What Are the Warmest Cities in Portugal?

Portugal’s climate is one of the warmest and sunniest in Europe. The country’s pleasantly warm weather, sandy beaches, natural wonders, and numerous golf courses attract many new residents each year.

While Portugal is a relatively small country, the differences in climate can be notable.

In this article I’ll share with you my list of the warmest Portuguese cities with at least 15,000 residents. I’ll cover the top 10 in more detail and then present the entire ranking in a table with 34 major cities in the country.

Top 10 Warmest Cities in Portugal

Here are the top 10 warmest places in Portugal. They’re ranked by their annual daily mean temperature. Each city also includes temperatures in the coldest month (January) and in the warmest month (July). The list includes mainland Portugal as well as Madeira and the Azores.

1. Funchal – 19.55 °C

Funchal is the capital city of Madeira, a Portuguese island in the Atlantic Ocean. Funchal features a subtropical Mediterranean climate with warm temperatures year round. While it does have wet winters with 10-13 days of rain a month, it’s still much warmer than the Algarve region (though much less sunny year round). Because of the moderating effect of the Atlantic Ocean, Funchal never gets very hot. Average temperatures range roughly from 20 to 25 degrees Celsius. This means year round beach weather, making it a perfect destination to get some winter sun.

Average high temperature in January: 19.7 °C

Average high temperature in July: 25.1 °C

2. Faro – 17.9 °C

Faro is the hottest place in mainland Portugal. It has mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers. While Funchal has high winter temperatures even at night (of about 13-15 °C), in Faro temperatures dip to 8-10 °C. Even with cooler nights, Faro is still frequently visited even in the low season by tourists from northern Europe. The city is also one of the sunniest in Europe. It gets 3,044 sunshine hours a year.

Average high temperature in January: 16.1 °C

Average high temperature in July: 29.2 °C

3. Ponta Delgada – 17.85 °C

Ponta Delgada is the most populous city in the Azores. Located on São Miguel Island, it’s the capital of the archipelago. Its mild maritime climate gives it spring-like weather year round but it also gives it a lot of rain. In fact, it’s one of the least sunny cities in Portugal, with only 1,738 hours of sunshine (a similar number to cold cities in northern Europe like Berlin). While winter is the rainy season in Ponta Delgada, it rains a lot even in the summer.

Average high temperature in January: 17.3 °C

Average high temperature in July: 24.3 °C

4. Lisbon – 17.4 °C

The capital city of Portugal is located on the Tagus River. It’s one of the warmest big cities in Europe. Expect temperatures around 15-16 °C in the winter and 26-28 °C in the summer. Lisbon can get a lot of rainfall between December and February, with 15 rainy days in the rainiest month of January and February.

Average high temperature in January: 14.8 °C

Average high temperature in July: 27.9 °C

5. Tavira — 17.35 °C

Tavira is a city in Eastern Algarve, just 27 km west of the Spanish border. The city is located in Gilão River which meets the Atlantic Ocean there. Tavira is the sunniest city in Portugal and one of the sunniest in Europe. It enjoys 3,177 hours of sun a year. While it’s slightly cooler than Faro during winter, the extra sunshine makes up for it. If you’re looking for authentic Portugal, the charming town of Tavira is a good option as it’s not so popular among tourist as other spots in the region.

Average high temperature in January: 15.4 °C

Average high temperature in July: 30.7 °C

6. Portimão – 17.2 °C

Portimão is one of the major cities on the southern coast of the Algarve. Along with high temperatures year round it’s also one of the sunniest cities in Portugal. It gets 3,019 sunshine hours a year which is only slightly lower than Faro. The city is known for some beautiful beaches like Três Castelos beach that you see in every article on Portugal’s tourist attractions.

Average high temperature in January: 15.9 °C

Average high temperature in July: 28.4 °C

7. Lagos – 17.2 °C

Lagos is one of the major cities in Western Algarve. It’s known for its spectacular Atlantic coastline with a long beach called Meia Praia. Lagos enjoys typical for this part of Portugal weather: hot, dry summers and mild, wet winters.

Average high temperature in January: 15.9 °C

Average high temperature in July: 28.1 °C

8. Santarém – 17 °C

Santarém is a city located 83 km northeast of Lisbon. Because it’s more inland, it experiences hotter summers that may be uncomfortable to some.

Average high temperature in January: 14.9 °C

Average high temperature in July: 30.7 °C

9. Beja – 16.85 °C

Beja is a city in the Alentejo region and the most inland location in this ranking. Because of its distance from the coast, it has by far the hottest summers in Portugal, with temperatures that most people would find unbearably hot.

Average high temperature in January: 14 °C

Average high temperature in July: 33.3 °C

10. Vila Franca de Xira – 16.65 °C

Vila Franca de Xira is a city on the outskirts of Lisbon. It has cooler winter nights than Lisbon and hotter summers.

Average high temperature in January: 14.6 °C

Average high temperature in July: 28.8 °C

Top 34 Warmest Portuguese Cities Ranked by the Average Temperature

Here’s a table with 34 major Portuguese cities that have at least 15,000 residents. Some cities are missing because I couldn’t find climate data for them. The data comes primarily from IPMA.

You may also be interested in articles about the warmest cities in other European countries.

I also wrote an article answering the question of “Where is it warm all year round in Europe?” You may also want to read my article What’s the Hottest Country in Europe?