Fewer crowds
January is quietest.
January, at 19% of the busiest month (August). Low season, under 35% of the peak: November to February.
A good place. At the right time.
Best time to visitThe Algarve.
Plan your visit
Find your month.
What matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
Start with May.
#1 of 12 · Balanced · 8.6/10
Overnight stays are 59% of the busiest month.
Based on Algarve regional averages.
- Afternoon high
- 77°F
- Sea temperature
- 64°F
- Crowds
- Moderate
The sea averages 64°F (18°C). Fresh: fine once you are in. Warm air does not always mean warm water.
Check what is open. The off-season flag comes from visitor patterns. Confirm accommodation, services and transport for your dates.
Price context. Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €55 per guest-night. An average, not a booking quote.
Historical averages, not forecasts or live prices.
A regional guide. Figures cover Algarve, including Lagos, Albufeira and Faro. Conditions vary within the region.
The whole calendar
Already have dates?
Explore your month, then weigh up the trade-offs.
May at a glance
Balanced match #1 · 8.6/10
Overnight stays are 59% of the busiest month.
The sea averages 64°F (18°C). Fresh: fine once you are in. Warm air does not always mean warm water.
Check what is open. The off-season flag comes from visitor patterns. Confirm accommodation, services and transport for your dates.
Read the May guide- Afternoon high
- 77°F
- Night low
- 57°F
- Sea temperature
- 64°F
- Rain days
- 3
- Daylight
- 14h 08m
- Crowds
- Moderate
All 12 months, on the same measures. Tap a heading to sort or a month to open its guide.Select a month to open its guide. Scroll the table for more detail.
| Rank | Month | Overall | Weather | Crowds | Cost | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | May | 8.6 | 9.6/10 Excellent | Moderate | Cheap | 77°F | 57°F | 64°F | 3 | 14h 08m |
| #2 | June | 8.4 | 10.0/10 Excellent | Busy | Moderate | 82°F | 60°F | 66°F | 0 | 14h 42m |
| #3 | September | 8.3 | 10.0/10 Excellent | Busy | Moderate | 82°F | 63°F | 69°F | 2 | 12h 29m |
| #4 | October | 8.3 | 9.0/10 Excellent | Moderate | Cheap | 77°F | 60°F | 68°F | 5 | 11h 18m |
| #5 | November | 8.2 | 7.1/10 Very good | Low | Cheap | 68°F | 54°F | 66°F | 6 | 10h 13m |
| #6 | April | 8.0 | 7.9/10 Very good | Moderate | Cheap | 71°F | 53°F | 62°F | 5 | 13h 07m |
| #7 | July | 7.9 | 10.0/10 Excellent | Peak | Moderate | 87°F | 63°F | 68°F | 0 | 14h 30m |
| #8 | December | 7.9 | 6.3/10 Good | Low | Cheap | 64°F | 50°F | 63°F | 5 | 9h 37m |
| #9 | March | 7.8 | 6.6/10 Good | Moderate | Cheap | 67°F | 50°F | 60°F | 6 | 11h 54m |
| #10 | February | 7.8 | 6.2/10 Good | Low | Cheap | 64°F | 49°F | 60°F | 4 | 10h 48m |
| #11 | January | 7.8 | 5.9/10 Good | Low | Cheap | 62°F | 48°F | 61°F | 4 | 9h 52m |
| #12 | August | 7.5 | 10.0/10 Excellent | Peak | Moderate | 88°F | 64°F | 68°F | 0 | 13h 38m |
Overall follows your priorities. Crowds compare each month with this place's own year. Highs, lows and rain days are historical averages for 2011–2025.
A little perspective
The shape of the year.
Afternoon highNight low
Top balanced match · May
May
- High
- 77°F
- Low
- 57°F
- Rain
- 3 days
- Crowds
- Moderate
Some weather measures are unavailable. Gaps in the chart mean no data.
Off season can mean fewer services. Confirm what is open for your dates.
Algarve regional averages · Historical patterns, not a forecast. Gaps mean no data. Crowds compare months within this region.
