The jacarandas are starting to bloom. Here's where to find them.

Good morning, Lisbon. It's Tuesday, 12 May. Twenty-one degrees and sunny. Look up today. The jacarandas are starting.

🌬️ AIR QUALITY: 22 (Good).

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THE JACARANDAS ARE BLOOMING. HERE'S WHERE TO FIND THEM.

If you have lived in Lisbon for a summer, you know what is about to happen. If you haven't, you are about to understand why people plan trips around it.

Sometime this week, depending on which street you walk down and how much sun it has had, you will notice the first clusters of purple-blue flowers appearing on bare branches above your head. Within two weeks, entire avenues will be covered. The petals will fall and carpet the pavements, the parked cars, and the cobblestones in a colour that looks like it was invented for this city. This is jacaranda season in Lisbon, and it is one of the most beautiful things that happens here on a predictable schedule.

There are an estimated 40,000 to 70,000 jacaranda trees across the city. The species is Jacaranda mimosifolia, native to Argentina, Bolivia, and Paraguay. The first seeds arrived in Lisbon from Brazil in the early 19th century, brought by the botanist Félix de Avelar Brotero, who was then director of the Ajuda Botanical Garden. He planted them in the garden, acclimatised them, and then did something generous: he gave seeds away for free to anyone who wanted to plant one. Two centuries later, the result is a city that turns purple every May.

The bloom typically starts mid-May and peaks in late May to early June. Individual trees show their best colour for about two to three weeks. The whole display lasts roughly four to six weeks before the petals have all fallen and the leaves come in. Warm springs trigger earlier blooming. Cooler temperatures delay it. By late June, the "purple rain" of falling petals is the final act.

Where to go. The best jacaranda streets in Lisbon, in rough order of how spectacular they get:

Avenida Dom Carlos I (from the Assembleia da República down toward Santos). The most concentrated jacaranda stretch in the city. At peak bloom, the fallen petals look like coloured snow.

Rua da Escola Politécnica (from Príncipe Real toward Rato). Often blooms a few days before the rest of the city due to higher sun exposure on the ridge. If the other streets haven't peaked yet, start here.

Largo do Carmo (next to the Carmo Convent, Chiado). A small square with mature trees that frame the ruins beautifully.

Rossio Square (Baixa). The jacarandas around the square are among the most photographed in the city.

Parque Eduardo VII and the surrounding Alameda Edgar Cardoso. The purple canopy against the park's formal hedges is the contrast that works.

Avenida da Torre de Belém (heading toward the Tower). Jacarandas lining the approach to the tower with the Tagus behind them.

Jardim de São Pedro de Alcântara (Bairro Alto). A miradouro with jacaranda trees and a view across the city.

Ajuda Botanical Garden. The two original trees planted by Brotero are still alive here. They are reportedly the last in the city to bloom each year.

Bottom line: The next three weeks are peak jacaranda season. It costs nothing, it happens on your doorstep, and it is one of the things that makes living in Lisbon feel special.

⚡ QUICK HITS

The EU-Mercosur trade deal went live on May 1. The interim agreement provisionally applied from the first of the month, creating a trading zone of 700 million people after 25 years of negotiations. Tariffs were removed on 91% of exports between the two blocs on day one. EU car tariffs to Brazil dropped from 35% to 25%. Wine, olive oil, and chocolate face reduced duties. For Portugal, which was one of the strongest supporters of the deal and has deep trade ties with Brazil, the practical effects will show up in import prices and export access over the coming months.

Open House Lisbon happened this weekend. Over 70 buildings across the city opened their doors for free on Saturday and Sunday, including embassies, private palaces, modernist housing blocks, and government buildings. If you missed it, it runs annually and is one of the best free events in the city. Mark it for next year.

Portugal's exports have fallen. The latest trade data shows net external demand turned negative in Q1 as imports outpaced exports. The Iran war is pushing up input costs, the January storms disrupted the export-heavy central region, and the Bank of Portugal has already cut its 2026 growth forecast from 2.3% to 1.8%.

🍽️ SPOT OF THE DAY

MERCADO DE CAMPO DE OURIQUE

This is not a restaurant recommendation. It is something better.

Mercado de Campo de Ourique has been the centre of its neighbourhood since 1934. The building was renovated a few years ago and now operates as two markets in one: a traditional produce market around the edges, where fishmongers, butchers, fruit sellers, and spice vendors have been serving regulars for decades, and a modern food court in the centre, where a ring of small kitchens serves everything from petiscos and grilled fish to sushi, craft beer, and açaí bowls.

The produce section is the reason to come. The fish stalls sell what came in that morning. The fruit and vegetable vendors know their stock by farm. The spice stalls, reflecting the neighbourhood's African and Brazilian community, carry things you will not find in Pingo Doce. If you have been buying groceries from a supermarket since you moved to Lisbon and have been meaning to try a proper market, this is the one.

The food court is the reason to stay. Communal seating in the middle of the hall means you sit with whoever happens to be there. Order from whichever kitchen appeals, bring it back to the table, and do it again when you're ready for more. A lunch here runs €10 to €15 and can last as long as you let it.

Campo de Ourique itself is one of those Lisbon neighbourhoods that residents recommend and then regret recommending. It's flat, leafy, quiet, full of independent shops and cafes, and home to both Fernando Pessoa's last house and Amália Rodrigues' residence, now a museum. The Tram 28 stops right outside the market. If you take the tram from Baixa to its final stop at Prazeres Cemetery, have lunch at the market, and then ride it back, you've had one of the best afternoons in the city for under €20.

→ See why the neighbourhood keeps this market to itself ←

Rua Coelho da Rocha, Campo de Ourique. Traditional market: Monday to Saturday, 7am to 2pm. Food court keeps longer hours, typically until late evening. Tram 28 to the final stop (Prazeres). Free entry.

Insider tip: Go to the market side before noon on a Tuesday or Wednesday for the freshest fish and the shortest queue, then have lunch in the food court. Weekends are worth a visit too, just expect more competition for the communal tables and the best produce to go faster.

📅 WHAT'S ON

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See you tomorrow morning.