Lisbon is mild all year, so the weather decides less what you wear than how your evening on the river goes. Before you book sailing in Lisbon, know that the wind decides the sails, and the ride back is cold.
You spend two hours on open water, where the wind sets the evening. Here is what it changes for you.
Book an early day of your trip. If the weather cancels your sail, you have time to go again.
These are IPMA's 1981-2010 climate normals for its Lisbon station at the Instituto Geofísico, the city's reference station. Rainy days are days with at least 1 mm of rain. Sunset is calculated for Praça do Comércio, on the local clock.
Days reach about 15 °C and nights 8 °C. About 99 mm of rain falls, on some 10 days. The sun sets at about 17:30 on the 15th. Use the blankets on board: the return leg after sunset is the cold part.
Days reach about 16 °C and nights 9 °C. About 84 mm of rain falls, on some 8 days. The sun sets at about 18:15 on the 15th. Sunset passes 18:00 this month. Book early in your stay in case rain cancels.
Days reach about 19 °C and nights 11 °C. About 52 mm of rain falls, on some 6 days. The sun sets at about 18:45 on the 15th. The clocks go forward on the last Sunday, and sunset jumps by an hour.
Days reach about 20 °C and nights 12 °C. About 68 mm of rain falls, on some 8 days. The sun sets at about 20:15 on the 15th. Sunset is now after 19:45, late enough for a sail before dinner.
Days reach about 22 °C and nights 14 °C. About 53 mm of rain falls, on some 6 days. The sun sets at about 20:45 on the 15th. Rain eases. Evenings on deck still cool once the sun has gone.
Days reach about 26 °C and nights 17 °C. About 16 mm of rain falls, on some 2 days. The sun sets at about 21:00 on the 15th. Sunset is at its latest, so a sunset sail ends after dark.
Days reach about 28 °C and nights 18 °C. About 4 mm of rain falls, on some 1 days. The sun sets at about 21:00 on the 15th. The nortada often blows hard in the afternoon: good for the sails, bumpier for you.
Days reach about 28 °C and nights 19 °C. About 6 mm of rain falls, on some 1 days. The sun sets at about 20:30 on the 15th. The warmest days of the year, and the north wind still fills the afternoons.
Days reach about 27 °C and nights 18 °C. About 33 mm of rain falls, on some 4 days. The sun sets at about 19:45 on the 15th. Still warm, with sunset near 19:45 by mid-month. Rain starts to return.
Days reach about 22 °C and nights 15 °C. About 98 mm of rain falls, on some 9 days. The sun sets at about 19:00 on the 15th. Rain returns in earnest, and the clocks go back on the last Sunday of the month.
Days reach about 18 °C and nights 12 °C. About 128 mm of rain falls, on some 10 days. The sun sets at about 17:30 on the 15th. Sunset is before 17:45, so a sunset sail is back on land early.
Days reach about 15 °C and nights 9 °C. About 126 mm of rain falls, on some 11 days. The sun sets at about 17:15 on the 15th. The earliest sunsets of the year. Pack a hat and gloves for the river.
| Month | Day / night | Rain | Rainy days | Sunset (15th) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 15 / 8 °C | 99 mm | 10 | 17:30 |
| February | 16 / 9 °C | 84 mm | 8 | 18:15 |
| March | 19 / 11 °C | 52 mm | 6 | 18:45 |
| April | 20 / 12 °C | 68 mm | 8 | 20:15 |
| May | 22 / 14 °C | 53 mm | 6 | 20:45 |
| June | 26 / 17 °C | 16 mm | 2 | 21:00 |
| July | 28 / 18 °C | 4 mm | 1 | 21:00 |
| August | 28 / 19 °C | 6 mm | 1 | 20:30 |
| September | 27 / 18 °C | 33 mm | 4 | 19:45 |
| October | 22 / 15 °C | 98 mm | 9 | 19:00 |
| November | 18 / 12 °C | 128 mm | 10 | 17:30 |
| December | 15 / 9 °C | 126 mm | 11 | 17:15 |
If you want warm evenings on deck, pick May to September. If you want the most wind in the sails, pick a summer afternoon, when the nortada blows. If you want a sunset before dinner, pick October to March, and dress for the cold.
The best time to sail sets each goal against the months.
Day sails for warmth, sunset sails for the light, bigger cruise boats for comfort.
The same wind that fills the sails also raises the chop. That is why the sailing listings promise sail time only when the wind allows.
The temperatures and rain are IPMA's climate normals for Lisbon. The sunset times are calculated for Praça do Comércio with NOAA's solar-position method. The cancellation terms are the operators' own, checked 29 September 2026.
Ninety minutes on a catamaran from Santo Amaro, timed to the sunset, with one welcome drink, a bar for the rest, music and two toilets. A social evening rather than a guided one.
From $31 per person
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The whole sailboat for your group of up to six, for one to two hours from Alcântara, with a skipper, crew, a welcome drink each and snacks. Wine and a tapas board cost extra.
From $289 per group (up to 6)
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Two hours on a ten-guest sailboat from Alcântara, timed to the sunset, with a welcome drink, snacks and a toilet on board. Single bookings are welcome.
From $38 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: read the best time to sail, see the four docks, or compare every boat on Lisbon Sailing Tours.