Portugal's first near total eclipse in 114 years

On Wednesday evening, the sky over Portugal is going to do something it has not done in more than a century. It's Sunday, 9 August. Thirty-one degrees. Air quality: 30 (Good). Here's what you need to know.

🌒 TOP STORY

PORTUGAL'S FIRST TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE IN OVER A CENTURY ARRIVES ON WEDNESDAY

On Wednesday, 12 August, a total solar eclipse will cross the far north of Portugal, the first time totality has touched Portuguese soil since 1912. For the rest of the country, Lisbon included, it will be a deep partial eclipse, but a striking one, with the moon swallowing most of the sun as it sinks low over the Atlantic at the end of the day.

True totality clips only the remote northeast, around Bragança and the Montesinho hills, with the very centre of the path falling just across the border in Spain. Everywhere else sees a partial eclipse that deepens the further north you go, reaching around 98 percent in Porto and about 94 percent in Lisbon.

In Lisbon, the partial eclipse begins at roughly 6:35 in the evening, reaches its maximum at about 7:35, when some 94 percent of the sun is hidden, and finishes around 8:30, with the sun sitting low in the western sky over the sea. At 94 percent the sky will not go fully dark, but the light will dim and turn oddly silvery, shadows will sharpen, and the air may cool noticeably.

Because the sun will be low in the west, the trick is an open western horizon. West-facing viewpoints such as Senhora do Monte in Graça, the riverfront along the Tagus, and the Atlantic beaches at Cascais and Costa da Caparica all work well. Low cloud or haze sitting on the horizon is the one thing that could spoil it, so a clear line out to the water is worth seeking out.

Now the serious part. You must wear certified eclipse glasses, the ones marked ISO 12312-2, for the entire time, even at maximum and even as the sun nears the horizon. Ordinary sunglasses offer no protection, and nor do improvised filters like smoked glass, camera film or CDs. Glasses have been selling out across the country this week, so if you cannot find a pair, a pinhole projector, a small hole punched in card that casts the crescent sun onto a surface, is a safe and free way to watch. Never look straight at the sun without proper protection, no matter how much of it is covered.

There is a bonus, too. The same night brings the peak of the Perseid meteor shower, and because the eclipse falls on a new moon, the sky stays genuinely dark once the sun is down, which is close to perfect for catching shooting stars away from the city glow.

What this means for you: if you want to see it, Wednesday evening is the moment. Track down certified glasses now while there are still some about, pick a spot with a clear view to the west, and be in place by about seven.

Bottom line: totality will not return to Portuguese soil for generations, and Lisbon gets a front-row seat to a deep partial low over the water. Get the glasses, find a western view, and look up on Wednesday.

⚡ QUICK HITS

Drivers get a break next week, as fuel prices are set to fall sharply. According to the motoring body ACP (Automóvel Club de Portugal), diesel should drop by around 12 cents to an average of €1.93 a litre in the week of 10 to 16 August, while petrol falls about 12.5 cents to roughly €1.86. After weeks of rises that pushed both fuels above two euros a litre, they now slip back under. As always, it is a forecast, and the exact price varies from station to station.

A new private video-doctor service is expanding across Portugal. UrgentDoc.eu, a digital health platform that launched first in Spain, is rolling out nationwide with round-the-clock video consultations and instant electronic prescriptions. It is currently signing up doctors registered with the Ordem dos Médicos, the Portuguese medical association, so that the prescriptions it issues are valid at local pharmacies, a gap that catches out many newcomers and visitors, since prescriptions from non-European Union doctors are not accepted here. Worth knowing that it is a paid, private service rather than part of the public health system.

Portugal is now Europe's second-largest shoemaker. The World Footwear Handbook 2026 has confirmed that Portugal has overtaken Spain to become the continent's second-biggest footwear producer, behind only Italy. Around 93 percent of the shoes made here last year were exported, reaching customers in 174 countries, and while exports dipped a little in early 2026, the fall was gentler than those seen in Spain, China or Turkey. Not bad for a country this size.

Practice Portuguese — The Learning Platform That Actually Teaches the Portuguese You Hear

Most language apps teach Brazilian Portuguese. This one doesn't. Practice Portuguese is 100% European Portuguese, built by Rui (from Portugal) and Joel (from Canada, who moved here over a decade ago and couldn't find a single decent resource for learning the language people actually speak in Lisbon).

The platform covers complete beginner through to advanced (A1 to B2) with a structured path of over 100 units. But the reason it works for expats living here is the content around the lessons: hundreds of audio and video episodes recorded by native Portuguese speakers, with synced translations, filterable by level and topic. Grammar guides written by people who know exactly where English speakers get stuck. A verb conjugation trainer for the moments when you can't remember whether it's "estive" or "estava." Personalised flashcards that adapt to how you're actually performing. And a members forum where you can ask the questions your Portuguese teacher never had the time for.

The whole thing is self-paced, available on web and app, and built by a team that combines native speakers who know the language inside out with learners who remember what it felt like not to.

Special offer for The Lisbon Letter readers: 60% off your first month.

→ Start learning European Portuguese with 60% off

We only partner with businesses we think genuinely help our community. If this is useful to you, or if you know someone still stuck at "bom dia," every click and every share goes a long way to keeping this newsletter free every morning.

🍽️ SPOT OF THE DAY

A NOSSA CASA (BAIRRO ALTO)

The name means "our home," and that is the whole idea. A Nossa Casa is a tiny, family-run restaurant on Rua da Atalaia in Bairro Alto, a handful of tables run with the warmth of someone cooking for friends rather than customers. The team walk you through the menu in whatever language you speak, and the evening feels closer to a dinner party than a night out.

The food is Portuguese with a Brazilian streak, built for sharing and shifting with whatever is good at the market that week. Pork cheeks, grilled octopus and cod come round often, plated with more care than the modest room lets on, and the wine and cocktails get the same thought. Prices are fair for the quality, which is part of why the place is full most nights.

Worth knowing before you go: it is small and very popular, so this is not a walk-in. Book a few days ahead, more at the weekend. There is now a second room across the street, which improves your odds of getting a table.

→ See the menu and book here ←

Insider tip: the menu shifts with the market and the team know it inside out, so tell them what you like and let them steer, plates arrive as staggered courses to share rather than all at once. Trust the wine list to them too, it is all Portuguese and they pair it well.

📅 WHAT'S ON

See you tomorrow morning.

Reach Lisbon's English-speaking community, every morning. Advertise.