Portugal›Month by month

When to go

Portugal, month by month

Where in Portugal is at its best each month, and where to skip. Each verdict comes from the place's stated best season and the closures, weather warnings and festivals Tourisma has for it: in the middle of the season is a great month, its first or last month a good one; a weather warning (monsoon seas, smoke) moves a month down, a closure (a park shut, the boats stopped) moves it down to mixed at most, and a shut place is better avoided.

Portugal in January

Plan January

At their best

No place is in the middle of its season this month.

Mixed: Aveiro, Braga & Guimarães, Cascais, Coimbra, Douro Valley, Évora, Faro, Fátima, Lagos, Lisbon, Óbidos, Porto, São Miguel (Ponta Delgada), Sintra.

Better avoided

  • Madeira (Funchal) · Wind at Madeira Airport; Atlantic Storms: Flights and Boats Cancelled
  • Nazaré · Giant Waves: Keep Off the North Beach

Can fall this month

  • Big-wave season in Nazaré

Portugal in February

Plan February

At their best

No place is in the middle of its season this month.

Mixed: Aveiro, Braga & Guimarães, Cascais, Coimbra, Douro Valley, Évora, Faro, Fátima, Lagos, Lisbon, Óbidos, Porto, São Miguel (Ponta Delgada), Sintra.

Better avoided

  • Madeira (Funchal) · Wind at Madeira Airport; Atlantic Storms: Flights and Boats Cancelled
  • Nazaré · Giant Waves: Keep Off the North Beach

Can fall this month

  • Carnival in Madeira (dates shift yearly)
  • Big-wave season in Nazaré

Portugal in March

Plan March

At their best

No place is in the middle of its season this month.

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Aveiro, Braga & Guimarães, Cascais, Douro Valley, Faro, Fátima, Lagos, Óbidos, Porto, São Miguel (Ponta Delgada), Sintra.

Better avoided

  • Madeira (Funchal) · Wind at Madeira Airport; Atlantic Storms: Flights and Boats Cancelled
  • Nazaré · Giant Waves: Keep Off the North Beach

Can fall this month

  • Holy Week in Braga (dates shift yearly)
  • Carnival in Madeira (dates shift yearly)
  • Big-wave season in Nazaré

Portugal in April

Plan April

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Madeira (Funchal), Aveiro, Cascais, Douro Valley, Fátima, Lagos, Nazaré, São Miguel (Ponta Delgada).

Can fall this month

  • Holy Week in Braga (dates shift yearly)
  • Madeira Flower Festival (dates shift yearly)
  • Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres (dates shift yearly)

Portugal in May

Plan May

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Nazaré.

Can fall this month

  • The great pilgrimages to Fátima
  • Madeira Flower Festival (dates shift yearly)
  • Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres (dates shift yearly)
  • Queima das Fitas (Coimbra)

Portugal in June

Plan June

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Évora.

Can fall this month

  • Santo António (Lisbon's Popular Saints)
  • São João (Porto)
  • Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres (dates shift yearly)

Portugal in July

Plan July

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Lisbon.

Better avoided

  • Coimbra · Wildfire Season; Summer Heatwaves
  • Évora · Inland Heat: 40 °C and More; Wildfire Season
  • Sintra · Wildfire Season

Portugal in August

Plan August

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Lisbon.

Better avoided

  • Coimbra · Wildfire Season; Summer Heatwaves
  • Évora · Inland Heat: 40 °C and More; Wildfire Season
  • Sintra · Wildfire Season

Can fall this month

  • Madeira Wine Festival

Portugal in September

Plan September

At their best

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Aveiro, Coimbra, Évora, Sintra.

Can fall this month

  • The grape harvest (vindima) in the Douro
  • Madeira Wine Festival

Portugal in October

Plan October

At their best

No place is in the middle of its season this month.

Good, at the edge of the season

Mixed: Madeira (Funchal), Aveiro, Cascais, São Miguel (Ponta Delgada).

Better avoided

  • Nazaré · Giant Waves: Keep Off the North Beach

Can fall this month

  • The great pilgrimages to Fátima
  • The grape harvest (vindima) in the Douro
  • Big-wave season in Nazaré
  • Diwali at Lisbon's Hindu temple (dates shift yearly)

Portugal in November

Plan November

At their best

No place is in the middle of its season this month.

Mixed: Aveiro, Braga & Guimarães, Cascais, Coimbra, Douro Valley, Évora, Faro, Fátima, Lagos, Lisbon, Óbidos, Porto, São Miguel (Ponta Delgada), Sintra.

Better avoided

  • Madeira (Funchal) · Wind at Madeira Airport; Atlantic Storms: Flights and Boats Cancelled
  • Nazaré · Giant Waves: Keep Off the North Beach

Can fall this month

  • Big-wave season in Nazaré
  • Diwali at Lisbon's Hindu temple (dates shift yearly)

Portugal in December

Plan December

At their best

No place is in the middle of its season this month.

Mixed: Aveiro, Braga & Guimarães, Cascais, Coimbra, Douro Valley, Évora, Faro, Fátima, Lagos, Lisbon, Óbidos, Porto, São Miguel (Ponta Delgada), Sintra.

Better avoided

  • Madeira (Funchal) · Wind at Madeira Airport; Atlantic Storms: Flights and Boats Cancelled
  • Nazaré · Giant Waves: Keep Off the North Beach

Can fall this month

  • Big-wave season in Nazaré
  • Óbidos Vila Natal
  • New Year's Eve fireworks, Madeira
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