Portuguese public holidays in 2026

When you live in Portugal, you’ll want to know when Portuguese public holidays (feriado público) are. Not only are they great for immersing yourself in local culture, but you can also use the time off to visit family and friends.

For travelers and expats, holidays also require some financial planning. Whether you’re budgeting for festival attendance, purchasing gifts, or planning getaways, managing your money across borders can be challenging. Using services like Wise can offer competitive exchange rates and transparent fees for currency conversion.

Here’s what you need to know:

Overview of Portuguese public holidays

As a Catholic country, most public holidays in Portugal are religious. Many include festivals and parades honoring a saint or a bible story, while others include Christian celebrations, such as Christmas.

Most stores close for the whole day on public holidays, even in big cities. Furthermore, public transport and other services reduce their schedules.

Many of the public holidays are national, although some are only celebrated in certain regions. If you’re planning to attend these celebrations, it’s worth preparing financially, especially if you’re traveling from abroad. Using the Wise account to convert your currency at the mid-market exchange rate can help you avoid the inflated tourist rates often found at airport kiosks and local exchange offices during busy holiday periods.

Unfortunately, each holiday is celebrated on the day itself. So, if it takes place on a Sunday, then the next Monday is not a day off.

When are the Portuguese public holidays in 2026?

Portugal celebrates these holidays nationwide:

Date	Weekday	Holiday
1 January 2026	Thu	New Year’s Day
3 April 2026	Fri	Good Friday
5 April 2026	Sun	Easter Sunday
25 April 2026	Sat	Liberty Day
1 May 2026	Fri	Labor Day
10 June 2026	Wed	Portugal Day
4 June 2026	Fri	Corpus Christi
15 August 2026	Sat	Assumption of Mary
5 October 2026	Mon	Republic Day
1 November 2026	Sun	All Saints’ Day
1 December 2026	Tue	Restoration of Independence
8 December 2026	Tue	Feast of the Immaculate Conception
25 December 2026	Fri	Christmas Day

Local holidays in 2026

These holidays are only observed in certain Portuguese regions:

Date	Weekday	Holiday	Where celebrated
2 April 2026	Thu	Madeira’s Autonomy Day	Madeira
20 May 2026	Wed	Azores Day	Azores
1 July 2026	Wed	Madeira Day	Madeira
26 December 2026	Sat	Boxing Day	Madeira

Local (municipal) holidays in 2026

Often, Portuguese municipalities have a local holiday (Feriado Municipal or Dia do Concelho) that they celebrate. These frequently relate to patron saints or important historical dates.

The list below includes many of these local holidays, but not all (Portugal has 308 municipalities). It’s recommended you check with your municipality to find out any concrete dates.

Date	Weekday	Holiday	Where celebrated
19 March 2026	Thu	Saint Joseph’s Day	Santarém
21 April 2026 (annually on the third Tuesday after Easter)	Tue	Start of the pilgrimage of Our Lady of Mércoles	Castelo Branco
12 May 2026	Tue	Saint Joana’s Day	Aveiro
11 May 2026 (annually on the Monday after the fifth Sunday after Easter)	Mon	Day of the Patron Saint	Ponta Delgada
15 May 2026	Fri	Day the town was established	Caldas da Rainha
22 May 2026	Fri	Leiria Day	Leiria
13 June 2026	Sat	Saint Anthony’s Day	Lisbon and Vila Real
24 June 2026	Wed	Saint John’s Day	Braga, Guimarães, and Porto
29 June 2026	Mon	Saint Peter’s Day	Évora
4 July 2026	Sat	Saint Elizabeth’s Day	Coimbra
20 August 2026	Thu	Festival of Our Lady in Sorrow	Viana do Castelo
21 August 2026	Fri	Funchal City Day	Funchal
7 September 2026	Mon	Faro Day	Faro
11 November 2026	Wed	Saint Martin’s Day	Penafiel

Other important dates in 2026

Alongside national and local holidays, you may want to make note of these other prominent dates in Portugal:

Date	Weekday	Occasion
17 February 2026	Tue	Carnival Tuesday
19 March 2026	Thu	Father’s Day
3 May 2026	Sun	Mother’s Day
31 December 2026	Thu	New Year’s Eve

When are the Portuguese public holidays in 2027?

Date	Weekday	Holiday
1 January 2027	Fri	New Year’s Day
26 March 2027	Fri	Good Friday
28 March 2027	Sun	Easter Sunday
25 April 2027	Sun	Liberty Day
1 May 2027	Sat	Labor Day
27 May 2027	Fri	Corpus Christi
10 June 2027	Thu	Portugal Day
15 August 2027	Sun	Assumption of Mary
5 October 2027	Tue	Republic Day
1 November 2027	Mon	All Saints’ Day
1 December 2027	Wed	Restoration of Independence
8 December 2027	Wed	Feast of the Immaculate Conception
25 December 2027	Sat	Christmas Day

Local holidays in 2027

These holidays are only celebrated in certain Portuguese regions:

Date	Weekday	Holiday	Where celebrated
2 April 2027	Fri	Madeira’s Autonomy Day	Madeira
20 May 2027	Thu	Azores Day	Azores
1 July 2027	Thu	Madeira Day	Madeira
26 December 2027	Sun	Boxing Day	Madeira

