When is the best time to visit Algarve?

The best time to visit Algarve is April–May (Wk 17–19): it is the quietest stretch among the region's best weather weeks – crowd level around 43 out of 100, weather comfort about 87 out of 100.

When is Algarve quietest?

January (Wk 2–4) is the quietest time in Algarve. Crowd levels there sit at 0 out of 100, the lowest across the year.

When is Algarve busiest?

Algarve is busiest in August (Wk 32) with around 851,472 overnight stays in the peak week.

What is the weather like in Algarve and when is it warmest?

It is warmest in Algarve in August with an average of 27 °C.

How do you get to Algarve?

Algarve is reachable via 2 destination airports with direct flights, including Faro Airport (FAO) and Portimao Airport (PRM).

Portugal · Algarve

Algarve: rocky coast in the west, sandy coast in the east

Between the Rio Guadiana in the east and Cabo de São Vicente in the west, a jagged cliff coast meets flat sandy beaches and lagoons. Behind them lie the Serra de Monchique and Silves, once Xelb, capital of the Moorish Algarve.

Plan a trip Back to the map

Busiest week

AugustCrowd level 100

Wk 32 · 851,472 overnight stays

Quietest weeks

JanuaryCrowd level 0

Wk 2–4 · measured against the region's own year, not against other regions

Sweet spot

April–MayCrowd level 38–47

Wk 17–19 · quietest while the weather still holds

Warmest month

27 °CComfort 86

August · around 0 mm of rain in the month

Algarve in brief

The Algarve is the southernmost region of Portugal, on the southwestern tip of the Iberian Peninsula between the Rio Guadiana in the east and the Alentejo in the north. By landscape it runs from the Serra inland across the Barrocal to the densely settled coastal strip, which divides into the rocky Barlavento in the west, the flat Sotavento in the east and the remote Costa Vicentina. Its name goes back to the Arabic al-gharb, "the west", from the time when Silves, under the name Xelb, was the region's capital and a centre in the Caliphate of Córdoba. The Algarve's documented history runs from Celtic and Phoenician traces through Roman villas to the Olhão rebellion of 1808.

When is Algarve busy, when is it quiet?

Click a week. The panel on the right explains why it is busy or quiet.

Weather profile

Weather comfort is an absolute scale (0 = poor, 100 = ideal) and a second axis next to the season-relative crowd level.

JanuaryØ 1

FebruaryØ 10

MarchØ 19

AprilØ 42

MayØ 48

JuneØ 62

JulyØ 80

AugustØ 97

SeptemberØ 64

OctoberØ 49

NovemberØ 14

DecemberØ 5

Colour = season-relative crowd levelBar = weather comfort (Sun & warmth), absolute 0–100

Why this week?

April · Wk 17

Crowd level38/100 · moderate

quietbusy

Weather comfort47/100 · Sun & warmth

-4 % versus the region's annual average.

Contributing months: April (95 %) · May (5 %)
Overnight stays/week: 408,905
School-holiday pressure (source markets): 8 % of source markets on school holidays · -7 % crowding from holidays
Main source markets: Portugal (42 %) · United Kingdom (15 %) · Germany (10 %) · 82% of guests modelled
Region range: 135,926–851,472 (avg 426,356)
Base years: 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 (excluding 2020, 2021)

v1: Crowd-Score aus der Eurostat-Basisschicht (Übernachtungen), moduliert vom Schulferien-Druck der Quellmärkte, region-spezifisch gewichtet mit dem Quellland-Mix. Season-relativ zur Region. Event-Schichten folgen.

Plan your trip

Pre-filled with the next date in week 17.

DestinationAlgarve

Travel datesPick a week in the calendar

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Photos: Johny Goerend · reisetopia · Dino Reichmuth on Unsplash

The travel year in Algarve, month by month

The year as a table to read and to cite: crowd level for every month, plus weather comfort and temperature from the climate normals.

Crowd level, weather comfort and temperature in Algarve by month – crowd score 0–100, season-relative to the region's own annual peak
Month	Crowd level0–100, season-relative	Weather comfort0–100, profile “mild”	Avg temperature
January	1	62	12 °C
February	10	65	13 °C
March	19	66	14 °C
April	42	78	17 °C
May	48	91	20 °C
June	62	94	23 °C
July	80	88	26 °C
August	97	86	27 °C
September	64	91	24 °C
October	49	88	21 °C
November	14	77	16 °C
December	5	65	14 °C

The crowd level is season-relative: 100 is the annual peak of Algarve itself, not the busiest destination in Europe. The figures say when it is quiet here — not where it is quieter than elsewhere.

Weather comfort 0–100 from the climate normals, profile “mild” – the same profile as the recommendation above, not the selection in the calendar. A “–” means the data for that month is missing.

Index 2.0 · As of 25/08/2026

The windows worth catching

Three windows from the model: first whether the weather suits the region, then how busy it gets.

Recommended

April–May

Wk 17–19

The quietest stretch among this region's best weather weeks: crowd level around 43 out of 100, weather comfort near 87.

