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Where to go in January / Portugal in January / Óbidos, Nazaré & the Tagus Valley / January

Portugal · Beach

Óbidos, Nazaré & the Tagus Valley
in January.

Illustration of White houses and terracotta rooftops in Óbidos; representative medieval town fabric, no exact castle or church claimed.
Whitewashed houses in ÓbidosDestination view, not month-specific.

Is January a good time?

Temperature unit

Cool days.
Fewer overnight stays than December.

January averages 60°F afternoons and 59°F seas, with about 8 rain days.

Afternoons
60°F
Sea
59°F
Visitor demand
21%of August peak

Historical Oeste e Vale do Tejo regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Óbidos, Nazaré and Tomar; conditions vary within the region.

Overall match

6.3/10 · scores & priorities

What matters most?

Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%

#12 of 12 months here · Balanced mix

Weather4.3/10Fair
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, typical for Europe this month
CostCheapfor Europe

Overall combines weather, overnight demand and cost. It does not include sea temperature.

Plan your January

What to expect.

What should I pack?

Afternoons around 60°F (15°C): light layers; nights around 45°F (7°C): a warm coat. Bring rain gear: about 8 days with at least 1 mm of rain. About 10 hours of daylight.

Can I swim in January?

The sea averages 59°F. Our swimming guide: cold: short dips, or a wetsuit. Your comfort will vary. This is open water near the coast, not a beach-specific reading.

Monthly coastal averages from NOAA, 2011–2025. Sea temperature is separate from the weather and Overall scores.

A typical day: temperatures & daylightAfternoons, nights, sea temperature & daylight Show detailsHide details

About 10 hours of daylight.

Sunrise 07:53Sunset 17:3445°F60°F00:0006:0012:0018:0024:00

The sun rises about 07:53 and sets about 17:34 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 45°F (7°C); afternoons reach about 60°F (15°C). Expect rain on about 8 days in a typical January.

Typical afternoon
60°F (15°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
45°F (7°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
59°F (15°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
9h 41m
on the 15th, computed from latitude

Early, middle or late?

Early or late January?

Early and late January have similar afternoon averages. The afternoon high averages 60°F on the 1st, versus 60°F on the 31st.

Early January 1 January

60°F

Typical afternoon high

26% historical wet-day frequency

Mid January 15 January

59°F

Typical afternoon high

31% historical wet-day frequency

Late January 31 January

60°F

Typical afternoon high

24% historical wet-day frequency

Historical daily averages from 2011–2025, smoothed over two weeks. A seasonal pattern, not a forecast. This does not establish which week has the lowest prices or fewest visitors.

Public holidays · 2027: 1 Jan New Year's Day.

Daily calendar & holiday datesJanuary 2027 · historical weather & dated holidays Show calendarHide calendar

January 2027 calendar

Weather shows historical patterns, not a forecast. Holidays and events use the dates shown for 2027.

MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
160°260°360°
460°560°660°760°860°960°1060°
1159°1259°1359°1459°1559°1659°1759°
1859°1959°2059°2159°2260°2360°2460°
2560°2660°2760°2860°2960°3060°3160°

Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event

Afternoons hold at about 60°F (15°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 24–32%.

No school holidays here in January 2027. Public holidays: 1 Jan New Year's Day. Elsewhere in January 2027, the share of people living where schools are out on a typical day: Germany 21%, Spain 24%, Italy 20%, Poland 17%. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)

Crowds and cost

Visitor season

Will it be busy?

Low season. January averages 21% of August's overnight stays per day. Fewer overnight stays than December.

Overnight stays across Oeste e Vale do Tejo do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, typical for Europe this month.

Hotel price season

Will it be cheaper?

A little below usual. Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €40 per guest-night. An average, not a booking quote.

Fewer overnight stays do not automatically mean cheaper rooms. Check actual quotes for your trip.

Historical hotel average
€40
2024–2025 monthly average; hotel revenue per guest-night; not a current booking quote. −8% vs this region's usual month.
Portugal as a whole
Well below EU average
2024 restaurants and hotels price level: 76 where the EU average is 100. A relative index, not a room rate.

The historical regional amount comes from INE Portugal, Inquérito à Permanência de Hóspedes: hotel room revenue per guest-night; the country price level is national. Hotel averages are not live booking quotes.

Year-to-year variation

How much does January vary?

Across the recorded years

In the 15 years from 2011 to 2025, the month's afternoons averaged between 57°F (14°C) and 63°F (17°C); in 14 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 60°F (15°C). Rain days ranged from 2 to 18; half the years had 6–12.

