Early January 1 January
63°F
Typical afternoon high
15% historical wet-day frequency
Portugal · Beach
The Algarve
in January.
Is January a good time?
Mild days.
Similar overnight stays to December.
January averages 62°F afternoons and 61°F seas, with about 4 rain days.
- Afternoons
- 62°F
- Sea
- 61°F
- Visitor demand
- 19%of August peak
Historical Algarve regional averages, not a forecast or a measure of queues. Overnight demand compares average stays per day. Covers Lagos, Albufeira and Faro; conditions vary within the region.
Overall match
7.8/10 · scores & prioritiesWhat matters most?
Weather 50% · Crowds 30% · Cost 20%
#11 of 12 months here · Balanced mix
Weather5.9/10Good
CrowdsLow seasonvs its own year; overnight stays do not measure queuesFor its size, one of Europe's busiest 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 62°F (17°C): light layers; nights around 48°F (9°C): a warm coat. About 10 hours of daylight. About 4 rain days in a typical January.
Can I swim in January?
The sea averages 61°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.
The sun rises about 07:45 and sets about 17:37 (local time, mid-month). Mornings start around 48°F (9°C); afternoons reach about 62°F (17°C). Expect rain on about 4 days in a typical January.
Typical afternoon
62°F (17°C)
average daily high, 15 recent Januarys
Night low
48°F (9°C)
average daily minimum
Sea
61°F (16°C)
cold; open water near the coast, NOAA satellite record 2011–2025
Daylight
9h 52m
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 63°F on the 1st, versus 63°F on the 31st.
Mid January 15 January
62°F
Typical afternoon high
20% historical wet-day frequency
Late January 31 January
63°F
Typical afternoon high
13% 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.
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 163° | 263° | 363° | ||||
| 463° | 563° | 663° | 763° | 863° | 963° | 1063° |
| 1162° | 1262° | 1362° | 1462° | 1562° | 1662° | 1762° |
| 1862° | 1962° | 2062° | 2162° | 2262° | 2362° | 2462° |
| 2562° | 2662° | 2762° | 2862° | 2962° | 3063° | 3163° |
Afternoon high rain likely (25%+) local school holidays public holiday event
Afternoons hold at about 62°F (17°C) all month. The chance of a wet day runs 13–22%.
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 19% of August's overnight stays per day. Similar overnight stays to December.
Overnight stays across Algarve do not measure queues, day visitors or congestion at individual sights. For its size, one of Europe's busiest this month.
Hotel price season
Will it be cheaper?
Well below usual. Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €38 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
€38
2024–2025 monthly average; hotel revenue per guest-night; not a current booking quote. −32% 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 60°F (15°C) and 65°F (18°C); in 14 of them they were within 3°F (1.5°C) of the typical 62°F (17°C). Rain days ranged from 0 to 12; half the years had 4–9.
Rain days in each January
Rain days
4
at least 1 mm, typical year; about 9 in a wet year
Mostly sunny days
12 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
13 of 31
rated very good or better
See every recorded JanuaryHistorical monthly averages, year by year Show detailsHide details
| Year | Afternoon high | Rain days |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 61°F | 10 |
| 2012 | 62°F | 2 |
| 2013 | 62°F | 8 |
| 2014 | 62°F | 9 |
| 2015 | 62°F | 4 |
| 2016 | 64°F | 9 |
| 2017 | 61°F | 4 |
| 2018 | 62°F | 4 |
| 2019 | 62°F | 4 |
| 2020 | 62°F | 4 |
| 2021 | 60°F | 4 |
| 2022 | 64°F | 0 |
| 2023 | 62°F | 3 |
| 2024 | 65°F | 7 |
| 2025 | 64°F | 12 |
Checked against official climate averages for Faro (Aeroporto) and Sagres (Quartel da Marinha). How we check
Compare dates
December, January
or February?
| Typical conditions | Dec | Jan | Feb |
|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 64°F | 62°F | 64°F |
| Sea | 63°F | 61°F | 60°F |
| Rain days | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| Overnight demand | 20% | 19% | 28% |
December: Warmer sea than January. December guide →
February: 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.