Crowd level: 38–47
Comfort: 83–90

Plan this period

Good alternative

October–November

Wk 42–44

A second option, also with usable weather: crowd level around 44, weather comfort near 86.

Crowd level: 31–51
Comfort: 84–88

Plan this period

Avoid

August

Wk 32–34

The region's peak: crowd level around 99 out of 100. Only if the dates are fixed.

Crowd level: 98–100
Comfort: 84–87

Algarve compared with Europe

How full the accommodation is here, measured against Europe – on the only measure on which two travel regions can be compared.

Bed occupancy in Algarve: 35.6
European median: 23.1

Furthest from the median: October, at 1.9× the value. Closest to the median: January, at 1.0× the value.

Mean across 12 months, weighted by their weeks. This occupancy compares travel regions with one another. The crowding in the table above compares Algarve with itself. The two measures are never combined.

All destinations in the Crowd Index How we calculate

Climate through the year

Average temperature with day/night range and precipitation across the twelve months.

Avg temperature
Day/night range
Precipitation

Monthly climate values
Month	Avg temperature (°C)	Day avg (°C)	Night avg (°C)	Precipitation (mm)
Jan	11	12	10	38
Feb	12	13	11	42
Mar	13	14	12	78
Apr	16	17	14	45
May	19	20	17	25
Jun	22	23	20	6
Jul	25	26	23	0
Aug	25	27	24	0
Sep	22	24	21	13
Oct	20	21	18	50
Nov	15	16	14	49
Dec	13	14	12	58

The band shows mean daytime to nighttime temperature. Precipitation shown as monthly total (mm). Typical monthly value (climate normal), not a forecast.

How sunny?

How much sun a typical day delivers, month by month, expressed as hours of full midday sun.

Very sunny

≈ 5.2 h of full midday sun per day, annual average

Jul

Sunniest month

Sun by month
Month	≈ h of full midday sun per day
Jan	2.6
Feb	3.6
Mar	4.8
Apr	6.0
May	7.2
Jun	7.7
Jul	8.0
Aug	7.3
Sep	5.7
Oct	4.0
Nov	2.8
Dec	2.3

Basis: mean daily solar irradiance in kWh/m²/day; 1 kWh/m² is roughly one hour of full midday sun (1,000 W/m²). Not the same as measured sunshine duration. Typical monthly value (climate normal), not a forecast.

Directly reachable from

Destination airports of Algarve and every European departure airport with a direct connection to them.

Destination airports

“Directly reachable” means a direct connection exists according to our sources. We do not show a live timetable. Availability and flight days can vary by season and airline.

Algarve in detail

Location and landscape

The Algarve lies on the southwestern tip of the Iberian Peninsula and is thus the southernmost region of Portugal; in the east the Rio Guadiana forms the border with Spain, and the Alentejo borders it in the north. The region covers 4,997 square kilometres, is divided into 16 municipalities and 67 parishes, and is congruent with the district of Faro and with the subregion of the same name. By landscape, from north to south, comes first the Serra, a sandstone and shale upland between 300 and 500 metres that takes up about half the area; next the Barrocal, up to 400 metres and farmed, on a quarter of the area; then the densely settled coastal strip, the Litoral. The highest point is the Foia in the Serra de Monchique at 902 metres, the highest elevation in southern Portugal; the coastline runs 155 kilometres from east to west and 52 kilometres from south to north.

Three coasts

The Barlavento in the west, the windward side, is a jagged cliff coast 20 to 50 metres high with grottoes and small coves; it includes the towns of Lagos, Portimão and Albufeira. The Sotavento in the east, the leeward side, is flat and runs with miles of sandy beaches, dunes and the lagoon landscape of the Ria Formosa from Faro through Tavira to Vila Real de Santo António. In the far west lies the Costa Vicentina, with rugged rock formations reaching to the Alentejo border, inside the Parque Natural do Sudoeste Alentejano e da Costa Vicentina national park. At its southern end, Cabo de São Vicente near Sagres marks the southwesternmost point of mainland Europe; the cliff coast, dropping almost 70 metres, carries a lighthouse.

A name with a long history

The name Algarve goes back to the Arabic al-gharb, "the west"; in German the feminine form "die Algarve" has become established, while the Portuguese name is masculine, o Algarve. Historically the name denoted several territories of differing extent: today's region, the far larger Al-Gharb al-Andalus as a province of the Emirate and later Caliphate of Córdoba, the Portuguese Kingdom of the Algarve, its extension onto the Moroccan coast, and the Principality of the Algarve south of the Tagus envisaged in the 1807 Treaty of Fontainebleau.

From the Celts to the Moors

Farming is attested in the region from around 5000 BC; numerous megalithic structures followed later, such as the necropolis of Alcalar. Around 1000 BC Celts arrived and mixed with the local population into Celtiberians; at roughly the same time Phoenicians built the first harbours along the coast. Around 550 BC Carthaginians founded Portimão under the Latin name Portus Hannibalis. In the second century BC, in the course of the Roman conquest, numerous villas arose, whose ruins survive at Abicada, Boca do Rio, Milreu-Estói and Vilamoura, chiefly around Faro and Lagos.

