What's Open on Christmas Day in Portugal (2026)

Is anything open on Christmas Day in Portugal?

A few things are. Friday 25 December 2026 is a public holiday, so most shops, supermarkets, public offices and museums shut, while emergency services, duty pharmacies, public transport on holiday timetables, a handful of attractions and some restaurants keep going. Article 234 of the Código do Trabalho lists 25 December among the mandatory public holidays (Código do Trabalho).

Key Takeaways: Buy food by Thursday 24 December, before the early closing times. Saturday 26 December 2026 is a normal day, so shops reopen. Most 2026 hours had not been announced as of 11 November 2026, so the figures below are last year’s pattern, labelled by year. Our Christmas in Portugal guide covers the Consoada dinner and other traditions.

Last checked: 11 November 2026.

What are the hours on 24, 25 and 26 December?

The table shows what operators or press reports on operators published for Christmas 2025. Treat it as a pattern, not a promise.

Service	24 Dec (2025)	25 Dec (2025)	26 Dec
Continente	Closed at 18:00	Closed (one source contradicts this)	Saturday in 2026, normal day
Pingo Doce	Mostly 18:00, some stores until 19:00 or 17:00	Closed	Normal day
Lidl and Aldi	18:00	Closed	Normal day
Auchan	17:00	Closed	Normal day
Mercadona	Up to 19:00	Closed	Normal day
Intermarché	Varies by store	Not specified	Normal day
CTT post offices	Until 13:00	Closed to the public	Normal day
Museums run by MMP	Closed in 2025	Usually closed	Check the site

Sources: Postal and Lisboa Secreta, both 23 December 2025. None of these hours for 2026 were announced as of 11 November 2026.

Are supermarkets open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day?

On Christmas Eve 2025, Continente (including Modelo and Bom Dia), Lidl and Aldi closed at 18:00. Auchan closed at 17:00 and Mercadona stayed open until 19:00, the most repeated figure. Pingo Doce was open until 18:00 in most stores. The exceptions reported were Campo Pequeno, Santarém Shopping, Olivais Shopping and Alvalade at 19:00, and Viseu Fórum at 17:00. Intermarché hours varied by store, and the report gave no fixed time.

On 25 December 2025 all of these chains were reported closed. Lisboa Secreta contradicts itself on Continente, saying first that stores would be open from 8:00 to 18:00 and then that they would stay closed, so treat Continente on 25 December as unconfirmed. Postal also says that stores inside shopping centres or in express formats can follow the mall’s schedule instead. For how the chains differ day to day, see our Portuguese supermarket guide.

Are shopping malls open on 25 December?

It depends on the mall. Lisboa Secreta reported that Amoreiras Shopping Center closed at 19:00 on 24 December 2025 and opened at noon on 25 December. Executive Digest reported on 26 December 2025 that some malls had closed on the 25th and returned to normal operation on the 26th, with hours varying by store. No sourced Christmas hours turned up for other Portuguese malls, so check the mall’s own website.

How do you find an open pharmacy on Christmas Day?

Portugal runs a rota of duty pharmacies (farmácias de serviço), so one is open in each area on holidays. Any closed pharmacy should post the nearest on-duty one on its door or window, as our healthcare guide also notes. You can also call Linha 1400. A July 2026 RFM report says it finds the nearest duty pharmacy and is available 24 hours a day, every day. Calls are free from 19:00 to 09:00, all weekend and on public holidays, and cost €0.10 per minute on weekdays between 09:00 and 19:00 (RFM).

What if you need a doctor on 25 December?

Call 112 for a life-threatening situation, such as chest pain, difficulty breathing, suspected stroke or heavy bleeding. Call SNS 24 on 808 24 24 24 for a problem that is not an emergency, such as fever, persistent cough or vomiting. SNS 24 assesses your symptoms and directs you to the right level of care (SNS 24). The SNS page lists the clinical line as open 24 hours a day, every day (SNS). Have your SNS user number, name and date of birth to hand.

Do trains and public transport run at Christmas?

They run on adjusted timetables. CP warned in 2023 of adjustments on 24 and 25 December and on 31 December and 1 January, with trains suppressed across Intercidades, Alfa Pendular, international, regional and urban services (24 Notícias). CP publishes the lists as PDFs on cp.pt, split by service, and the 2026 version had not been published when this guide was checked. Check the list for your train before you book.

For city transport in 2025, Metro do Porto ended its 24 December service around 20:00, with last departures between 19:30 and 20:10. On 25 December it started at 08:30 from Póvoa de Varzim and 09:00 elsewhere. STCP ran a Saturday timetable until 18:30 on 24 December, the tram stopped at 17:30, and buses used the Sunday and holiday timetable on 25 December (Time Out Porto). On 26 December 2025, Lisbon’s metro was back on regular hours, according to Executive Digest. Our Christmas in Lisbon and Christmas in Porto guides keep tables of the metro and bus hours. No sourced Christmas information was found for long-distance coaches or airports.

Are museums and monuments open on 25 December?

Usually not for the state network. Echo Boomer reported in December 2025 that venues run by Museus e Monumentos de Portugal (MMP) are usually closed on 25 December and 1 January. In 2025 they also closed on 24 and 31 December after the government’s tolerância de ponto, and tickets for those days could be exchanged or refunded (Echo Boomer). Património Cultural sites closed on 24, 26 and 31 December that year. In 2024 MMP also closed on 24 and 31 December (DN). Private museums and attractions set their own hours.

What about public services and tolerância de ponto?

Tolerância de ponto is a day off for state workers that the government grants by order. In 2025 it covered 24, 26 and 31 December. The order was signed on 18 December 2025, and services that had to stay open for public-interest reasons were excepted (portugal.gov.pt). The 2026 decision was not announced as of 11 November 2026.

The effect showed on 26 December 2025. Executive Digest reported that AIMA counters, Lojas do Cidadão, tax offices, Social Security offices, banks and post offices were closed, with offices reopening on Monday 29 December. In 2026, 26 December falls on a Saturday, so the office effect should be smaller, though that is an inference and not an announcement.

What can you do on Christmas Day itself?

Time Out Portugal listed these options for 25 December 2025:

• Oceanário de Lisboa, 11:00 to 20:00, last entry at 19:00, tickets €17 to €31.
• Jardim Zoológico de Lisboa, 10:00 to 18:00, ticket offices closing at 17:15, tickets €17.58 to €20.43. The listing’s day label was inconsistent, so confirm before you go.
• The Venetian carousel in Cascais Bay, free, 12:00 to 14:00.

(Time Out Lisboa)

For lunch, Time Out’s 2025 restaurant list named Baraa Kitchen in Sete Rios, open for lunch only from 12:00 to 15:00, and Tasca da Memória in Ajuda, serving 12:30 to 16:00 at €50 a person with drinks included (Time Out). Book ahead and call to confirm, since these are last year’s details. Midnight Mass (Missa do Galo) times for 2026 could not be verified, so ask the church directly.

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What changes on 31 December and 1 January?

The same logic applies. Thursday 31 December 2026 was not covered by any announced closure as of 11 November 2026, and Friday 1 January 2027 is a mandatory holiday. MMP venues were closed on 31 December and 1 January in 2025. The New Year’s Eve in Portugal guide has transport, fireworks and 1 January closures.