# Weather on Silver Coast / Algarve



## Stellen

We are looking to buy a place near Nazare on the Silver Coast. However, we are now having second thoughts because of the amount of rain this year and the large number of rainy days. We don't want very hot summers but we do like the sunshine. Should we look at the Algarve instead? What are the differences in temperature and more importantly, rainfall?


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## Silverwizard

Stellen said:


> We are looking to buy a place near Nazare on the Silver Coast. However, we are now having second thoughts because of the amount of rain this year and the large number of rainy days. We don't want very hot summers but we do like the sunshine. Should we look at the Algarve instead? What are the differences in temperature and more importantly, rainfall?


Hi Stellen,
I live less than half an hour's drive from Nazare,& have to say I love the place.
However I can understand your concern about the weather in the winter,yes it
has been a very wet winter/spring this year,but this is the exception rather than
the rule,that said,to be perfectly honest it can get very cold in the winters here.
It goes without saying that in the Algarve you will get a much more temperate 
year-round climate,with generally much less wind & rain.
You also say you don't want very hot summers,I've been in the Algarve in August
& the temperature has hit 40deg+,that's HOT!!
Property prices also tend to be far higher in the Algarve,than here on The Silver Coast.
Hope this goes some way toward answering your questions.
Regards.


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## siobhanwf

The Algarve were just a plagued with bad weather last winter as we were on the Silver Coast. Indeed there were some days they were even worse off. A portuguese friend of ours describes Portugal as being a cold country with warm sun! 

As Silverwizard says the temperature in August in the Algarve can rise into the 40s c. Then you have the winters when some towns are ghost towns..the toourist have gone and so have the portuguese back to their homes elsewhere


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## siobhanwf

PPS 

Right now the temperature in Faro 21° 2:18 PM MOSTLY CLOUDY
according to AccuWeather.com 

while it is 22c in Rio Maior.

Peniche 22° 2:15 PM CLOUDS AND SUN

Many forget that Porutugal is not a medittarrean country, all it's coast is boardered by the Atlantic Ocean


You can generally bank on the temperature on the Silver Coast being a few degrees less than that on the Algarve


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## Stellen

Thanks for the prompt replies. I think we will stick with the Silver Coast. The Algarve is too toursity for us.

How cold does it get it winter? I lived in Provence for three years and the winters were often very cold with long periods of below zero temperatures but not much rain. It was hot in summer.

I'm presently based in Dubai where it is already 40 C or more with high humidity and summer hasn't yet started!


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## silvers

We live in a wide open area and if it's going to get cold, here will be amongst the coldest. I had to de-ice the car 3 times this winter, not too bad for a Manchester boy who is used to doing it for six months of the year!


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## Silverwizard

Stellen said:


> Thanks for the prompt replies. I think we will stick with the Silver Coast. The Algarve is too toursity for us.
> 
> How cold does it get it winter? I lived in Provence for three years and the winters were often very cold with long periods of below zero temperatures but not much rain. It was hot in summer.
> 
> I'm presently based in Dubai where it is already 40 C or more with high humidity and summer hasn't yet started!


Hi Stellen,
It can get very cold here in the winter,with overnight temperatures on occasion dropping down to almost zero!
You also have a problem with the way houses are built here,to say the least they are not on the whole very well insulated,if at all!
Great in the summer for keeping cool,but definitely woolly jumper time in the winter.
As far as rain is concerned,we border the Atlantic,so we get more than our fair share at times.
Still for all that,we love the place & wouldn't live anywhere else.
Regards.


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## John999

Hi Stellen
Yep, silver coast is colder than the Algarve in the winter and hotter in the summer. However, silver coast still has a lot of the real Portugal in it. We can’t say the same about the Algarve. The Algarve lives for tourism 365 days a year. Saying that, they have the best beaches in the country, great race track, bars and restaurants in every corner, 90% of the population speaks 3 or more languages, their own airport, 2 minutes away from cheap shopping in Spain, and most certain, 8 out of 10 places where you can live, will have 2 to 3 expat neighbours. So if you are looking for a calm place to live, (9 months a year), enjoying the local way of life, Silver Coast is the place to be. If you are looking for a bit more “noise” all year around, choose the Algarve


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## Catx

John999 said:


> Hi Stellen
> Yep, silver coast is colder than the Algarve in the winter and hotter in the summer. However, silver coast still has a lot of the real Portugal in it. We can’t say the same about the Algarve. The Algarve lives for tourism 365 days a year. Saying that, they have the best beaches in the country, great race track, bars and restaurants in every corner, 90% of the population speaks 3 or more languages, their own airport, 2 minutes away from cheap shopping in Spain, and most certain, 8 out of 10 places where you can live, will have 2 to 3 expat neighbours. So if you are looking for a calm place to live, (9 months a year), enjoying the local way of life, Silver Coast is the place to be. If you are looking for a bit more “noise” all year around, choose the Algarve


Thankfully, there is a lot more to the Algarve than the coastal resort towns which tend, in the main, to be densely populated in the summer months and often much more sparsely so in the winter. Some of us who live inland in the Algarve live a very different life than the one outlined in John999's post. Take your time before you buy and look at lots of parts of Portugal. It is a big country with lots of options. If you want expat neighbours / friends then you will meet them on these forums and elsewhere. If you want to immerse yourself in local village life, then with some Portuguese language skills, that is possible too. Even here on the Algarve.

