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Best time to visit Portugal

The best time to visit Portugal is spring season which starts in February to find hills bedecked in seasonal flowers and almond groves awash with pretty pink blossom. Of course, autumn is another best time to visit Portugal, especially for walkers and cyclists, as temperatures are still warm but crowds are a lot less.

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Best time to visit Portugal

Portugal has some of the longest year-round sunshine hours in Europe – just be wary of high inland summer temperatures.

With the center and south getting 3,200 sunshine hours per year there's no best time to visit Portugal. In summer, inland Alentejo hits 40°C but coasts are cooler. Spring and autumn averages around 20°C. May brings wildflowers, while autumn has glorious colour plus harvest bounty. Even midwinter sees 4-6 hours of sun, albeit with occasional morning frost. In February, almond blossom lights up the Alentejo and Algarve. Snow-lovers, meanwhile, should head for the Serra de Estrela, snowcapped from October to May.

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Faro, Algarve Weather Chart

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Our Portugal Vacations

Portugal, Month by month

Head to Portugal at the start of the year, in January or February, and you’ll find not only wetter and colder days but also spring like blossom juxtaposed against, often, clear blue skies. 6th January is when the Three Wise Men arrive - known as Dia de Reis - when crown-shaped cakes are eaten. Look out for the lucky bean inside...

With strong ties to Brazil, Carnival is also celebrated, particularly in Lisbon and the Algarve. With fewer formal parades than its South American counterpart, but plenty of street parties and fancy dress.

North of Lisbon, in particular, experiences the worst of the weather but this is still only relative as temperatures are never freezing unless you’re heading to the higher plains of the Serra de Estrela where snow lasts into March and April.

May and June finds temperatures rising and rains ceasing across the country with inland areas still accessible for activity makers although getting hotter around the middle of the day. June sees local festivals across the country - with two of the biggest being the days of Santo António (12–13th) and São João (23–24th). Each city and town celebrates in its own way, but bonfires and grilled sardines are common features of each.

July and August are busy times of year in Portugal with beaches and seaside resorts around the Algarve and Troia peninsula often rammed whilst cities offer quieter alternatives with alfresco dining lasting well into the warm summer evenings. There are always plenty of beaches to go round here though - head away from the towns and onto wild, windswept suns to find space far away from the summer crowds.

September and October often represent the best time to go to southern Portugal as sea temperatures are still warm and beaches are a lot less crowded as day to day life along the coast gets back to normal.

November and December signal the start of Portugal’s rainy season although there’s still plenty of space in between showers to make the most of the relative warmth and sporadic sunshine. There's nothing like a spot of Christmas shopping in Lisbon, with festive decorations glinting, surreally, in the sunshine beneath a cloudless sky.

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Inge Keizer, owner of our supplier Quinta Alfarrobeira, shares the best time to visit Portugal – especially the Algarve hinterland: “With small children avoid the hot and busy summer months of July and August. May and June, plus September and October are wonderful, and the sea is often warmer then. Winter can be wonderful in the Algarve: crisp blue skies, sun, almond trees in blossom. After sunset the temperature drops (we can go from 24º to 5º) – but then you light the fire and drink a glass of nice Portuguese wine!”

Andrew Winter from supplier Vale de Moses tells us the best time to visit Portugal, especially the central inland region where his tranquil retreat nestles in the foothills of the Serra de Estrela:
“The time to visit the central regions is April, May and June when wild spring flowers are at their best. July, August and September are much hotter - in the high 30 degrees - but fresh and cool at night and early mornings in higher mountain areas.”

Festivals & events in Portugal

Carnival!

Can't get to Rio? Portugal's February festivities offer historic tradition as well as spangly thongs. Alongside pork-led feasting, different regions add distinctive spins. The Algarve goes in for egg-throwing, while in northern Portugal – most famously, Lazarim – wood-masked locals (caretos) indulge in street japery before the burning of giant Godfather and Godmother figures linked to ancient fertility rites.

More about Portugal

Portugal travel guide

Our Portugal travel guide will point you in the right direction when it comes to what we rate and what we don't as well as offering a fair bit of insider info regarding the best beaches, walking and cycling trails, and a brief history of Portugal, warts and all.

Portugal Map & highlights

From Porto in the north to Lagos in the south, with Lisbon and the Sintra-Cascais National Park in between, making the most of your time in Portugal should always start with a map and highlights as this page goes to prove.

Things to do in Portugal

There's no getting away from Portugal's wild and woolly coastline which is why things to do in Portugal usually start and finish with a day spent surfing, sunning or simply staring at the beach.

Yoga vacations in Portugal

There's just something about the warm weather and peaceful countryside that sets yoga vacations in Portugal aside from the rest of the pack with no end of additional activities and well-being therapies also helping to create an experience that's as spiritually inspirational as effortlessly relaxing.

Things to see & do in Sintra

Sintra, a fairytale tapestry of ancient castles, palaces and grand estates set into the wooded hills of the ‘Portuguese Riviera’ is the most popular day-trip from Lisbon.

Things to see & do in Alentejo

Vacations in Alentejo introduce you to one of Europe’s last remaining unspoilt landscapes.

Things to see & do in the Algarve

Whether you want a more active vacation, or a peaceful few days hanging around the pool with the family, Portugal’s famously sunny Algarve region fits the bill.

Things to see & do in the Azores

1,500km off the coast of Portugal, the Azores is a volcanic archipelago that’s all about the scenery and cetaceans.

Cycling in Portugal

We give Portugal an ‘A’ for cycling vacations: Algarve, Azores, Alentejo, Atlantic Coast – an incredible diversity of scenery.

Things to see & do in Lisbon

The Monument to the Discoveries, representing iconic figures of Portugal’s ‘Age of Discovery’, is among the most famous landmarks in Lisbon.

Things to see & do in Madeira

For such a small island Madeira boasts a stunning range of landscapes from volcanic lava pools to vineyards, emerald green forests, rivers and offshore reefs.

Walking vacations in Portugal

Walking vacations in Portugal introduce you to magnificent coastal and countryside routes, many of which can be approached at any time of year.

Portugal with kids

Finding the right beach is essential for anyone traveling to Portugal with kids as wave sense equals freedom to let little ones run wild amongst the surf and sand along the Atlantic coast.

Portugal travel advice

Portugal travel advice should always start with a few tidbits from friendly folks that we know and trust which is why this page is devoted to tips on how to eat, live and love like a local as well as a handy health & safety section to help you travel with confidence along Portugal's Atlantic coast.

Responsible tourism in Portugal

Hard times across the globe haven't helped Portugal's fragile economy although the responsible tourism industry in Portugal is doing its level best to entice travelers away from the resorts of the Algarve as well as encouraging travel outside of peak seasons and into the country's rural landscapes.