June is the best month to visit Portugal.
With its warm, sunny and dry days, June offers the perfect climate for your holiday, while avoiding the intense and stifling heat of July and August. June also has the advantage of being just before the peak season, which means every tourist sight and activity is open, but they won't be completely overrun with visitors.

June is also festival season in Portugal (the Festas dos Santos Populares), with street parties and traditional dances held throughout the country.

As the entire of Portugal is blessed with glorious weather, you could choose any part of the country for your holiday. For a beach break, there are the lively resorts of the Algarve, the traditional coastal town of the Costa de Prata or the deserted beaches of the Alentejo region. For city breaks, there is vibrant Lisbon or characterful Porto, both ideal choices for a weekend visit.

 

 

June is also the perfect month for a touring holiday, taking in the central region, the beautiful Algarve, or the little-visited far north of Portugal.
This article provides a guide to Portugal in June, with some suggested tours and holiday ideas.
Related articles: 1 week in Portugal – Portugal best beach

When visiting Portugal in June, you can expect to find glorious weather across the entire country. It will be hot and dry, with few clouds and very little rain. The south of Portugal can be slightly warmer, however there is very little variance throughout the country.

By June, the wet weather of northern Portugal will be finished, making it a great time of year to visit this quieter area of the country. Daytime temperatures inland will be hot, but it will feel much more bearable than during the peak summer months.

The best Portuguese holiday in June is a city break to Lisbon or a touring holiday of the Algarve.

Lisbon is fantastic in June, with glorious weather and a buzzing atmosphere about the city. In addition to the sights, beaches and exciting nightlife, Lisbon will be celebrating the Festas dos Santos Populares (June 5th to 13th).

 

 

June is the perfect month for a touring holiday of the Algarve. The region has ideal weather for sightseeing, while the historic towns of Tavira, Silves and Loule will be free of the summer crowds.
Related articles: Our Lisbon guide - Guide to the Algarve

Lisbon is one of the best cities in Europe

The following sections will provide ideas for your June holiday to Portugal.
The first section details touring routes of Portugal that are great in June. The second section details the best beach destinations in Portugal, and includes towns that are ideal for a relaxing, lively or family holiday. The third section provides ideas for a short break to Portugal during June.

With June's fantastic weather, you could choose any part of the country for your holiday. Four recommended tours of Portugal in June include The Algarve, Lisbon to Porto, Northern Portugal and the undiscovered east.
Tour of the Algarve - Faro (1 day) - Tavira (2 days) – Albufeira (2 days) with a day trip to Loule – Portimão/ Praia da Rocha (2 days) with a day trip to Silves – Lagos (2 days) with a day trip to Sagres

Lisbon to Porto (2-week route) – Lisbon (4 days) with day trips to Sintra and Cascais - Mafra and Ericeira (1 day) – Peniche and Berlenga islands (1 day) - Obidos and Nazare (1 day) – Tomar and Fatima (1 day) - Coimbra (2 days) with a day trip to the schist villages – Aveiro and Costa Nova (1 day) - Porto (4 days) with day trips to Guimarães and Braga

Lisbon to Porto (1-week route) – Lisbon (1 day) – Sintra (1 day) – Cascais (1 day) – Obidos, Nazare and Batalha monastery (1 day) – Coimbra (1 day) - Porto (1 day) - Guimarães (1 day)

North Portugal tour - Porto (2 days) – Tour of Douro Valley (1 day) – Lamego (1 day) – Chaves (1 day) – Guimarães (1 day) – Braga (2 day) with day trip to Parque Nacional Peneda-Gerês (car needed) - Ponte de Lima (1day) - Viana do Castelo (2 days) with day trip to Valença

The undiscovered east of Portugal (Lisbon to Porto) - Lisbon - Evora – Elvas – Marvão - Castelo Branco – Monsanto- Parque Natural da Serra da Estrela & Linhares – Almeida & Castelo Rodrigo – Viseu – Lamego – Douro Valley (Pinhão & Tua) - Porto

If this is your first time visiting Portugal, we would suggest either the 'Algarve Tour' or the 'Lisbon to Porto' route. The 'North Portugal' and 'Undiscovered East' tours visit less well-known locations and provide a more authentic Portuguese experience.
The interactive map below displays these routes. The yellow is the 'Algarve tour', the green pins are the 'Lisbon to Porto 2-week tour', and the blue markers is 'Undiscovered East' route. (Note: zoom in to see all of the markers)

Tour of the Algarve 1) Faro 2) Tavira 3) Loule 4) Albufeira 5) Praia da Rocha 6) Silves 7) Lagos 8) Sagres
Lisbon to Porto (2weeks) 9) Lisbon 10) Sintra 11) Cascais 12) Mafra 13) Ericeira 14) Peniche 15) Obidos 16) Nazare 17) Tomar 18) Fatima 19) Coimbra 20) Aveiro 21) Porto 22) Guimarães 23) Braga
Undiscovered East - 9) Lisbon 24) Evora 25) Elvas 26) Marvão 27) Castelo Branco 28) Monsanto 29) Serra da Estrela 30) Linhares 31) Almeida 32) Viseu 33) Lamego 34) Douro Valley (Pinhão & Tua) – 21) Porto

Albufeira is an outstanding location for a holiday

A cruise down the picturesque Douro Valley

The hilltop village of Monsanto was constructed around it's huge boulders

(for an in-depth guide to each destination, do click on the underlined links)

There are many fantastic beach locations to choose from in Portugal. In the summer months, the majority of tourists flock to the Algarve and the region between Lagos and Vilamoura.

