — the ride home comes after sunset, into a night that falls to 9°C / 48°F
Pack for a day in the hills. NOAA's 30-year record for Lisboa Geofísica gives February 16.1°C / 61°F by day and 9.2°C at night, with rain on about 9 days, and sunset moves from 5:58pm to 6:28pm across the month. Parques de Sintra calls the camellias, in flower from October to April, "a true symbol of the Sintra winter", and Pena's park alone holds 3,858 of them. The route from its main entrance to the palace is steep, the paths wind under dense woodland, and the palace is often in mist. Wear soles that grip, a mac over a knit, and a backpack for the layer you shed by noon.
February puts the camellias in flower across Sintra's gardens. Dress for a steep, damp climb under the trees in the morning and a train home after a sunset close to 6pm.
The capsule
01Light tan single-breasted mac, point collar, cuff tabsParques de Sintra describes Pena Palace as "frequently hidden under the veil of the mists that characterise the Sintra Hills", and Lisbon itself sees rain on about 9 February days. A light mac sheds both without the weight of a winter coat, which a 16°C / 61°F afternoon does not need. Button it to the collar on the bus up the hill; wear it open in town.
02Navy lambswool crew-neck sweater, mid-weightNOAA's Lisboa Geofísica record puts February nights at 9°C / 48°F, and the coldest in 30 years fell to 2.7°C, in 2012. A mid-weight lambswool crew under the mac covers the early train out and the ride back after a sunset between 5:58pm and 6:28pm. Plain navy sits over the white collar and folds small into the backpack by noon.
03White cotton shirt, point collar, chest pocketParques de Sintra calls the route from Pena's main entrance to the palace steep, and a climb on foot warms you fast, even on a 16°C / 61°F afternoon. A white cotton shirt is what you wear once the knit comes off, cuffs rolled. At dinner back in Lisbon its collar sits neatly over the navy crew, so one shirt covers the whole day.
04Navy cotton-twill straight trousers, ankle lengthParques de Sintra describes "winding, labyrinthine paths that weave beneath the Park’s dense woodland" at Pena, so expect damp leaf litter after one of February's 9 or so rainy days. Navy twill hides a splash that pale chinos show all day. A straight leg cut to the ankle clears wet ground and sits over a walking shoe without bunching.
05Dark olive waterproof walking shoes, lugged rubber solePrivate vehicles are barred from Pena Palace and the Moorish Castle, so the hill is on foot, by bus 434 or by the park's transfer. A lugged rubber sole grips damp stone and steep woodland paths, and a waterproof upper keeps your socks dry through a misty morning. Back in Lisbon the climbs are on foot too: in October 2026 Carris listed its Glória, Bica and Lavra lifts as out of service.
06Terracotta cotton gauze scarf, twisted fringeA light scarf for a day that runs from 9°C / 48°F at dawn to 16°C / 61°F after lunch. Cotton gauze closes the collar in the shade of the woods and on the train home, then stuffs into a mac pocket in the sun. Terracotta is the one warm colour in a navy, white and khaki capsule.
07Small navy nylon backpackOn a day that swings about 7°C between dawn and afternoon, the knit spends hours off your back. A small daypack carries it, with water and your Pena Palace ticket, which Parques de Sintra sells for a date and a time slot. Both hands stay free on the steep paths, and nylon shrugs off a shower.
08Khaki waxed-cotton bucket hatMist and showers in the hills call for a brim, and on Pena's narrow woodland paths an umbrella catches branches and ties up a hand you want free for the climb. Waxed cotton sheds light rain and folds flat into the backpack when the sun comes out. Khaki sits with the tan mac and the navy knit.
Day to night
A Sintra day: white shirt · navy lambswool crew · navy twill trousers · dark olive walking shoes · tan mac open · khaki bucket hat · navy backpack. The CP Sintra line from Rossio, bus 434 up to Pena, then the camellia gardens on foot at about 16°C / 61°F, with the knit in the backpack by noon.