The difference in the weather conditions is as others have outlined, but with all of Portugal having had a very wet and stormy winter, and weather fronts generally having thrown up some strange weather in the past 8 months, it is hard to be so sure of our generalisations.

Yes, property will be more expensive in the Algarve, but if your needs and/or resources are limited, you can get good value if you look around and be patient.

Wherever you buy, in the end, be careful, and try to choose something that can be sold on if your circumstances change. 

Good luck with whatever you choose. It is an exciting time for you, however stressful it might feel at times


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## Bubbles67

Hi..we live further inland but like to visit the Silver Coast, the good thisng is we can go any time of year and not just in the summer like the Algarve. We have family down in Lagos and althought not as tourity as some of the other Algarve resorts there is alot less happening in the winter. The beauty of the Silver coast is evne if nothing going on at the beach there is lots to see. Yes I know the ALgarve has some nice countryside and castles inland but here in Central & Northern Portugal we have all of the 10 UNESCO World Heritage site that Portugal has..now that's history..stick with The Silver Coast you wont regrett it.


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## Mr.Blueskies

Hi Stellen,

I do not wish to turn this discussion into an Algarve v Silver coast situation. Sometimes people living in either location can become a little defensive when the good and not so good points of each location are being discussed. This I find usually has more to do with some having a vested interest
in painting a pretty picture and with a view to promoting a business or holiday let.

The ordinary grass roots people who live in both locations, like those who have already answered your questions have all given honest answers.
There are good and bad points to both areas. Something that is worth saying though is that there are at present serious concerns about the rising crime rate in the Algarve.

This seems to be concentrated around Faro from what I have been reading from expats who live there. It would seem that eastern european gangs are operating in this region and are targeting the expat community. There have been lots of break ins and robbery of vehicles etc. The police response to this has been described as both pathethic and dismal.


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## notlongnow

I think it's also important to mention that the Eastern and Central areas of the Algarve are like chalk and cheese - in terms of landscape, seascape, prices and atmosphere - to us they are not even really in the same category. 

B


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## bloakey

Stellen said:


> Thanks for the prompt replies. I think we will stick with the Silver Coast. The Algarve is too toursity for us.
> 
> How cold does it get it winter? I lived in Provence for three years and the winters were often very cold with long periods of below zero temperatures but not much rain. It was hot in summer.
> 
> I'm presently based in Dubai where it is already 40 C or more with high humidity and summer hasn't yet started!



Hi,

I used to live in Aubagne and Castelnaudary and I do not think that it gets that cold here but this year it has been particularily rainy. having said that most of Europe has had an atypical winter. What you do have is a lot of humidity if you are on the coast but even at its hottest you tend to have a nice wind blowing similar to the Mistral but a bit more intermittent.

I have a place in Abu Dhabi and every time I leave it my sun glasses fog up with the humidity.


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## Miguelsantos

We the Portuguese have a joke about the Algarve naturals, (Algarvíos), they have a draw under every place at the dinner table, so if you knock on the door, during meal time, before they answer, they will hide the plates in the draw, and then they will say to you. If you had come 5 mints earlier…we just finished our dinner. That doesn’t happen further north of the Téjo River


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## Mr.Blueskies

Miguelsantos said:


> We the Portuguese have a joke about the Algarve naturals, (Algarvíos), they have a draw under every place at the dinner table, so if you knock on the door, during meal time, before they answer, they will hide the plates in the draw, and then they will say to you. If you had come 5 mints earlier…we just finished our dinner. That doesn’t happen further north of the Téjo River





Is that because further north of the Tejo river perhaps they have "no tables" to put the plates on ?

Only joking Miguel.


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## John999

Oh no. We have lovely tables, (up north Tejo river), with no draws. We don’t need to, because we don’t have plates


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## António1

Mr.Blueskies said:


> Is that because further north of the Tejo river perhaps they have "no tables" to put the plates on ?
> 
> Only joking Miguel.


You are not trying to compare the Algarve with the rest of the country are you? The Algarve is like the Portuguese Monaco.


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## omostra06

António said:


> You are not trying to compare the Algarve with the rest of the country are you? The Algarve is like the Portuguese Monaco.


 are you sure....


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## John999

I think is referring the “famous” Monaco bend, national road to cascais. Also called the "bend of dead"


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## Stellen

Having recently returned from a trip to the Silver Coast I would like to add a comment on the weather.

We stayed in Obidos about 10 kms from the coast. The weather was fine most of the time but every morning it was misty/foggy and it reminded us of November weather in UK but without the cold! Some days it never cleared and over the coast you could see the mist lingering there and it resembled smog. We found it depressing. A bit further inland it was bright and sunny.

