When to visit Portugal

Summer is best for:

• Beaches

• Beach bars

• Surfing

• Water sports

Fall is best for:

• Beach days without the crowds (in the south!)

• Hiking

• Surfing

• Chasing fall colors

• Sightseeing

Winter is best for:

• Christmas shopping and holiday festivities

• Skiing

• Surfing

• Hiking

• Sightseeing

Spring is best for:

• Hiking

• Surfing

• Sightseeing

• Experiencing Easter Celebrations

Portugal has a dry and hot climate in the summer and does usually not see any rain in July and August. Average temperatures in southern Portugal are around 30 degrees Celsius in the daytime and around 18 degrees Celsius at night. Winters in Southern Portugal are mild and can be sunny with 20 degrees Celsius on a good day. You will notice that the Portuguese are very fond of using the beach all year round, particularly in the south.

The average winter temperatures are around 16 degrees Celsius during the day and about 5-10 degrees colder at night. In central Lisbon, the average temperatures are only a couple of degrees lower. 

In Northern Portugal, the shift between the four seasons is much more pronounced. Summers are a little bit milder, and winters in the north tend to get a little colder with average daytime temperatures of 12 degrees and 5 degrees at night. You’ll see significantly more rain in winter and spring than summer, when it’s dry throughout the country. You can also go skiing in Portugal, at Serra da Estrela, just to the east of Coimbra.

Note that the days are extremely short in Portugal in winter as the country is in the GMT time zone, the same as the UK. This is one hour behind neighbouring Spain. To get the most out of your days in winter, make sure you get up early.

Portugal might not be as famous for their massive celebrations as Brazil or neighbouring Spain, yet the little country hosts some unique festivals worthwhile experiencing. So if you have the opportunity to time your visit for one of these, you might be up for some of the best travel memories of your life.

Carnival

A tradition that roots back centuries ago when people would make a big feast by eating up all the meat before Lent fasting. Processions, music, dance, feathers, and glitter fill the streets. 

When: February/March (starting the last Friday before Lent and ending on Shrove Tuesday)

Where: National, but the largest celebrations are found in Lisbon and the Algarve.

Holy Week

Large religious processions fill the streets and several religious traditions take place.

When: Easter Week

Where: National - Braga is particularly beautiful as the entire city is decorated with flowers and lights.

Peregrinação de Fátima

The 13th of May is the most important pilgrimage day in the sacred Sanctuary of Fatima. On this day, devotees wave white handkerchiefs in the air as the Virgin Mary is carried from the high altar to the Chapel of the Apparitions. The day before, a candlelight procession leads to the Sanctuary.

When: 12-13 May

Where: Fatima

Feast Day of Saint Anthony

This is the day of the sardines in Lisbon. Sardines and basil are grilled on the street. The celebration takes root in a 13th-century legend saying that the fish came out of the water to listen to Saint Anthony when the people of Lisbon would not.

When: 12 June

Where: Lisbon (in the Alfama district)