Back in Lisbon: white shirt · navy crew back on · navy twill trousers · dark olive walking shoes · terracotta scarf · tan mac open. The sun sets at 5:58pm on the 1st and 6:28pm on the 28th; dinner in Chiado, into a night that falls toward 9°C / 48°F.
A suggested look — light tan mac, navy lambswool crew-neck sweater, navy straight-leg twill trousers, dark olive waterproof walking shoes, terracotta cotton scarf.
What to avoid
- Driving to Pena. Private vehicles are barred from the palace and the Moorish Castle
- Smooth soles. The route from Pena's main entrance to the palace is steep
- Dressing for 16°C / 61°F. The ride home ends in a night that falls to 9°C / 48°F
- A hill day on a stormy forecast. Parques de Sintra closes the hill monuments in bad weather
- Planning around Lisbon's lifts. In October 2026 Carris listed Glória, Bica and Lavra as out of service
Frequently asked questions
Mild and showery, with the evenings stretching fast. NOAA NCEI's 30-year record for Lisboa Geofísica, a station IPMA operates, gives an average February high of 16.1°C / 61°F and a low of 9.2°C, with about 73mm of rain on roughly 9 days, about 6 of them with 2.5mm or more. The coldest February night in those 30 years was 2.7°C, in 2012. IPMA's own figures for the station give 16.4°C and 9.1°C. Sunrise moves from 7:43am on 1 February to 7:10am on the 28th, and sunset from 5:58pm to 6:28pm, so daylight grows from 10h 15m to 11h 17m.
A light tan mac, a navy lambswool crew, a white cotton shirt, navy twill trousers, dark olive waterproof walking shoes on a lugged sole, a terracotta cotton scarf, a small navy backpack and a khaki waxed-cotton bucket hat. That covers 16°C / 61°F afternoons, nights that fall to 9°C / 48°F, rain on about 9 days and a day on steep, damp paths in Sintra's gardens. Leave summer linen and smooth-soled shoes at home.
From October to April, so February sits in the middle of the season. Parques de Sintra writes: "Blooming between October and April, the camellias that fill the gardens and estates of Sintra have become a true symbol of the Sintra winter". At Pena they go back to a king: "camellias were introduced to the Park of Pena by King Ferdinand II in 1851", planted under the head gardener, Carlos Ronneberg. The park's collection now numbers 3,858 specimens across the Garden of Camellias, the Garden of Queen Amélia, the Garden of the Countess of Edla and the Tea Hill, and the International Camellia Society has recognised it as a Garden of Camellias of Excellence since 2014. The annual Camellia Exhibition is free and held in front of the National Palace of Sintra, in the town centre. In 2026 its 13th edition ran on 28 February and 1 March with 14 exhibitors and more than 2,000 flowers, and João Sousa Rego, chairman of Parques de Sintra, said it brings together "some of the most significant camellia collections from Sintra’s historic estates and gardens". The 2027 date is not yet published. Dress for the climb. Parques de Sintra writes that "the route between the main entrance of Pena Park and the Palace is steep", sells Pena Palace tickets for a date and a time slot, and offers a return transfer for €4.50. Take the CP Sintra line from Rossio, then bus 434, and wear waterproof shoes with a lug, a mac and a hat with a brim.
Late February for Sintra, early February for Carnival in Torres Vedras. In 2026 the Camellia Exhibition fell on the last weekend of the month, and by the 28th the sun sets at 6:28pm, half an hour later than on the 1st. Carnival Tuesday falls on 9 February 2027. In 2026 the Carnaval de Torres Vedras, which the town council calls "um dos grandes símbolos que define a identidade torriense" [one of the great symbols of Torres Vedras's identity], was set for Thursday 12 to Wednesday 18 February and then called off: the council cited "um ciclo contínuo de tempestades" [a continuous cycle of storms] and a government state of calamity covering the town. The organisers say 2026 tickets are valid for 2027. The 2027 programme has not been published.
