The Best Time to Visit Portugal, Month by Month

“When’s the best time to go?” Portugal is a genuine year-round destination, but each season gives you a very different trip. Here’s a month-by-month guide based on what our members (and those of us who live here) have learned.

Quick answer: May, June and September are the sweet spot: warm and sunny, with the sea warming up and fewer crowds than July and August. July and August are best for guaranteed beach weather, but they’re hot, busy and pricier. Winter is mild, quiet and cheap, perfect for city breaks.

Portugal through the year

Months	Weather	Crowds & prices	Best for
Dec–Feb	Mild days (around 14–17°C), some rain	Low (except Christmas & New Year)	City breaks, Algarve walks, Madeira
Mar–Apr	Warming up, spring flowers, showers	Rising at Easter	Sightseeing, hiking
May–Jun	Warm and sunny, sea still fresh	Medium	Everything, festivals
Jul–Aug	Hot, especially inland (often 30°C+)	Highest	Beaches, family holidays
Sep–Oct	Still warm, warmest sea	Medium, falling	Beaches, wine harvest
Nov	Cooler, rainier	Low	Cheap city breaks

The weather is different in each region

Portugal is small, but the climate changes a lot from north to south and from the coast to the interior. Pick your months with your route in mind.

• Porto and the north: the greenest and wettest part of the country. Porto gets roughly twice as much rain a year as Faro, most of it between October and April. Summers are warm rather than baking, and sea fog can roll in on the coast.
• Lisbon and the centre: mild winters, warm to hot summers and a breeze off the Atlantic. Sintra is often cooler and mistier than Lisbon, even on the same day.
• The Alentejo and the Douro: the interior heats up most. July and August often pass 35°C in Évora and the Douro Valley, so spring and autumn are far more comfortable there.
• The Algarve: the driest and sunniest region, with around 3,000 hours of sunshine a year. Winter days are often bright and pleasant for walking.

Month by month

January & February

Quiet, mild and good value. Expect sunny days mixed with rainy spells. In February the Algarve hills turn white and pink with almond blossom, and Carnival brings parades to towns like Loulé and Torres Vedras. Read our Portugal in winter guide.

Days are short (Lisbon sunsets are usually around 5:30pm in January), so plan sightseeing for the morning and save museums and long lunches for the afternoon. Carnival moves with Easter: in 2027 the main parade day, Shrove Tuesday, falls on 9 February. See Carnival in Portugal.

March & April

Spring arrives with wildflowers and longer days. Easter is busy with local holidaymakers and processions. Great for walking in Sintra, the Alentejo and the Algarve before the heat.

Easter Sunday is on 28 March in 2027, so expect Holy Week processions (Braga’s are the most famous) and busier hotels in the week before. Good Friday is a public holiday. 25 April, Freedom Day, is another holiday with free events in Lisbon. See Easter in Portugal.

May

One of the best months: warm days, green countryside and manageable crowds. The big Fátima pilgrimage on 13 May draws huge crowds to the town, so avoid it then unless you’re going for that reason.

Expect highs in the low to mid 20s°C in Lisbon and the Algarve. The sea is still cool, so it’s better for sunbathing than long swims. Madeira’s Flower Festival runs from late April or early May through most of May (29 April to 30 May in 2027).

June

Long, warm days and festival season. Lisbon celebrates Santo António (the big night is 12 June) with grilled sardines, music and street parties in Alfama and Graça. Porto’s São João on the night of 23 June is one of Europe’s best street parties, with fireworks and the tradition of tapping strangers on the head with plastic hammers. Book accommodation early for both.

Sunset in Lisbon is after 9pm around midsummer, so you get very long evenings. 10 June (Portugal Day) is a public holiday, and 13 June is a local holiday in Lisbon. See the Santo António festival and São João in Porto.

July & August

Peak season. Beach weather is guaranteed, but the Algarve is packed, prices peak, and cities and the interior can be very hot. Many Portuguese families take their holidays in August. Book everything ahead and start sightseeing early in the day.

