Porto Weather by Month: Temperatures, Rain and When to Go

Most of what you read about when to go to Porto points the same way. May is named by 12 of 15 guides, September by 11 and June by 10, so late spring and early autumn are the safe picks. July and August are the driest and warmest, and also the busiest. Winter is mild and wet. Roam Porto read 15 guides in English, Spanish, French, German and Portuguese. Every temperature and rainfall figure below comes from IPMA, Portugal’s weather and sea institute, and not from those guides.

The short list of months

Porto weather by month

The figures are IPMA’s climate normals for the Porto / Pedras Rubras station, averaged over 1991 to 2020 (IPMA climate normals). Pedras Rubras is the airport station, about 11 km north-north-west of the centre and close to the coast, so the city itself can run a little different. A rainy day is one with 1 mm or more.

These are averages. A single week can run several degrees either side, so pack for the range and check the forecast before you travel.

May

Recommended by 12 of 15 guides read.

May is the month most guides pick. The high is 20.3°C, the low is 12.3°C and rain is down to 86 mm over 8.9 days, so you get long days for the old town on foot without the summer crowds. Bring a light layer for the evening. The May events page shows what’s on.

September

Recommended by 11 of 15 guides read.

September is warmer than June, with a high of 23.5°C, and it has 68 mm of rain over 5.8 days. Several guides add that the Douro grape harvest starts around now, and that the summer crowds thin out. A dry afternoon here is an easy one for the Jardins do Palácio de Cristal. See the September events page for dates.

June

Recommended by 10 of 15 guides read.

June is warm and fairly dry before midsummer, with a high of 22.7°C and 34 mm of rain over 4.9 days. It is also the month of São João, which 5 of the guides single out as the reason to come, and a few warn that hotels fill up around it. The programme for the coming year isn’t published yet, so check the June events page for what’s dated.

July and August

Recommended by 3 of 15 guides read, a less common pick.

These are the driest months, with 17 mm of rain in July and 29 mm in August, and the warmest, with highs of 24.3°C and 24.8°C. Six guides point out that the city is at its busiest and dearest, so book ahead if you go. This is the season for the coast. Foz do Douro has Praia do Molhe and the Pérgola do Molhe, and Matosinhos has the wide Praia de Matosinhos. The Piscina das Marés is another seafront option, so check its own page for its dates. The July and August events pages list the rest.

Winter and the wet months

Winter for low prices and quiet: recommended by 9 of 15 guides read. Rain from October to April: noted by 9.

Rain arrives fast in autumn. October still reaches 20.7°C but gets 149 mm over 11.1 days, and November drops to 16.8°C with 166 mm over 13.0 days, the most of any month. Winter stays mild, with highs between 14.0°C and 15.0°C and lows between 6.4°C and 7.6°C. December and January bring about 150 mm each, and February is drier at 98 mm. The trade is cheaper rooms and quieter sights, so plan around museums, markets and cellars and carry a rain jacket.

The Bolhão Market, the Palácio da Bolsa, the Soares dos Reis National Museum and the Cálem cellars all work in the rain, so check each page for its hours and closing days. The Things to Do in Porto guide has an “If it rains” section. The November, December, January and February events pages show what’s on.

Less common picks

Four guides name April, though one calls it surprisingly rainy. The figures show 96 mm over 10.4 days, so treat it as a showery month. Three guides name October, mostly the first half, before the rain picks up.

Which month to pick

For mild days with fewer showers, go in May or September. For the longest evenings and São João, June. For the beach and the driest weather, July and August, with a booking made early. Winter and November suit museums, markets and cellars, and bring the lowest prices. Porto events by season has the dated events in one place, where to base yourself is in where to stay in Porto, and the closing days that catch people out are in the Porto travel tips.

Places in this guide

Photos show the actual places, licensed under Creative Commons and credited to their photographers.

Jardins do Palácio de Cristal Massarelos Photo: Vitor Oliveira Pérgola do Molhe Foz do Douro Photo: Sergei Gussev Praia de Matosinhos Matosinhos Photo: Cornelius Kibelka Bolhão Market Bolhão and Santa Catarina Photo: Reading Tom Palácio da Bolsa Ribeira Photo: Vitor Oliveira Soares dos Reis National Museum Massarelos Photo: Reading Tom Cálem Cellars Vila Nova de Gaia Photo: Michael Gaylard