Algarve out of season

Everyone thinks of the beautiful Algarve beaches in July and August, but the Algarve has so much more to it than that and when the crowds have lessened it is so much easier to get around and enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. Being less than a 3 hour flight from the UK it is an ideal place for a 'long weekend' or a 'short break' to get a refreshing dose of sunshine during the winter months.

'Out of season' flights are cheap and plentiful and car hire is cheaper. There is also a wide range of accommodation to choose from at very affordable prices.

Autumn in the Algarve:

September and October

September and October are perhaps two of the best months to visit the Algarve - the temperatures hover around the mid to high 20's (in the shade),and often reach the mid 30's in the sun.There may be the odd shower or overcast day, but nothing to stop you getting out and about. T-shirt and shorts are still the order of the day; there is no need to queue for a table at your favourite restaurant; there's more room on the beaches and all the watersports are still available. If exploring the Algarve is more your thing - it's so much nicer weather for walking around. (We have a 'thing' about castles which, of course, are always on top of the steepest hill in the area - it's so much more enjoyable climbing up to them outside of the hottest months!).

By October, areas of countryside that looked a bit dry and dusty have started to 'green up' again and wild flowers have started to re-appear. It's also migration time for a lot of birds and there are plenty of places to watch them from.

Winter in the Algarve:

November and December

November to December is the ideal time for a 'short winter break' or even a 'long weekend' to the Algarve, to unwind before all the rush of Christmas. The days, although they can go a little cooler, still tend to be between 17-20°C in the shade , of course feeling warmer in the sun. It is still often t-shirt and shorts weather with a jumper at the ready when the sun goes down, although if the wind comes from the north the temperature can drop quite drastically once nightime comes (4° or 5°C on occassions!). It does rain from time to time, but it's rare for it to continue for even a full day - often it is just a very heavy downpour for 20 minutes or so and then the sun comes out and dries everything up before the next shower.

During these quieter winter months in the Algarve some of the restaurants and cafés will close for staff holidays and others may shorten their opening hours, but there are always plenty still to choose from. A benefit is that the staff are not so busy and will often enjoy telling visitors about their local area.

By now the wild flowers are starting to make the countryside look as if spring has come, and that is how it feels - springlike! It certainly makes you forget that Christmas is still to come! One reminder of the time of year is the smell of chestnuts roasting on roadside stalls across the Algarve - and the fact that the local Algarveans feel the cold and will all be dressed in their winter woollies, complete with boots and scarves! It does make it very easy to spot the 'incomers'!

Christmas in the Algarve:

If you fancy getting away from the hustle and bustle of Christmas, then do try the Algarve! It is nowhere near as commercialised as the UK and things don't really start happening until the end of November. Christmas decorations go up in the towns and villages and the palm trees along the water front promenades sparkle with Christmas lights. Take a look at the 'out of season' photos in our photo gallery and it will give you some idea of how the Algarve looks with it's Christmas lights and decorations.

The main resorts normally have various events throughout the Christmas season which are added to our events calendars as soon as we receive them (normally about the 3rd week in November). One year Faro even laid on some 'artificial snow' which certainly had the children very excited as they certainly won't see the 'real thing'!

A lot of the shops have their usual range of goods in, rather than gift packs bought in just for Christmas. Christmas trees, decorations and lights, lovely scented candles are all part of Christmas, but one thing that is noticeably different is the sending (or in this case, not sending!) of Christmas cards. Cards tend to be more for the immediate family, not sent in bulk! So the cards in the shops are, on the whole, rather expensive as they are individually wrapped and don't come in boxes. We did see a few boxes in some shops, but they were still quite expensive and not much choice. Maybe the Portuguese have got the right idea?

During October supermarket shelves start to fill up with very tempting boxes of sweets and chocolates and the very Algarvean boxes of beautifully decorated marzipan sweets, little fig cakes in various shapes and all sorts of glacé fruits, dried fruits and nuts. Come mid November there are delicious cakes decorated with glacé fruits and nuts, added to the always tempting displays of mouthwatering cakes and pastries that the Algarve is so well known for.

