Portugal · Europe · northern hemisphere
Algarve is at its best for hiking in March to April and October to November. Good but not prime in February, May and December. Crowds peak in July and bottom out in December.
| J | F | M | A | M | J | J | A | S | O | N | D | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swimming | 16 | 15 | 12 | 17 | 42 | 70 | 89 | 90 | 91 | 64 | 15 | 15 |
| Lakes & Coastline | 14 | 42 | 59 | 87 | 92 | 93 | 76 | 73 | 93 | 88 | 58 | 15 |
| Hiking | 37 | 63 | 86 | 96 | 79 | 24 | 8 | 5 | 47 | 97 | 83 | 55 |
| Crowds |
Swipe the table sideways for the rest of the year.
Two Algarves — the sheltered, developed strip in the east, and the windswept Atlantic west coast where the water is several degrees colder and the surf is serious, with the change gradual rather than sudden
Coastal day walks on clifftop and sand paths. No guide needed; the west-coast sections are harder going than they look.
Assuming the west coast swims like the south coast. Around Sagres and up toward Odeceixe the Atlantic runs a few degrees colder and rougher than the south coast.
July and August, with British and Irish school holidays on top of the Portuguese ones
The south-coast cove beaches are sheltered and shallow, and the resorts are built for families. Cliff edges above them are unfenced and crumbly.
Albufeira and Vilamoura are the package end. Tavira in the east is a proper Portuguese town with island beaches reached by ferry, and Sagres in the west is cheap, windy and closer to the good walking.
The walking season here is the northern winter and spring — February to April is warm, green and empty. July on the Fishermen’s Trail is deep soft sand in full sun.
0 is this destination’s own quietest month and 100 its busiest. The scale never compares one destination to another. Source: Wikipedia — Lagos, Portugal