Albufeira is Portugal's largest and liveliest resort town, making it the perfect destination for a party holiday. Vilamoura is a sophisticated resort town renowned for its golf courses and is centred around a modern marina complex.
The city of Lagos provides the perfect blend of vibrant holiday destination and Portuguese culture, and lies along one of the finest sections of coastline in Portugal.

Smaller and more personable beach towns within the tourist region of the Algarve include Alvor, Carvoeiro, Olhos de Água and Praia da Luz. All of these towns would make an ideal choice for a family holiday in June.
Note: All of the Algarve's waterparks, theme parks and activities will be open in June.

Tavira in the eastern Algarve is the most traditional and charming town of the entire region, offering a more authentic Portuguese experience for visitors.
Our opinion: For a cultural holiday, choose Tavira, for a lively holiday go to Albufeira, and for a mix of both styles head to Lagos.

The beautiful beach at Carvoeiro

Atlantic coastline beach resorts
The western Atlantic coastline of Portugal has many beautiful beaches and characterful resort towns to choose from. June is the ideal time to visit them, as the prevailing winds will generally be coming from the northwest. This results in lighter sea breezes and weaker sea mists.

Cascais is the premier resort town of the Lisbon coastline, offering a lively atmosphere, stunning beaches and a real taste of Portuguese culture. Sesimbra is a calmer alternative close to Lisbon, which is a popular choice of destination for Portuguese holidaymakers.

The Atlantic coast is famed for its surfing, with the town of Ericeira regarded as the fashionable centre of surfing culture. Further north is the charming town of Nazaré.

To the south of Porto is Costa Nova, a picturesque beachside village with its colourful striped houses. Popular with the residents of Porto is the modern resort town of Povoa de Varzim.

For more peaceful beach destinations, consider Foz do Arelho on the mouth of the Lagoa de Óbidos lagoon, or São Martinho do Porto, a cove beach sheltered behind a high cliff.

Mostly undiscovered by foreign tourists are the pristine beaches and unspoilt countryside of the Alentejo coastline. This is a fantastic region to visit if you'd prefer to escape the tourist masses, with the best beach towns being Vila Nova de Milfontes, Porto Covo, Zambujeira do Mar or Odeceixe. To the northern side of the Alentejo coastline are the paradise beaches of Troia.

Cascais is always a fun holiday destination

The pristine and deserted Alentejo coastline – this is the Praia do Almograve close to Vila Nova de Milfontes

The map below displays the location of the best beach resort towns in Portugal – the yellow marks are for the Algarve coastline, and the green pins are for the Atlantic coastline.

Beach holiday destions in the Algarve: 1) Albufeira 2) Vilamoura 3) Lagos 4) Alvor 5) Carvoeiro 6) Olhos de Água 7) Praia da Luz 8) Tavira
Beach holiday destions along Atlantic coastline: 9) Cascais 10) Sesimbra 11) Ericeira 12) Nazaré 13) Costa Nova 14) Povoa de Varzim 15) Foz do Arelho 16) São Martinho do Porto 17) Vila Nova de Milfontes 18) Porto Covo 19) Zambujeira do Mar 20) Troia

Portugal makes the ideal choice of destination for a short break, including a weekend trip.
The most obvious choices for a short trip are Portugal's two largest cities - Lisbon and Porto. Both cities have a vibrant atmosphere and offer a variety of sights to see and activities to enjoy. Each has its own their own airport, with flights covering much of Europe, making them incredibly easy to reach.

A three-day break in Lisbon could include visits to the Alfama, Baixa and Belem districts, a day trip to Sintra, or some time spent relaxing on one of the region's beautiful beaches. If you have three days in Porto you could explore its historic centre, go port wine tasting, or take a leisurely boat cruise along the Douro River. There are also day trips available to Braga or Guimarães.

An alternative for a short break is to fly into the Algarve. Albufeira, Vilamoura and Praia da Rocha are all amazing resort towns where you can enjoy a quick dose of sun and holiday fun.

Faro is rarely considered for a short trip, however its historic centre is very pretty. From Faro you could take day trips to Loule and Olhão, or visit the beach at Praia de Faro.

Porto sits on the Douro River and historically boats transported barrels of Port wine to be stored in the huge cellars that line the river

Sintra just outside of Lisbon is the setting of the whimsical Palácio Nacional da Pena

June is festival month in Portugal, when the Festas dos Santos Populares (the popular saint festival) is celebrated. The patron saint of Lisbon is Saint Anthony, with his feast day being on the 13th of June. The patron saint of Porto, Saint John, is celebrated on the 24th of June. In the weeks leading up to the patron saint days you can join the vibrant street parties, watch traditional dances and see the cities decorated with colourful streamers.
Insight: The week leading up to the 13th of June is the best time of year to visit Lisbon. There are massive street parties every evening and a large carnival on the night of the 12th.

Lisbon is a truly amazing place to visit in June!
The city buzzes with excitement over the Festas dos Santos Populares, there are tasty sardine BBQs to try, and tinsel decorating the streets. You'll also find traditional dances most evenings from the 2nd to the 13th.

Lisbon is the busiest area of Portugal in June, however there are fewer tourists than in July and August. This is a great month for sightseeing, as while the weather will be hot, it won't be intensely draining.

You can explore the pretty Belem district that extends along the Tejo estuary, visiting the Torre de Belem and magnificent Mosteiro dos Jerónimos. There's also the Alfama district and its delightful maze of cobbled streets, which is home to many of Lisbon's oldest sights, such as the castle and Se Cathedral.

The glorious weather in June means you could spend time on Lisbon's beaches, many of which are just a short train ride away. Cascais is the best beach resort of the Lisbon coastline. You could also take a day trip to Sintra, the setting of the whimsical Palácio Nacional da Pena.