Local (municipal) holidays in 2027

Date	Weekday	Holiday	Where celebrated
19 March 2027	Fri	Saint Joseph’s Day	Santarém
13 April 2027 (annually on the third Tuesday after Easter)	Tue	Start of the pilgrimage of Our Lady of Mércoles	Castelo Branco
11 May 2027 (annually on the Monday after the fifth Sunday after Easter)	Mon	Day of the Patron Saint	Ponta Delgada
12 May 2027	Wed	Saint Joana’s Day	Aveiro
15 May 2027	Sat	Day the town was established	Caldas da Rainha
22 May 2027	Sat	Leiria Day	Leiria
13 June 2027	Sun	Saint Anthony’s Day	Lisbon and Vila Real
24 June 2027	Thu	Saint John’s Day	Braga, Guimarães, and Porto
29 June 2027	Tue	Saint Peter’s Day	Évora
4 July 2027	Sun	Saint Elizabeth’s Day	Coimbra
20 August 2027	Fri	Festival of Our Lady in Sorrow	Viana do Castelo
21 August 2027	Sat	Funchal City Day	Funchal
7 September 2027	Tue	Faro Day	Faro
11 November 2027	Thu	Saint Martin’s Day	Penafiel

Other important dates in 2027

Alongside national and local holidays, you may want to make note of these other prominent dates in Portugal:

Date	Weekday	Occasion
9 February 2027	Tue	Carnival Tuesday
19 March 2027	Fri	Father’s Day
2 May 2027	Sun	Mother’s Day
31 December 2027	Fri	New Year’s Eve

When were the Portuguese public holidays in 2025?

Date	Weekday	Holiday
1 January 2025	Mon	New Year’s Day
18 April 2025	Fri	Good Friday
20 April 2025	Sun	Easter Sunday
25 April 2025	Fri	Liberty Day
1 May 2025	Thu	Labor Day
19 June 2025	Fri	Corpus Christi
10 June 2025	Tue	Portugal Day
15 August 2025	Fri	Assumption of Mary
5 October 2025	Sun	Republic Day
1 November 2025	Sat	All Saints’ Day
1 December 2025	Sat	Restoration of Independence
8 December 2025	Mon	Feast of the Immaculate Conception
25 December 2025	Thu	Christmas Day

Local holidays in 2025

Date	Weekday	Holiday	Where celebrated
2 April 2025	Wed	Madeira’s Autonomy Day	Madeira
20 May 2025	Tue	Azores Day	Azores
1 July 2025	Tue	Madeira Day	Madeira
26 December 2025	Fri	Boxing Day	Madeira

Local (municipal) holidays in 2025

Date	Weekday	Holiday	Where celebrated
19 March 2025	Wed	Saint Joseph’s Day	Santarém
6 May 2025 (annually on the third Tuesday after Easter)	Tue	Start of the pilgrimage of Our Lady of Mércoles	Castelo Branco
26 May 2025 (annually on the Monday after the fifth Sunday after Easter)	Mon	Day of the Patron Saint	Ponta Delgada
12 May 2025	Mon	Saint Joana’s Day	Aveiro
15 May 2025	Thu	Day the town was established	Caldas da Rainha
22 May 2025	Thu	Leiria Day	Leiria
13 June 2025	Fri	Saint Anthony’s Day	Lisbon and Vila Real
24 June 2025	Tue	Saint John’s Day	Braga, Guimarães, and Porto
29 June 2025	Sun	Saint Peter’s Day	Évora
4 July 2025	Fri	Saint Elizabeth’s Day	Coimbra
20 August 2025	Wed	Festival of Our Lady in Sorrow	Viana do Castelo
21 August 2025	Thu	Funchal City Day	Funchal
7 September 2025	Sun	Faro Day	Faro
11 November 2025	Tue	Saint Martin’s Day	Penafiel

Other important dates in 2025

Date	Weekday	Occasion
4 March 2025	Tue	Carnival Tuesday
19 March 2025	Wed	Father’s Day
4 May 2025	Sun	Mother’s Day
31 December 2025	Wed	New Year’s Eve

When are the school holidays in Portugal?

Both Portuguese and international schools in Portugal have their own vacation schedule. Some of these days off overlap with national celebrations. However, this is not always the case.

If you want to know more about school term times, visit our article on school holidays in Portugal.

Practical tips for Portuguese holiday travel

Transportation During Holidays

Public transportation in Portugal often operates on reduced schedules during holidays. In major cities like Lisbon and Porto, some metro and bus services may run less frequently, while intercity trains might require advance booking. If you’re planning to travel between cities during a holiday period, consider booking tickets several weeks in advance.

Accommodation Considerations

Holiday periods, especially around Christmas, Easter, and summer festivals, are peak tourist seasons in Portugal. Hotels and vacation rentals in popular destinations can fill up quickly and command premium prices. Consider booking accommodations 3-6 months ahead for the best rates and availability.

Managing Your Money

Proper financial planning ensures a Portuguese trip without stress. With Wise, you’ll get euros at the mid-market exchange rate, and you can use the Wise card to spend and make cash withdrawals in Portugal. While it’s wise to have some cash on hand since local vendors often prefer it, you’ll find that card payments are increasingly accepted throughout Portugal.

Conclusion

Portuguese holidays offer a rich opportunity to experience the country’s culture, traditions, and hospitality. By planning ahead—knowing both national and local holiday dates, understanding transportation limitations, and preparing financially—you can fully immerse yourself in these special celebrations.

For international visitors and expats, smart money management is a key part of holiday planning. Setting up a Wise account before traveling to Portugal gives you access to competitive currency exchange rates, and a debit card to spend. This financial preparation allows you to focus on what really matters—enjoying Portugal’s vibrant holiday traditions and creating lasting memories.