The busiest month records 5.3 times the overnight stays of the quietest.
Very-good-or-better weather scores: April to November. No month has a poor weather score.
Peak-season months: July to August. Low-season months: November to February.
The two busiest months account for 30% of annual overnight stays.
Historical hotel revenue here averaged €90 per guest-night in August and €38 in January.
Euro figures use the 2024–2025 monthly average.
Before you go
Pack a little context.
Good weather
May, outside the busy season.
Very good or better April to November. June to September share the highest displayed weather score (10.0/10). Highest weather score outside the busy season: May.
Lower prices
January to February and November.
These are three lower-price months on the historical regional hotel series. The lowest monthly average is €37 in hotel revenue per guest-night in February. It uses the 2024–2025 monthly average. These are average revenues, not current booking quotes.
School holidays
Summer break meets the busy season.
If your dates follow US school breaks: June falls in busy season; July and August fall in peak season. Spring break (March–April) falls in moderate season.
Local families travel too: at least 30% of people in Portugal live where schools are out on a typical day March, June to August and December. Portugal's school calendar for September isn't fully published yet. (School holidays: OpenHolidays, ODbL.)
About these answers
These are historical seasonal patterns. Crowds compare a month with this place's own busiest month; they do not measure queues at individual sights. Weather answers use the displayed weather scores. These seasonal facts stay the same when you change your priorities; your Overall recommendation updates above. Prices retain the scope stated beside them. Full methodology.
Choose your season
The year, season by season.
Winter
Dec–Feb
Low season throughout.
62–64°FAfternoon highs
Spring
Mar–May
Moderate visitor levels throughout.
67–77°FAfternoon highs
Summer
Jun–Aug
A busy season for visitors.
June falls in busy season; July and August fall in peak season.
82–88°FAfternoon highs
Autumn
Sep–Nov
A busier start, a quieter finish.
September falls in busy season; October falls in moderate season; November falls in low season.
68–82°FAfternoon highs
Ranges span monthly average afternoon highs, not daily extremes. Conditions and seasonal openings vary within The Algarve.
How we know
The default Balanced Overall weighs weather 50%, crowds 30% and cost 20%. Your priority choice updates the Overall, month ranks and recommendation. While your weather weight is at least 40%, Overall cannot exceed weather by more than 2. Close scores can describe different trip experiences. How the scores work.
| Statistical region | PT15 · Algarve |
| Region type | Beach (Eurostat NUTS3 typologies weighted by population: urban 0%, coastal 100%, mountain 0%; median ground height 146 m) |
| Population used | 493,000 (1 January 2025) |
| Crowd reference years | 2024–2025 average |
| How our weather was checked | Official climate averages for Faro (Aeroporto) and Sagres (Quartel da Marinha) from the national weather service, every month: afternoon highs typically within 1°F (0.5°C), night lows within 2°F (0.9°C). |
| Climate index | HCI:Beach, observed climatology over 15 years (2011–2025) |
| Hotel occupancy (annual) | 61% |
| Accommodation mix | 80% hotels, 9% camping |
| Hotel rates | INE Portugal, Inquérito à Permanência de Hóspedes: hotel room revenue per guest-night |
| Country price level (restaurants & hotels, EU27 = 100) | 76 |
| Daylight latitude | 37.25° N |
Crowds: Eurostat nights spent at tourist accommodation establishments by month and NUTS 2 region, per 1,000 inhabitants, divided by days in the month. "Season here" is the month's figure as a share of this region's busiest month. "Visitors" ranks overnight visitors per resident against all Europe's regions that month. Weather: Holiday Climate Index (Scott et al. 2016; Rutty et al. 2020) computed from ERA5 reanalysis with daily highs, night lows and rain days corrected from open national weather-service station records and population-weighted to the region. Prices are regional where the page says so (INE Portugal, Inquérito à Permanência de Hóspedes: hotel room revenue per guest-night), otherwise national. Hand-written notes are marked and nothing depends on them. Full method · this region's data.