Are these misty conditions typical of places on or near the coast or were we just unlucky during our 12 day stay?


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## silvers

Just unlucky.


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## Silverwizard

Stellen said:


> Having recently returned from a trip to the Silver Coast I would like to add a comment on the weather.
> 
> We stayed in Obidos about 10 kms from the coast. The weather was fine most of the time but every morning it was misty/foggy and it reminded us of November weather in UK but without the cold! Some days it never cleared and over the coast you could see the mist lingering there and it resembled smog. A bit further inland it was bright and sunny.
> 
> Are these misty conditions typical or were we just unlucky during our 12 day stay?


Hi Stellen,
We live in Marinha Grande on The Silver Coast,& yes these early morning sea mists are fairly common,but to be fair the sun usually burns them away fairly quickly,
that said the weather on the Silver Coast so far this Summer has been a little patchy,so I think you were a little unlucky.
As I write it is a beautiful day today,with blue skies & the temperature is 33 degrees,with a slight cooling breeze,most enjoyable!


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## Bubbles67

Silverwizard said:


> Hi Stellen,
> We live in Marinha Grande on The Silver Coast,& yes these early morning sea mists are fairly common,but to be fair the sun usually burns them away fairly quickly,
> that said the weather on the Silver Coast so far this Summer has been a little patchy,so I think you were a little unlucky.
> As I write it is a beautiful day today,with blue skies & the temperature is 33 degrees,with a slight cooling breeze,most enjoyable!


That cooling sea breeze sounds nice.

I just checked out outside temperature and it's 39C in the shade and 44C *that's 110F) in the sun, and that is at 4:20pm when it is clouding over, I was in Torres Novas and Tomar earlier and it was hotter than that......Thank goodness for thick stone walls and shutters, I will not be going outdoors again today.....

Remember if you are coming inland for a day it is hotter than the coast so take appropriate measure..ie. sun cream, shades for EVERYTHING (heads, kids, car, dog) and lots of water.:ranger:


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## Silverwizard

Bubbles67 said:


> That cooling sea breeze sounds nice.
> 
> I just checked out outside temperature and it's 39C in the shade and 44C *that's 110F) in the sun, and that is at 4:20pm when it is clouding over, I was in Torres Novas and Tomar earlier and it was hotter than that......Thank goodness for thick stone walls and shutters, I will not be going outdoors again today.....
> 
> Remember if you are coming inland for a day it is hotter than the coast so take appropriate measure..ie. sun cream, shades for EVERYTHING (heads, kids, car, dog) and lots of water.:ranger:


Crikey that's HOT!!
Whereabouts are you situated?
Enjoy it while it lasts!


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## Bubbles67

Silverwizard said:


> Crikey that's HOT!!
> Whereabouts are you situated?
> Enjoy it while it lasts!



We are in Alvaiazere, which is about 55lane:km inland from the coast, as the crow flies..


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## Guest

Stellen said:


> We are looking to buy a place near Nazare on the Silver Coast. However, we are now having second thoughts because of the amount of rain this year and the large number of rainy days. We don't want very hot summers but we do like the sunshine. Should we look at the Algarve instead? What are the differences in temperature and more importantly, rainfall?


Hi Stellen,
I would highly recommend you rent for a year before committing to buying. The mist in Obidos is also known as Foz fog and it can certainly hang around all day.
We lived in the Algarve for 3 years and have lived near Obidos for the last 3 years. There are good and bad points to both so you need to experience it for more than a few weeks to decide if you will like it.
Nazare is very windy - every time we visit the water park there it is spoilt by the amount of wind. Here near Obidos is also windy - quite nice today though as it is a scorching day!
We moved to the Algarve at the end of May 6 years ago and it was 40 degrees then - so not just in August. Apparently it was 'not normal' but neither was all the rain here last winter.
Take your time and choose carefully. It is expensive to buy (especially with the taxes) so if you change your mind after 6 months it's going to cost you.
Good luck whichever you decide!


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## Bubbles67

gailvi said:


> Hi Stellen,
> Take your time and choose carefully. It is expensive to buy (especially with the taxes) so if you change your mind after 6 months it's going to cost you.
> Good luck whichever you decide!


Well said... it is also not easy to sell houses here so be sure before you buy that you are in the right area. There are plenty of long term lets properties around, so Try-before-you-buy.

We ahve been here 3 years, and there is no 'typical' weather. I mean 40deg C this early in the year!! and lal that rain in winter, but if you stay for 12 months you will get a 'feel' for the area and get chance to travel around to check out other places too. Before you decide.


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## siobhanwf

Strange but once you move to the East side of the A8 from Caldas da Rainha and Obidos the "Foz Fog" lifts dramatically. One of the reasons we choose to live between Caldas da Rainha and Rio Maior.


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## sky annie

I am also thinking of moving. I am a volunteer in India now. I have a limited budget and am single. I am looking in the Obidos area.... Any advice welcome!


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