Best time to visit the Azores for a holiday, a family trip or a work month

The short answer: June to September if you want the best odds of dry days, warm sea and clear views into the crater lakes; May and late September/early October if you’d trade a few rainy days for fewer people; November to March only if hot springs and quiet matter more than sun. Rain is possible in every month [1]. Winter in detail: the Azores in winter.

Sea data, checked 11 October 2026: we calculated monthly averages from NOAA OISST v2.1 for 2001–2020 at 37.625° N, 25.625° W, offshore from Ponta Delgada [12]. We averaged each year’s daily values within each month, then averaged those 20 monthly means. The 0.25° grid combines satellite and in-water observations; it represents offshore surface water, not a reading at a beach or pool. These are historical averages, not a forecast. Dataset method: [4].

Which season for which trip

• Beach, swimming and crater views (June–September): the driest stretch, July above all, and the warmest sea. August is also the busiest month (below).
• A quieter week with decent odds (May, late September, early October): fewer people, more rainy days, cooler sea in May.
• Hot springs, work weeks and low prices (November–March): mild but wet; see the Azores in winter.
• With kids: official bathing seasons on São Miguel run roughly June to September; dates per beach are in best beaches in the Azores, and the family planning is in Azores with kids.

Temperatures, rain and sea for every month are in Azores weather by month; this page only covers crowds and what’s open.

Crowds (SREA, 2026)

• January 2026: 121,200 guest-nights across the Azores, 55% of them by residents of Portugal [2].
• August 2026: 695,300 guest-nights, 82% by foreign visitors; hotel bed occupancy 76.3% [3]. São Miguel alone had 423,400 of the hotel and local-lodging nights [3].
• Guest-nights have fallen year on year for 11 months in a row up to August 2026 [3]. The data doesn’t say why; the end of Ryanair’s flights in March 2026 is one change in that period (flights guide).

What opens and closes with the season

• Lagoa do Fogo shuttle: 1 August–30 September and Easter; private cars can’t use the road then. Outside those dates you can drive up [6].
• Ilhéu de Vila Franca: boats 12 June–11 October 2026 only, 400 visitors a day [7].
• Piscinas de São Pedro (Ponta Delgada saltwater pools): June–September [8].
• Caldeira Velha: open all year; until 20:30 May–September, 17:00 November–March [9].
• Surf lessons: on Santa Bárbara beach June–September, “condition dependent” October–May [10].
• Flights: Azores Airlines suspends Paris, Barcelona and Frankfurt in winter 2026/27 [11].

Shoulder months, honestly

• May: 8.7 rainy days and highs of 20.2 °C, but the sea is still cool (17.8 °C) [1][12].
• October: warm (22.6 °C) with a 21.3 °C sea, but 13.7 rainy days. The islet boats stop and the shuttle season is over [1][12][7][6].
• Altitude: the crater lakes get far more rain than the coast, about 196 mm more a year for every 100 m of height [5]. A sunny morning in Ponta Delgada doesn’t mean a clear view at Sete Cidades. Keep a flexible day in your plan.