Azores · Month comparison
December vs May
May ranks #1 overall vs December at #12. The hydrangea season begins — the Azores in full flower, whale diversity at its peak, and conditions at their most photogenic.
December
#12 of 12 months
Worth considering
Quiet winter restart — Christmas in the volcanic islands is a genuinely unusual December holiday with low prices and empty trails.
- ↑Christmas and New Year in the Azores is a local celebration rather than a tourist event — the Angra do Heroísmo Christmas market in the UNESCO baroque city centre, the midnight Christmas Mass at the historic São Salvador cathedral, and the São Silvestre (New Year's Eve) run through the cobbled streets give a festive experience entirely different from mainland European Christmas tourism
- ↑Sperm whale encounters in December have an unusual quality: the winter sea state creates natural upwellings that concentrate squid (the sperm whale's primary food source) in the deeper channels; whale watching in rough December seas is not for the faint-hearted but delivers more dramatic and less photographed encounters
May
#1 of 12 months
Best match
The hydrangea season begins — the Azores in full flower, whale diversity at its peak, and conditions at their most photogenic.
- ↑Hydrangea peak season begins in late May on São Miguel and Faial: the volcanic roads disappear between walls of blue, pink, and white Hortensia so dense that the landscape is defined by them; the Sete Cidades crater lake rim road and the Faial cliffs above Capelo are the most spectacular; the combination of vivid blue flowers, black lava stone, and the turquoise lake surface below is the defining Azorean landscape image
- ↑May whale watching is outstanding — blue whales and fin whales are reliably present before they depart for northern feeding grounds, sperm whales remain year-round, and bottlenose and common dolphins are visible on nearly every trip; the Azores Whale Watch operators in Lajes do Pico and Madalena use traditional land-based whale spotting techniques inherited from the whaling era
| Factor | December | May |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 3 | 7 |
| Value score | 8 | 7 |
| Crowd score | 8 | 7 |
| Events score | 5 | 7 |
| Atmosphere | 6 | 9 |
| Avg high temp | 18°C | 21°C |
| Monthly rain | 110mm | 50mm |
| Daily sunshine | 4hrs | 7.5hrs |
December trade-offs
- ↓December is the wettest month alongside January — 110mm of rain and only 4 hours of sunshine; extended periods of grey wet weather are the baseline expectation and the Azores should be chosen in December specifically because the moody Atlantic character appeals
- ↓International flight connections reduce to minimum winter schedules in December — TAP Portugal connections via Lisbon are reliable but direct routes from Northern European cities largely cease until spring
- ↓All the caveats of January apply: some seasonal businesses closed, inter-island travel disrupted by storms, crater lake views frequently obscured
May trade-offs
- ↓May is the beginning of the European tourist season — Ponta Delgada on São Miguel sees a meaningful increase in visitors from Lisbon and Northern Europe; the best guided whale watch operators, the most popular trailheads (Sete Cidades, Lagoa do Fogo), and the standout accommodation start booking out at the short end
- ↓Rainfall is still possible (50mm) — the Azores Atlantic location means even the best months can deliver a wet day or two; the Furnas caldeira valley and the Lagoa do Fogo crater lake are sometimes in cloud even in May
- ↓Senhor Santo Cristo festival crowds in Ponta Delgada (if falling in May) can temporarily pack the city's infrastructure beyond capacity — accommodation within 5km of the city centre is essentially unavailable at any price during the festival weekend
Scores compare months within Azores. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →