Portugal has a largely Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters, but with big differences between north and south and between the coast, cooled by the ocean, and the more continental interior.
Climate regions
In the north, the most mountainous part of the country, the climate is distinctly Atlantic: rainfall is abundant, especially from October to April, and the landscape stays green. In Porto and the Minho summer is pleasant and rarely muggy. In inland Trás-os-Montes and the Beiras winters are cold, with frost and snow on high ground such as the Serra da Estrela, while summers can be very hot.
South of Lisbon and Cabo da Roca the low latitude takes over and rainfall decreases. The inland Alentejo is the hottest part of the country: in summer Évora or Beja often exceed 35 °C, and readings above 45 °C have been recorded. In the Algarve, the southernmost region, sheltered by hills behind it, the climate is warm and sunny, with more than 300 days of sunshine a year and very mild winters.
The coast is always breezy and, because of Atlantic currents, the sea is cool: on the west coast in summer the water is around 17-20 °C, while in the Algarve, and especially on the eastern coast towards Tavira, it reaches 21-23 °C.
The islands
Madeira has a subtropical climate, mild all year, with temperatures on the south coast between 17 °C in winter and 25 °C in summer, but with big differences between the sunny south side and the rainier north and mountains. The Azores, nine volcanic islands, have an oceanic, temperate and humid climate, with temperatures between 14 and 25 °C and very changeable weather.
When to go
| Period | Ideal for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| April - June | cities, nature, hiking | mild weather, blooming countryside, June folk festivals |
| July - August | beach | heat and crowds, high prices in the Algarve |
| September - October | beach, cities, grape harvest | sea still warm, fewer tourists |
| November - March | cities, Madeira | rain in the north, mild winter in the south |
Any time of year is good for a holiday in Portugal: spring and early autumn are perhaps the best seasons to combine cities, countryside and beaches. In summer forest fires are a recurring risk inland: check local conditions and respect any bans.
Nature and protected areas
Despite human intervention, Portugal's climate favours woods of oak, chestnut and, in the north, beech and pine; in the south cork oaks and holm oaks dominate, and Portugal is the world's leading producer of cork. Maritime pine and dwarf palm grow along the coast. Madeira preserves the laurisilva laurel forest, a UNESCO site.
In 1971 the country's only national park, Peneda-Gerês, was created on the northern border, with some 70,000 hectares of mountains, forests, granite villages and rich wildlife (roe deer, wild boar, eagles, Iberian wolves and wild garrano horses). Today the national network includes dozens of protected areas, among them the natural parks of the Serra da Estrela, Sintra-Cascais, Arrábida, the Ria Formosa and the Southwest Alentejo and Vicentine Coast.
To choose when to travel, see when to go to Portugal; on summer fires, see wildfires in Portugal.