When to visit the Algarve

With fabulous weather in the summer, a temperate climate in the winter, limited annual rainfall and warm water temperatures, the Algarve is a welcome destination all year round. Although the summer months do see a much larger influx of tourists as Portuguese holidaymakers descend on its shores, the Algarve’s moderate temperatures in winter make a saunter along its beautiful beaches, a turn on one its many golf courses, a visit to the picturesque villages in the mountains or a taste of the local cuisine an equally enjoyable pastime at any time of the year.

Local festivals and events do add a touch of flavour to some of the towns and cities and attract even more visitors to the Algarve. Whether they celebrate religious, gastronomic, historical, musical or sporting events, they all invariably lead to a great deal of partying and entertainment. The Loulé carnival is one of the most renowned in the whole of Portugal and provides 3 days of street animation as singing and dancing, floats and colourful costumes brighten up the city centre.

Despite the solemnity of the occasion, the Algarve brings colour and cheer to its Easter and Holy Week celebrations, with bands accompanying many of the processions and balconies and windows decorated with flowers and bright quilts. The famous Easter Sunday processions in São Brás de Alportel attract visitors who are eager to see the lit torches adorned with herbs and wild flowers that parade down the streets.

Gastronomic festivals abound in this food-loving region. The Olhão Shellfish Festival in August brings together a multitude of stalls exhibiting various types of shellfish as well as local sweets and handicraft, while live concerts and varied forms of animation help to liven up the warm Algarve evenings. The Sardine Festival is held in Portimão in August with 10 consecutive nights of sardine dishes, music, handicraft and fireworks. Silves hosts the popular annual 10-day Silves Beer Festival at the beginning of July during which several well-known bands and singers accompany the partying and beer-tasting.

Historical festivals are held in Silves, where the August Medieval Fair recreates the region’s historical past and the town comes alive with Moors and Christians re-enacting, the conquest and where jesters, dancers, snake charmers and many other period characters flood the streets. Castro Marim also hosts a 4-day Medieval festival in August when the local population re-creates the daily aspects of Medieval life in the streets and castle.

Sporting events also draw visitors to the Algarve and include the annual Portugal Masters golfing tournament which has been held at Vilamoura’s Oceanico Victoria Golf Course for the past 3 years and Portimão’s circuit of the Superbike World Championships.

For more information on the climate, please visit the Algarve Weather page.