Rain days in each January

Historical rain days; exact figures in the table below. 2011: 10 rain days1020112012: 2 rain days22013: 12 rain days122014: 18 rain days182015: 8 rain days82016: 16 rain days162017: 7 rain days72018: 6 rain days62019: 5 rain days52020: 10 rain days102021: 7 rain days72022: 2 rain days22023: 7 rain days72024: 12 rain days122025: 13 rain days132025
Rain days
8
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 15 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
9 of 31
cloud cover under 30%
Years with a 95°F+ day
0 of 15
no January in the last 15 years had a day at or above 95°F (35°C)
Good weather days
7 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded JanuaryHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
Historical monthly averages, not daily extremes.
YearAfternoon highRain days
201158°F10
201260°F2
201359°F12
201459°F18
201558°F8
201661°F16
201758°F7
201859°F6
201959°F5
202060°F10
202157°F7
202262°F2
202359°F7
202463°F12
202561°F13

Checked against official climate averages for Alcobaca (Estacao de Fruticultura Vieira Natividade) and Santarem (Fonte Boa). How we check

Compare dates

December, January
or February?

Historical regional averages. Overnight demand vs August peak, measured as average stays per day.
Typical conditionsDecJanFeb
Afternoons61°F60°F62°F
Sea60°F59°F58°F
Rain days889
Overnight demand28%21%27%

December: More overnight demand. December guide →

February: Warmer afternoons than January. More overnight demand. February guide →

Overnight demand measures accommodation stays, not queues. Sea temperatures are monthly coastal averages.

Compare any of the 12 monthsChoose another month and compare it with January Show comparisonHide comparison

Yellow marks the top three months on the Balanced mix. January stays as your reference.

March to November have a Weather score at least 1.0 point higher than January, but more overnight stays.

Your comparison

January or December?

Overnight stays are 28% of the busiest month.

Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €42 per guest-night. An average, not a booking quote.

Read the December guide →
January compared with another month
Typical conditionsJanuaryDecember
Afternoons60°F61°F
Nights45°F46°F
Sea59°F60°F
Rain days88
Visitor seasonLow seasonLow season
Overall / 106.36.8
Month rank#12#11
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
All 12 months. Scores and ranks follow your priorities. Explore the whole year.
MonthOverallRankHighLowSeaRain daysWeatherVisitor season
January6.3#1260°F45°F59°F84.3Low season
February6.9#1062°F46°F58°F94.9Low season
March7.3#865°F47°F58°F85.6Moderate season
April7.6#770°F50°F59°F96.7Moderate season
May8.3#476°F52°F61°F48.5Moderate season
June8.7#180°F55°F64°F29.5Moderate season
July8.5#385°F57°F65°F010.0Busy season
August7.9#586°F58°F65°F010.0Peak season
September8.6#282°F58°F66°F39.7Busy season
October7.9#675°F57°F65°F97.8Moderate season
November7.2#965°F50°F63°F105.5Moderate season
December6.8#1161°F46°F60°F84.8Low season

Near here

Nearby places in January

Nearby regions, nearest first. Distances are centre to centre, as the crow flies; they are not road distances or journey times.

Elsewhere in Europe

Better January weather than Óbidos, Nazaré & the Tagus Valley

Óbidos, Nazaré & the Tagus Valley's weather ranks 16 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Portugal have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with Óbidos, Nazaré & the Tagus Valley.

All of Portugal in January · Everywhere in January

How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details

It's low season, 21% of the busiest month and 59% below its average month. That means about 4,700 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 61% of them from Portugal itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 1,400 more: 29 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.

Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100)56
How our weather was checkedOfficial climate averages for Alcobaca (Estacao de Fruticultura Vieira Natividade) and Santarem (Fonte Boa) from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.6°C), night lows within 3°F (1.4°C).
Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day5
Busiest month hereAugust · 26
Visitors as share of people present0.5%
Rank among Europe's regions this month40th percentile
Domestic share of nights61%
Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights29
Visitor share if every platform night were extra0.7%
Population used865,000
Statistical regionPT1D · Oeste e Vale do Tejo

Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation, by month and NUTS 2 region, 2024–2025 average. Overnight visitors per night is the month's nights divided by its days; the per-1,000 figure is Eurostat's, against each year's population. Platform rentals: Eurostat nights booked via Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor, 2024–2025 average, shown separately because some properties are in both counts. Weather: Holiday Climate Index computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records, 2011–2025, population-weighted to the region; day-by-day figures are the same data averaged by date. Heat and rain odds are counted across those years. Sunrise and sunset: NOAA solar equations, local time. Prices: Eurostat price level index and HICP, national; the first figure is regional (INE Portugal, Inquérito à Permanência de Hóspedes: hotel room revenue per guest-night). Full method · this region's data.