All the traditional foods for Christmas are available - turkey, cranberry sauce, bread sauce (if you don't make your own!), stuffing mixes and chestnuts aplenty. Turkeys are usually fresh and in all the supermarkets and butchers; the extras we found in some of the main supermarkets, like Intermarché, but also in some of the smaller supermarkets like the Ali-Supers. You don't see Christmas puddings, mincepies or traditional fruit Christmas cakes everywhere, but there are lots of 'English' food shops around that you can find them in.

If anyone is wondering about sprouts and parsnips, sprouts are available, though funnily enough we did struggle to find them for Christmas, but there were plenty around afterwards! Parsnips are more difficult - we have spotted them occasionally but don't always manage to get them for Christmas. Nevermind!

We have been to both of the Algarve's big shopping centres at Christmas now (Forum Algarve in Faro and Algarve Shopping in Guia) and although at first it felt a little strange shopping on Christmas Eve in the sunshine, we soon got used to it! There's nothing more enjoyable than pottering around the decorated shops, listening to Christimas music and seeing smiles from fellow shoppers and shop assistants! People looked like they had all the time in the world to get their last gifts - rather different than the frustrating queues of previous years with people fighting over the last turkey or pack of brussel sprouts! And we've never had so much help in choosing what to buy from shop assistants! On a practical note, supermarkets extend their opening hours from the beginning of November, so most are open all day 7 days a week including bank holidays; which probably helps to alleviate any chaos (although we're not convinced that there would be any anyway!).

Christmas celebrations in Portugal traditionally start on December 8th, (the day of 'Our Lady of the Conception') and end on twelfth night. Christmas itself is celebrated on Christmas Eve night with a big family meal, traditionally of 'bacalhau' (salted cod fish), and lots of delicious savoury and sweet nibbles. ('Fatias Douradas' - slices of bread dipped in a milk,sugar and egg mix, fried and dusted with cinnamon are one of the favourite Christmas nibbles in Algarvean homes along with various almond sweets.) Presents are opened at midnight and then Christmas Day is for relaxing with family and friends.

New Year in the Algarve

When it comes to deciding what to do at New Year, do you struggle to think what to do? New Year celebrations can become very expensive, with buying bar or club tickets and booking taxis, so why not think about getting more for your money and having a New Year with a difference?

We usually watch the firework displays on the river front in Lagos and (as long as it's a clear night) get a view of Portimão's display as well! Albufeira is well known for their open air concert at Fisherman's Beach (Praia dos Pescadores) on New Year's Eve and all the bars and clubs across the Algarve stay open until the early hours for the celebrations to continue.

Spring in the Algarve:

January and February

January and February are traditionally perhaps the coolest months, although often January is warm enough to still enjoy the beaches. The evenings can go quite cool, and certainly Lagos (known locally as the windy city) can have a very nippy breeze at times, particularly crossing over the marina bridge! By now the spring flowers are in full bloom, with new ones opening every day making the cliffs at Ponta da Piedade a mass of colour. Obviously there are occasional rainy days and a few cloudy days but most days are blue skies and sunny and the temperatures are very pleasant (maybe 16°-18°C in the shade, but feeling in the mid 20's in the sun). A light sweatshirt or jumper is normally all that you will need during the day, and a warmer jacket for evenings.

The weekend leading up to Shrove Tuesday is Algarve Carnival time and is usually in February - Loulé is the most well known for it's Brazilian style mardi-gras, but many towns and villages have their own very colourful celebrations.

March and April

March and April in the Algarve are lovely months because all the spring flowers are out and everywhere is green and fresh. The temperatures are normally 20-25°C (feeling like high 20's to low 30's in the sun)and although there may still be a shower of rain, the norm is for blue skies and sun. It's great beach weather but also still good for getting out into the countryside and exploring. It's still quite quiet so is perfect for getting around without the hustle and bustle.

The 'out of season' months in the Algarve are generally a great time to visit with young children as the climate is so much better for them than the very hot summer months.