April 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 20% of the busiest month.
Historical regional hotel revenue (2024–2025 monthly average): €41 per guest-night. An average, not a booking quote.
Read the December guide →| Typical conditions | January | December |
|---|---|---|
| Afternoons | 62°F | 64°F |
| Nights | 48°F | 50°F |
| Sea | 61°F | 63°F |
| Rain days | 4 | 5 |
| Visitor season | Low season | Low season |
| Overall / 10 | 7.8 | 7.9 |
| Month rank | #11 | #8 |
Every month, in detail Show detailsHide details
| Month | Overall | Rank | High | Low | Sea | Rain days | Weather | Visitor season |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 7.8 | #11 | 62°F | 48°F | 61°F | 4 | 5.9 | Low season |
| February | 7.8 | #10 | 64°F | 49°F | 60°F | 4 | 6.2 | Low season |
| March | 7.8 | #9 | 67°F | 50°F | 60°F | 6 | 6.6 | Moderate season |
| April | 8.0 | #6 | 71°F | 53°F | 62°F | 5 | 7.9 | Moderate season |
| May | 8.6 | #1 | 77°F | 57°F | 64°F | 3 | 9.6 | Moderate season |
| June | 8.4 | #2 | 82°F | 60°F | 66°F | 0 | 10.0 | Busy season |
| July | 7.9 | #7 | 87°F | 63°F | 68°F | 0 | 10.0 | Peak season |
| August | 7.5 | #12 | 88°F | 64°F | 68°F | 0 | 10.0 | Peak season |
| September | 8.3 | #3 | 82°F | 63°F | 69°F | 2 | 10.0 | Busy season |
| October | 8.3 | #4 | 77°F | 60°F | 68°F | 5 | 9.0 | Moderate season |
| November | 8.2 | #5 | 68°F | 54°F | 66°F | 6 | 7.1 | Low season |
| December | 7.9 | #8 | 64°F | 50°F | 63°F | 5 | 6.3 | Low 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.
AlentejoPortugal · about 80 miles
Balanced Overall 8.4 · Very good weather, 59°F (15°C) · Low season · Cost cheap
Setúbal PeninsulaPortugal · about 100 miles
Balanced Overall 6.9 · Fair weather, 61°F (16°C) · Low season · Cost cheap
LisbonPortugal · about 130 miles
Balanced Overall 7.2 · Very good weather, 60°F (16°C) · Steady all year · Cost moderate
Óbidos, Nazaré & the Tagus ValleyPortugal · about 140 miles
Balanced Overall 6.3 · Fair weather, 60°F (15°C) · Low season · Cost cheap
ExtremaduraSpain · about 170 miles
Balanced Overall 8.1 · Good weather, 57°F (14°C) · Low season · Cost cheap
Elsewhere in Europe
Better January weather than The Algarve
The Algarve's weather ranks 8 of 77 beach regions this month. These beach regions outside Portugal have clearly better weather on your dates, nearest first, each compared with The Algarve.
How we knowSources, regional scope & scoring method Show detailsHide details
It's low season, 19% of the busiest month and 64% below its average month. That means about 23,000 overnight visitors on a typical January night across the region, 19% of them from Portugal itself. Rentals booked through Airbnb, Booking, Expedia and Tripadvisor add up to 9,300 more: 41 for every 100 counted above. Some are the same properties counted twice.
| Climate suitability (HCI:Beach, 0–100) | 64 |
| 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). |
| Tourist nights per 1,000 residents per day | 47 |
| Busiest month here | August · 246 |
| Visitors as share of people present | 4.4% |
| Rank among Europe's regions this month | 97th percentile |
| Domestic share of nights | 19% |
| Platform rental nights per 100 counted nights | 41 |
| Visitor share if every platform night were extra | 6.1% |
| Population used | 493,000 |
| Statistical region | PT15 · Algarve |
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.