January is colder and wetter. NOAA's Lisboa Geofísica record gives January the lowest highs and lows of the year, 14.9°C and 8.7°C, against February's 16.1°C and 9.2°C: about 1.2°C milder by day and 0.5°C at night. January's rain comes to about 106mm on 11 or 12 days, February's to about 73mm on 9. The coldest night in those 30 years was 1.4°C, in January 2009, against February's 2.7°C in 2012. February also brings an hour more daylight: on the 15th the day lasts 10h 46m, against 9h 45m in mid-January.
Wool under a light coat, indoors as well as out: Eurostat's 2025 survey found 15.6% of people in Portugal unable to keep their home adequately warm, against 8.8% across the EU. For Portuguese wool, go to Burel Chiado on Rua Serpa Pinto, open since 2012. The Burel Factory weaves burel, in its words "a type of coarse wool fabric", in Manteigas, at the old Lanifícios Império mill, where "we kept the 19th-century machines". Its Lisbon story starts a little earlier: "In 2009 we went down to Lisbon to show what we had created."
Sources
- NOAA NCEI — 1991–2020 climate normals, Lisboa Geofísica stationIPMA operates the station, the Instituto Geofísico do Infante D. Luiz site this city's other pages read; NOAA NCEI computed this month's figures from its PO000008535 global-summary-of-the-month record, 30 complete Februaries. Rain days count days with 0.01 in (0.25 mm) or more.
- NOAA NCEI — Global Summary of the Month, Lisboa Geofísica (PO000008535), 1991–2020: temperature, precipitation and rain days — accessed 2026-10-22
- IPMA — Normal Climatológica 1991–2020, Lisboa / Instituto Geofísico (station 535), version 1.0 of 2024 — accessed 2026-10-28
- Parques de Sintra — XIII Exhibition of Camellias, 28 February – 1 March 2026, in front of the National Palace of Sintra (free) — accessed 2026-10-29
- Parques de Sintra — Camellia Exhibition 2026: 14 exhibitors, more than 2,000 flowers; João Sousa Rego, Chairman (news, March 2026) — accessed 2026-10-29
- Parques de Sintra — Park of Pena, Camellia Garden: introduced by King Ferdinand II in 1851; 3,858 specimens — accessed 2026-10-29
- Parques de Sintra — Park and National Palace of Pena: mist and woodland paths — accessed 2026-10-29
- Parques de Sintra — FAQs: steep route to Pena Palace, no private vehicles, timed Pena Palace tickets, weather closures — accessed 2026-10-29
- Parques de Sintra — How to get there: CP Sintra Line from Oriente, Rossio or Entrecampos; Scotturb bus 434 to Pena — accessed 2026-10-29
- Parques de Sintra — notice: hill monuments closed after the weather of 29–30 January 2025 — accessed 2026-10-29
- Parques de Sintra — notice: hill monuments closed for adverse weather, 19–20 March 2025; National Palace of Sintra open — accessed 2026-10-29
- Parques de Sintra — notice: Park of Pena closed due to strong winds, 16 December 2025; palace by transfer only — accessed 2026-10-29
- Parques de Sintra — notice: Moorish Castle, Convent of the Capuchos and Chalet of the Countess of Edla closed, 24 January 2026 — accessed 2026-10-29
- Câmara Municipal de Torres Vedras — Carnaval de Torres Vedras will not take place 12–18 February 2026 (communiqué) — accessed 2026-10-29
- Carnaval de Torres Vedras — Bilhetes 2027: 2026 tickets valid for the 2027 edition — accessed 2026-10-29
- Burel Factory — History: the Manteigas mill and Burel Chiado on Rua Serpa Pinto (2012) — accessed 2026-10-29
- Eurostat — ilc_mdes01, inability to keep home adequately warm (Portugal 15.6%, EU-27 8.8%, 2025) — accessed 2026-10-22
- Carris — Ascensores e Elevador temporarily closed: being tested and out of service (alternatives 51E, 22B, 19B) — accessed 2026-10-22
