Best Time to Visit the Azores
The Azores have a mild, humid Atlantic climate with no true dry season, and weather that can shift within the same day. The high season runs roughly June to September, when the odds of sunshine are best and hydrangeas are in full bloom, and the shoulder months are April-May and September-October. Here is when to go — and when to think twice.
Long daylight hours, hydrangeas coming into bloom, good odds of calm seas for whale watching and inter-island ferries — all before the peak summer crowds and highest prices.
Sea temperatures stay at their warmest for swimming and boat trips, while crowds and prices drop well below the August peak.
One of the wettest and stormiest months of the year, when rough seas often cancel whale-watching trips and inter-island ferries.
| Month | Weather | Crowds | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 13 to 17°C | Low | Low | Quiet season, mild but wet and windy, some guesthouses and restaurants on the smaller islands close, the best hotel rates of the year |
| February | 13 to 17°C | Low | Low | Still quiet and wet, occasional storms disrupt inter-island ferries, a good month for empty streets in Ponta Delgada |
| March | 14 to 17°C | Low | Low | Days start warming, first hydrangea leaves appear, seas still often rough for boat trips |
| April | 14 to 18°C | Medium | Medium | Milder and increasingly green, a comfortable month for hiking before the summer crowds |
| May | 16 to 20°C | Medium | Medium | Warm days, long daylight hours, hydrangeas beginning to bloom, one of the best all-round months to visit |
| June | 18 to 22°C | High | High | Summer settles in, hydrangeas in full bloom, good odds for whale watching, high season and prices beginning to rise |
| July | 20 to 24°C | High | High | Warm and mostly dry, the busiest month for whale watching and the Pico ascent, book tours and boat trips ahead |
| August | 21 to 25°C | High | High | Peak warmth and peak crowds, the best chance of calm seas for inter-island ferries, book accommodation well ahead |
| September | 20 to 24°C | Medium | Medium | Heat eases while the sea stays at its warmest, fewer crowds than August, a favourite month with repeat visitors |
| October | 18 to 22°C | Medium | Medium | Cooling and increasingly wet, rougher seas can disrupt boat trips, good light for photography |
| November | 16 to 19°C | Low | Low | One of the wettest and windiest months of the year, some inter-island ferries suspended, fewer visitors |
| December | 14 to 18°C | Low | Medium | Mild but often wet and windy, Christmas lights add some life to Ponta Delgada, quiet outside the holiday week |