Tavira weather in December
December in Tavira: cool, a little rain, with clean air — a good time to visit.
Updated September 2026 · climate normals from ERA5 reanalysis
#12 of 12 months in Tavira · #791 of 1413 destinations to visit in December · comfort 68/100 (tier C)
- Days
- 17°C
- Nights
- 12°C
- Wet days
- 6
- Sun
- 7.6 h
- Humidity
- 78%
- Daylight
- 10 h

Traveller notes on Tavira in December
Notes from nearby Albufeira (54 km away)
Tavira doesn't have its own notes for December yet — these are about Albufeira, close enough to share the season.
Forum posters describe December as genuinely variable day to day - a nice, sunny 18-20C one day, 13C and rainy the next - with average daytime temperatures commonly cited around 16-18C and nights cooling to 8-10C. Posters are consistent it can and does rain, but not all day every day, and that the Algarve's winter climate is generally mild compared to a UK winter even on a wetter day. Posters flag a real seasonal quirk: sun loungers and lifeguards are absent from the beach this time of year, and the sea itself can run rough, so caution near the water is worth noting even on an otherwise pleasant, sunny December day. Posters note many tourist bars and restaurants reopen specifically for the Christmas and New Year stretch after a quieter start to the month.
Other months in Tavira
Regulars are specific this end of the Algarve runs a touch warmer than the western end, though by this point in the month it's genuinely warm pretty much everywhere along the coast, safely bankable beach weather by local consensus. Our row backs that mild, genuinely dry read, 23.6C over 16.1C nights feeling 15C, with rain light at 27.2mm across 4.3 days and humidity at 64 percent. Regulars are consistent this remains one of the more reliable months for sunshine and warmth without the peak-summer crowds, a real practical upside for anyone basing near Tavira over the busier western resorts. The sea sits at 18.8C. The record: 12.6 hours of sun, an 18.5 kph wind and AQI 43.
Tavira-forum threads on April weather describe a genuine toss-up: one visitor's third week of April brought a full week of very good weather, while another's stay leaned rainy despite starting off sunny and warm. Early spring here is called surprisingly wet by regulars, weather systems passing through more often than the Algarve's summer reputation suggests, though any given shower tends to be brief rather than an all-day soak. Temperatures run mild rather than warm this early in the season, cool enough mornings and evenings that a jacket or sweater earns its place in the bag alongside the usual daytime layers. The back half of April is consistently described as warmer than the front half, so a later-month visit tilts the odds toward the better outcome. The record: 20.2C days feeling like 20C, 13.6C nights, 44mm across 8.6 days, a still-cool 17.8C sea, 70 percent humidity and 11.4 hours of sun.
Tavira-forum threads on September weather call it, along with October, the best stretch in the Algarve - warm without peak summer's intensity, T-shirt and shorts weather most days with the odd shower mixed in rather than a defining feature. Evenings are the one place it turns: posters describe cooling fast enough after sunset to want a cardigan or light jacket for dining outdoors, even on a day that felt properly warm by UK standards. Late in the month can still feel like summer or tip toward more unsettled, a genuine toss-up rather than a sure thing either way. The record: 26.9C days feeling like 28C, 19.7C nights, just 16mm across 2.5 days, a 19.6C sea, 63 percent humidity and 11.1 hours of sun.
June is dry and warm in the eastern Algarve, and the forum's figures for Faro and Tavira - up to 30C by day, 17 or 18C overnight - sit a little above our row's 26.6C and 18.8C. The reason to be on this end of the coast rather than the west is the water: the eastern Algarve is warmer, both air and sea, and our row's 20.8C is several degrees up on the Atlantic-facing towns. Tavira itself is the quiet option, with a relaxed feel, plenty of bars and restaurants but nothing like the busier resorts, and June arrives before the crowds do - one regular found it busy with tourists and still would not call it touristy. The record: 1.5 precipitation days carrying 6mm, humidity 60 percent and 13.1 hours of sun.
Add your own note from Tavira's card on the map.
Tavira climate normals — December
Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis. AQI is the mean US Air Quality Index for the month.
Crowds in Tavira in December
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 crowdsChristmas and New Year, Christmas holidays in Portugal, school holidays in 7 of the markets that fill it(estimated)
Peak crowdsBusyShoulder seasonQuiet
Best months for Tavira's weather
Ranked by this destination's own climate comfort score across the year — a different thing from how busy it gets (see Crowds above).
Toughest weatherTavira's weather peaks June–August, best around July.
Best weatherFair weatherToughest weather
What's on in Tavira in December
Recurring seasonal events, natural spectacles, closures and holidays — curated and sourced.
- Nature
Waders on the Ria Formosa
1 Oct – 31 Mar · usuallyBirdlife seasonThe lagoon fills with wintering waders from October: flamingos on the salt pans, spoonbills, avocets and the resident storks nesting on every chimney by February.
- Season
Out of season
1 Nov – 28 FebOff-season shutdownThe mildest corner of mainland Portugal in winter and one of the few Algarve towns that keeps working when the season ends, so the market and the tascas stay open on empty streets.
- Holiday
Christmas and New Year
24 Dec – 1 JanChristmas & New YearClosuresChristmas is kept at home: from the afternoon of 24 December through the 25th most restaurants, shops and museums close, and 1 January is just as quiet. Restaurants that do open on New Year's Eve usually sell set dinners that book up ahead. Source ↗
Nearby, and something's on
Within 300 km of Tavira — a day trip or a short hop — with something on this month. Never part of the comfort score.
Where is Tavira?
Tavira in December — FAQ
- Is December a good time to visit Tavira?
- December in Tavira: cool, a little rain, with clean air — a good time to visit. It ranks #12 of 12 months for Tavira on SeasonMap's comfort score (68/100).
- What is the weather like in Tavira in December?
- In December, Tavira averages a daily high of 16.8°C and a low of 11.8°C, with about 55.1 mm of rain over roughly 6.3 rainy days.
- What is the air quality in Tavira in December?
- Tavira has a mean US Air Quality Index of about 31 in December.
Within 300 km: Faro's Winter birds on the Ria Formosa around 1 Nov – 31 Mar, and Évora's Olive harvest around 1 Nov – 31 Jan.