Moorish rule to Napoleon

From 711 the Algarve was settled by the Moors; until the Reconquista in the 13th century, at least in the western Algarve, around Silves, the majority of the population was Arab-Moorish. In Moorish times Silves, under the name Xelb, was the capital of the Algarve and a centre in the Caliphate of Córdoba; the town still carries a Moorish castle, a cathedral and an archaeological museum. From 1595 and 1640 respectively until 1808 the Algarve was a semi-autonomous territory with its own taxation power under the Portuguese crown; during this time the kings held the title King of Portugal and the Algarve. In 1807 Spanish troops occupied the Algarve after Napoleon had invaded northern Portugal; the occupation ended in 1808 through the Olhão rebellion.

Towns and buildings

The severe earthquake and sea quake of 1755 damaged or destroyed numerous historic buildings across the Algarve. In Faro's old town, Vila-Adentro, stand the cathedral, the bishop's palace and an archaeological museum; north of the town, at Estói, stand the Palácio de Estói, a rococo palace converted into a pousada, and the ruins of the Roman villa of Milreu. Lagos carries a historic old town and was the starting point of the Portuguese voyages of discovery. Tavira, at the mouth of the Rio Gilão, combines the ruin of a Moorish castle, the Convento da Graça monastery, the Torre de Tavira with a camera obscura, and a museum of tuna fishing; in Sagres stands the Fortaleza de Sagres with the Rosa dos Ventos, said by legend to have been the seat of Henry the Navigator's school of seafaring.

Frequently asked questions about the best time to visit Algarve

Short answers on timing, weather and getting there, all from the data on this page.

When is the best time to visit Algarve?: The best time to visit Algarve is April–May (Wk 17–19): it is the quietest stretch among the region's best weather weeks – crowd level around 43 out of 100, weather comfort about 87 out of 100.
When is Algarve quietest?: January (Wk 2–4) is the quietest time in Algarve. Crowd levels there sit at 0 out of 100, the lowest across the year.
When is Algarve busiest?: Algarve is busiest in August (Wk 32) with around 851,472 overnight stays in the peak week.
What is the weather like in Algarve and when is it warmest?: It is warmest in Algarve in August with an average of 27 °C.
How do you get to Algarve?: Algarve is reachable via 2 destination airports with direct flights, including Faro Airport (FAO) and Portimao Airport (PRM).

The Crowd Report names the emptiest weeks of the coming months — for every region, not just this one. Free, unsubscribe any time.

Back to the map

How we calculate

Sources and data vintages

Every provenance note on this page, collected in one place.

Cover photo

Photo by Diego Gennaro on Unsplash

Cover video

Video by Voisy Mirkovic on Pexels

Crowding figures

Index 2.0 · As of 25/08/2026. v1 approximation, calculated from Eurostat overnight stays. Day tourism and cruises (Venice, Dubrovnik …) are still missing, so we show these destinations as quieter than they are. The crowd score is a model-based forecast, not a measurement.

Climate data

Generated using Copernicus Climate Change Service information 2025.

Reachability

Data sources: direct connections from Wikipedia (“Airlines and destinations”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, aggregated and modified by us), cross-checked with Eurostat, Destatis and the UK Civil Aviation Authority; airport data from OurAirports (Public Domain). The derived connection data is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Data as of: September 2026

Region text

Text by HolidayHub, written from Wikivoyage „Algarve“ (1800436) · Wikipedia „Algarve“ (269119156) · Wikidata Q26831. Wikivoyage and Wikipedia are licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikidata CC0.

Data basis

All figures are approximations derived from open data (crowd level from Eurostat overnight stays, climate from Copernicus/ERA5-Land), not measurements.

Month	Avg temperature (°C)	Day avg (°C)	Night avg (°C)	Precipitation (mm)
Jan	11	12	10	38
Feb	12	13	11	42
Mar	13	14	12	78
Apr	16	17	14	45
May	19	20	17	25
Jun	22	23	20	6
Jul	25	26	23	0
Aug	25	27	24	0
Sep	22	24	21	13
Oct	20	21	18	50
Nov	15	16	14	49
Dec	13	14	12	58

Month	≈ h of full midday sun per day
Jan	2.6
Feb	3.6
Mar	4.8
Apr	6.0
May	7.2
Jun	7.7
Jul	8.0
Aug	7.3
Sep	5.7
Oct	4.0
Nov	2.8
Dec	2.3

Month	Avg temperature (°C)	Day avg (°C)	Night avg (°C)	Precipitation (mm)
Jan	11	12	10	38
Feb	12	13	11	42
Mar	13	14	12	78
Apr	16	17	14	45
May	19	20	17	25
Jun	22	23	20	6
Jul	25	26	23	0
Aug	25	27	24	0
Sep	22	24	21	13
Oct	20	21	18	50
Nov	15	16	14	49
Dec	13	14	12	58

Month	≈ h of full midday sun per day
Jan	2.6
Feb	3.6
Mar	4.8
Apr	6.0
May	7.2
Jun	7.7
Jul	8.0
Aug	7.3
Sep	5.7
Oct	4.0
Nov	2.8
Dec	2.3