The Algarve receives 3,000 hours of sunshine a year, the highest total in Europe, ahead of Sicily, ahead of the Greek islands, and ahead of every other claimant to the title of the sunniest place on the continent. The summer (June–September) is hot, dry, and almost entirely rainless: the average daily maximum in July and August is 28–30°C, the evenings cool to 18–20°C (the Atlantic breeze, the air conditioning that is the natural gift of the Algarve coast), and the rain, 1 mm in July, the driest month, is a statistical rounding error. The winter (December–February) is mild: the daylight temperatures of 15–17°C (the jumper in the evening, the T-shirt at midday, the Algarve winter is warmer than the British summer), the rain that arrives in the short, sharp showers of the Atlantic fronts, and the almonds that blossom in January (the white and the pink of the algarveiro, the almond tree that covers the hillsides of the interior in the earliest spring in Europe). Here is your guide to the weather in the Algarve, month by month.

Weather in the Algarve, Month by Month

• Spring (March–May), the best time to visit: March: the daytime temperature 18–20°C, the sea 16°C (the cold water, the spring Atlantic is not swimmable for the faint-hearted, and the beaches are empty, the wildflowers are blooming, and the walking, the Via Algarviana, the 300 km path across the interior, is at its best). The rain tapers from 40 mm in March to 30 mm in April. April: the sweet spot, the daytime temperature 20–22°C, the sea warming to 17°C, and the tourists (the Easter holidays, the first of the summer crowds) have not yet arrived. The days are long (the sunset at 8.15pm, the golden hour that stretches the evening into the dinner), and the landscapes are green, the flowers are at their peak, and the experience is the Algarve at its most beautiful. May: the best month, the daytime temperature 23–25°C, the sea 18°C (swimmable, if bracing), and the tourists are arriving but the beaches are still uncrowded. The rain is 20 mm, the sunshine is 10 hours a day, and the month is the essential Algarve for the walkers, the cyclists, and the travellers who prefer the warmth without the heat. More Portugal →
• Summer (June–September), the beach season: June: the daytime temperature 26–28°C, the sea 20°C, and the days are at their longest (the sunset at 9pm, the longest evenings in Europe). The tourists are arriving in numbers, the beaches are filling, and the atmosphere, the cafés, the restaurants, and the promenades, is the Algarve at its most lively. July and August: the peak, the daytime temperature 28–30°C (the heat of the interior reaches 35°C, the coast, the breeze, and the shade of the beach umbrella are essential), the sea 21–22°C, and the crowds (the Algarve is the busiest holiday destination in Europe, and the beaches, the Praia da Rocha, the Praia da Marinha, the Praia de Dona Ana, are packed). The essential strategy: the eastern Algarve (the Tavira, the Cacela Velha, and the beaches of the Ria Formosa, the quieter and the more beautiful alternative to the central and the western coasts), the early morning swim (the beach at 8am, the sand is empty, the water is cool, and the day is yours), and the evening (the dinner at 9pm, the wine, and the sense that the heat of the day has been replaced by the warmth of the night). September: the best month of the summer, the daytime temperature 26–28°C, the sea 21°C (the warmest month of the year for the swimming), and the tourists are thinning (the school holidays end in the first week of September, and the beaches, the cafés, and the roads empty for the best month of the Algarve calendar). The rain is 10 mm, and the month is, for many, the essential Algarve experience
• Autumn and winter (October–February), the other Algarve: October: the daytime temperature 22–24°C, the sea 20°C, and the rain, 50 mm, returns in the short, warm showers of the Atlantic autumn. The beaches are quiet, the cafés are open, and the month is the best time for the walking and the cycling (the Via Algarviana, the Rota Vicentina, and the coastal paths). November–February: the winter. The daytime temperature 15–18°C, the sea 16–17°C (the swimming is for the hardy), and the rain, 60–80 mm per month, is the highest of the year. The winter Algarve is quiet: the resorts are closed, the beaches are empty, and the long-term visitors, the British, the German, and the Dutch retirees who spend the winter in the Algarve, are the life of the villages. The almond blossom in January, the festivals (the Carnival in February, the almond blossom festivals, and the sense of the Algarve that the summer tourists never see), and the food (the fresh fish, the grilled sardines, and the best Portuguese food, the winter is the season for the local produce and the quiet restaurants)