SeasonMapNazaré weather by month
Portugal
The best time to visit Nazaré is July to September — 88/100 in August, 26°C and 1 rainy day. The best season is summer, June to August (87/100 on average).
The worst month is January at 61/100 — cool, a little rain, clean air. See January →
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
Planning the wider trip? Best time to visit Portugal →
Nazaré, month by month
Comfort score out of 100 for the kind of trip Nazaré is best for, the average high, rainy days and hours of sun a day from the climate normals, and how busy it tends to be.
| Month | Score | Tier | High | Rain | Sun | Crowds | On |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JanJanuary | 61 | C | 15°C | 9 d | 7 h | Peak | 3 |
| FebFebruary | 68 | C | 16°C | 8 d | 8 h | Peak | 3 |
| MarMarch | 71 | B | 17°C | 12 d | 10 h | Peak | 3 |
| AprApril | 76 | B | 19°C | 12 d | 11 h | Busy | — |
| MayMay | 81 | A | 21°C | 7 d | 12 h | Shoulder | — |
| JunJune | 85 | A | 23°C | 6 d | 13 h | Busy | 1 |
| JulJuly | 87 | A | 25°C | 2 d | 13 h | Busy | 1 |
| AugAugust | 88 | A | 26°C | 1 d | 12 h | Peak | 2 |
| SepSeptember | 87 | A | 25°C | 5 d | 11 h | Peak | 2 |
| OctOctober | 77 | B | 23°C | 10 d | 9 h | Busy | 2 |
| NovNovember | 65 | C | 18°C | 12 d | 7 h | Busy | 3 |
| DecDecember | 62 | C | 16°C | 10 d | 7 h | Peak | 3 |
What's on in Nazaré through the year
Festivals, natural spectacles, holidays and the seasons to watch out for — curated and sourced. The month pages carry the detail.
- June
- Beach season on the main praia15 Jun – 20 Sep (usually)Season
- August
- Portuguese August1–31 AugSeason
- September
- Romaria de Nossa Senhora da Nazare5–10 SepFestival
- October
- Tow Surfing Challenge window15 Oct – 15 Mar (usually)Festival
- Big-wave season, Praia do Norte15 Oct – 15 Mar (usually)Season
- November
- Out of season in town1 Nov – 31 MarSeason
Crowds in Nazaré in August
How busy the place itself is — school and mass holidays, the months an editor tagged, and how sought-after the weather makes them. Never part of the comfort score.
Peak crowdsPortuguese August, Summer holidays in Portugal, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Good to know before you go to Nazaré
Real experiences from travellers' own write-ups, quoted with a link to the original.
Visas & entry
A guide to viewing Nazaré's giant waves recommends visiting between November and March, with December through February as the peak months for the biggest Atlantic swells, though the show itself can't be scheduled and patience is genuinely part of the deal. Their advice on where to watch: the cliffs near the Nazaré Lighthouse overlooking Praia do Norte give the classic elevated view favored by photographers, while standing at Praia do Norte itself puts you at ground level close enough to see surfers being towed into the waves.