“Everyone talks about the weather, but no-one does anything about it.” Mark Twain
We are often asked ‘When’s the best time to visit the Algarve?’ – closely followed by ‘What’s the weather like?’
Having experienced every month of the year here, we thought it might be fun to give you an idea of what you can expect – with some hints about the weather and what to pack if you are coming here on holiday!
So here goes, let’s start with Spring, which can be a very nice time of year to visit the Algarve:
You may need to pack a sweater or warm coat for the evening, but during the day you can enjoy some lovely balmy temperatures – even in February! 17 to 20 degrees – sometimes even slightly hotter during the day – and it’s often 8 or 9 degrees in the evening. The oranges are at their best – straight from the roadside and from March onwards you can see the beautiful flowers come to life all over the cliffs and paths – why not head to the West Coast for some really dramatic displays?
You can also enjoy some fantastic blue skies and seas – again this is the West Coast for you in all its finery in February – truly stunning:
April is an interesting month out here – it usually coincides with the Easter holidays from school – which pushes the prices up for accommodation – but we have often found it to be a rainy month! Certainly at best it can be unpredictable – you might need to pack a raincoat, but equally you’ll need some T-shirts – and even some shorts! It’s that kind of a month…
You can still find plenty of room on the beaches though – and the cliff top walks are wonderful now:
May / June are often some of the nicest months out here – it can easily reach the mid 20′s during the day – no need for that coat anymore – and of course if you are lucky you can also spot the White Stork families emerging:
You’ll find the restaurants still nice and quiet, and you can enjoy the dappled sunshine without feeling too hot:
And then we get to July and August! The weather really hots up now – we have known it to reach 40 degrees in the peak of August – it’s rarely below 28 – and be warned – it stays hot at night too! At 11pm one night in August we noticed it was still 29 degrees – ouch!
The summer months are full of events, festivals and exhibitions for you to enjoy – the Algarve certainly comes to life in the summer – regular readers of this blog will know how much we love the Medieval Festival at Silves – you can read more about it here Medieval Enchantment and you can also catch the Sardine Festival at Portimão and lots of concerts and fairs – My Destination Algarve has a great events page to check up on what is happening
It also gets very busy out here too! I have to admit we tend to stay away from the ‘touristy’ places in August – if you know where to go you can still find a beach with some space on it – but if you pick a major resort it is going to look like this:
If you don’t have to visit during the ‘peak season’ then September is a fabulous month to come to the Algarve – the weather is still hot – often 26 – 28 degrees (or sometimes higher!) and the evenings are not quite as hot – but still lovely and warm.
You can find space on the beach, and tables free in the restaurants – and the pace of life seems to have slowed down a bit too – perfect for late afternoon strolls in the sunshine:
From October and into November you are risking the weather a bit more – especially in November which can be quite a rainy month! The temperature starts to drop in the evening – jumpers please! Roasting chestnuts and local markets abound – you can read more about them here: Chestnuts, Peppers and Wellington Boots
But you are also likely to witness some of the most amazing skies and sunsets of the year – and some lovely sunshine too!
December is a magical time on the Algarve – especially Christmas and the New Year – you can read more about it here The 12 days of Christmas – Portuguese Style None of those fights in the aisle for the turkey and stuffing, or January sales that start in December – just a gentle and peaceful time – with amazingly empty beaches, crashing waves and often bright blue skies with temperatures that can even reach 18 or higher during the day:
The one thing that the guide books will gloss over though is just how cold it can get at night – once the sun drops you’ll notice the difference – only + 3 or 4 degrees at night will get you reaching for the blankets, heating system and a hot water bottle at night!
But if you can stay for New Year’s Eve you will really enjoy yourself – the Portuguese like to party and they love their fireworks:
And what can be better than wrapping up and heading off to a deserted beach on New Year’s Day for a walk – and the first ice-cream of the year? (well – why not?!)
If you have enjoyed this post then you may also enjoy our Places to Go page with lots of ideas on where to explore – and our 7 Day Holiday Guide to the Algarve might be a good place to start planning your next Algarve holiday – hope to see you here one day!
Spectacular post! Would you mind if I wrote one like this but on Sardinia? I would gladly link back to your post here.
ooh no that would be lovely! it would be nice to compare….
I love the new year ice cream. A tradition well worth establishing
ah yes indeed!! shall we compare notes next Jan 1st then?!!!
Beats grapes – I’m in!
Very informative post. If I were given the chance to visit I have a lot of information to go by. Thanks for taking the time to explain.
BE ENCOURAGED! BE BLESSED!
you’re welcome!
ps I do like your positive message at the end of your comments – thank you (blessings few and far between these days!)
Our next door neighbour sold up recently, Aly, so we’ve been bequeathed an electric blanket for those chilly nights. Couldn’t believe how warm it still was at night this week, but I’m sure it’s set to change. You MUST be needing some rain. We have a little to spare if you could use any?
oooh no thanks re the rain! I’m sure the farmers would love some though!
what an amusing thing to have been ‘bequeathed’ !!
So many wonderful things to see all during the year (stork families, festivals, cliff-top walks), which all makes it hard to decide when to visit. I guess the only solution is to make several trips at different times of year. Thank you for such an informative post and lovely pics.
yes – or just move here!
Now that’s a tantalizing thought
And someone hasn’t tapped you to do paid travel advertisements? What’s wrong with them! I’m not much of a traveler, for many reasons, but I would be so tempted to come your way. You have shared so many lovely reasons why!
Debra
ah thanks Debra! no – not paid at all! (which means I can tell it how it is!!)
at least you can ‘travel’ here from your armchair just by reading the blog!
So what I get from this is, so long as you don’t mind the odd rain shower, there’s no wrong time to visit the Algarve
yep!
Great tips about when to visit!! Thanks for sharing.
you’re welcome!
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Beautiful land, beautiful photos! The Christmas holidays sound wonderful. Peaceful? Sounds wonderful…
ah yes – there is much about the UK Christmas season that is so frantic and pressured – give me a walk on a sunny beach any day!
how busy does your Christmas get?!
It has gotten less busy, for we are senior citizens now. However, the season is so long. I’ve thought a lot about why this is so. For example, in the U.S., the Hallmark Television channel runs Christmas movies from the first weekend in November through Christmas.
As a child, I celebrated Advent, which is a season of anticipation; however this one-long holiday is too much. Of course it is promoted by companies that want to sell us things, but I think the length of the season may also have to do with escapism; that this world is so complicated and frightening that we want a perpetual imaginary holiday from it, for as long as we can.
I like to imagine you and your husband celebrating with all the fun and frills, but a holiday (holy day) that is shorter, more rational, and more spiritual in Portugal.
Maria
you are spot on re our holiday here – much simpler and more meaningful! and hopefully with some sunshine too!
it’s when you start seeing Christmas food and gifts in the shops in the first week of September that I start to growl – if it’s a box of mince pies then they will be out of date by October ….!??
and I worry for people that get into debt and have huge credit cards bills in January … that’s SO not what it should be about!
Very true!
:0)
Fabulous photos. What a lovely holiday destination, for sure.
thank you! yes it is a very beautiful place
Beautiful. Thanks for reading my blog-I will follow yours and invite you to follow my blog as well, best wishes, beebeesworld
thank you – glad you like it – off to explore your world too!