This is also the season for big music festivals and village summer fairs. 15 August is a public holiday, and it’s the busiest weekend of the year on the roads and beaches. If you want summer without the crush, the west coast (Ericeira, the Costa Vicentina) is cooler and less crowded than the south coast.

September

Many members’ favourite month: the sea is at its warmest, the crowds thin out after the first week, and it’s harvest time in the Douro Valley. See our Douro wine tours.

On the Algarve’s south coast, the water usually reaches about 21–23°C in late summer, warm enough for long swims. The grape harvest normally runs from mid-September into early October, and some quintas let visitors join in.

October

Often still warm and sunny, especially in the south, with occasional autumn rain. A great month for a mix of beach and sightseeing. Another big Fátima pilgrimage falls on 13 October.

The clocks go back on the last Sunday of the month, so evenings shorten quickly. October also starts the big-wave season at Nazaré, which runs through the winter. See Nazaré’s big waves.

November & December

Cooler and rainier, but cheap and atmospheric. December brings Christmas lights and markets to Lisbon and Porto, and spectacular New Year’s Eve fireworks in Lisbon, Porto and especially Funchal on Madeira.

Around 11 November, Portugal celebrates São Martinho with roast chestnuts and young wine, and you’ll smell chestnut sellers on city streets. There are public holidays on 1 November, 1 December and 8 December, plus Christmas Day. See Christmas in Portugal.

Best time by trip type

• Beach holiday: late June to mid-September. See Algarve beaches.
• City break: spring, autumn or winter. See our Lisbon itinerary.
• Families: June or September for warm water without the August crush. See Portugal with kids.
• Hiking: spring and autumn. Summer is too hot inland.
• On a budget: November to March (outside the holidays).
• Surf and big waves: autumn and winter, especially at Nazaré.
• Road trip: April to June and September to October, when the countryside is green or golden and the interior is not too hot. See our Portugal road trip.

Festivals worth planning around

• Summer: music festivals near Lisbon and in the Alentejo, and village festas almost every weekend.
• August: the Festas da Senhora da Agonia in Viana do Castelo, with traditional costume and gold jewellery parades. See Viana do Castelo.
• December: Christmas villages and New Year’s Eve fireworks.

Our Portugal festivals calendar has the full list. Dates for Carnival, Easter and Corpus Christi change each year, so always check.

Good to know

• The Atlantic is cool even in summer, especially on the west coast. The south coast of the Algarve is warmest.
• Heatwaves and wildfire warnings can happen in July and August. Follow local advice.
• Some Algarve businesses close or cut hours in winter.
• Book popular sights ahead in summer, like Pena Palace and the Belém monuments.
• Some big museums are closed for long restoration work, including Lisbon’s National Tile Museum and National Museum of Ancient Art. Check before you build a rainy day around them.
• Public holidays mean closed shops and busier beaches and roads. See Portugal’s public holidays in 2027.

Planning your route? See our 10 days in Portugal itinerary and free trip checklist.

FAQ

What is the cheapest time to visit Portugal?

November to March is usually the cheapest time for hotels and flights, as long as you avoid Christmas, New Year, Carnival and Easter. Days are shorter, but Lisbon and the Algarve are often bright and mild.

What is the rainiest time of year?

Late autumn and winter, roughly November to February, bring the most rain, and Porto and the north get far more than the south. In the Algarve, December is usually the wettest month, and summers there are almost dry.

When is the sea warm enough to swim?

The Algarve’s south coast is warmest, usually about 21–23°C in late summer, so July to early October is best for long swims. The west coast stays cooler all year, so expect bracing water even in August.

Is October a good time to visit Portugal?

Yes. It’s often still warm and sunny, especially in the south, the sea is near its warmest, and crowds and prices drop. Pack a light jacket and an umbrella for the odd autumn shower.

Month by month

Detailed guides for every month: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. Or by season: spring, summer, autumn and winter.

See also: the best time to visit Lisbon, the best time to visit Porto, the best time to visit the Algarve, the best time to visit Madeira and what’s new in 2026.

Prices and details change, so please double-check before you travel. Spotted something out of date? Tell us in the groups.