Azores · Portugal
January
The quietest and cheapest month — moody Atlantic skies, empty trails, and the Azores at its most elemental.
Worth considering
#10 of 12 months
There are better months for Azores — see the full ranking below.
See when to go instead →Climate
High
17°C
Low
12°C
Rain
115mm
Sun
3.5hrs/day
30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5
How January scores in Azores
Weather
Below average
Value
Outstanding
Crowds
Outstanding
Events
Below average
Atmosphere
Good
What you gain in January
- ↑January sees virtually no mass tourism — the Azores in winter is the exclusive domain of surfers, birdwatchers, and those seeking genuinely uncrowded Atlantic wilderness; the trails around Sete Cidades, the Caldeira on Faial, and the Furnas geothermal valley on São Miguel are completely empty
- ↑Sperm whales are year-round residents of the Azores deep water — January whale watch departures have smaller groups, more attentive guides, and the Atlantic swell creates a drama around the whale encounters that flat summer seas cannot replicate
- ↑Accommodation prices drop to their annual minimum — 3-star hotels on São Miguel and Terceira cost €40–60 per night in January versus €120–180 in July; the same rural quintas and restored manor houses are available at 40% of their summer pricing
What you sacrifice
- ↓January is the wettest month in the Azores — 115mm of rainfall with only 3.5 hours of daily sunshine; Atlantic depressions bring genuine storms, and the inter-island ferries and small aircraft connections between islands can be suspended for 1–2 days at a time; build schedule flexibility into any multi-island itinerary
- ↓Hiking conditions are compromised by wet trails and cloud cover that obscures the crater lake views that justify the main Azorean routes; the Sete Cidades circuit and the Pico summit route are frequently socked in for entire days
- ↓Some seasonal businesses (kayak operators, diving centres, tourist restaurants in smaller villages) close entirely in January–February; service infrastructure on the smaller islands (Flores, Corvo, Graciosa) is minimal in winter
How January compares to May (best month)
| Factor | January | May ★ |
|---|---|---|
| Weather | 3 | 7 |
| Value | 9 | 7 |
| Crowds | 9 | 7 |
January in other destinations
Lisbon (13.6°C)Barcelona (13.2°C)Tokyo (9.8°C)Bali (30.2°C)Santorini (13.4°C)Paris (7°C)New York (3.3°C)Marrakech (17.3°C)Amsterdam (5.6°C)Maldives (30.1°C)Rome (11.6°C)Bangkok (31.1°C)Istanbul (8.7°C)Vienna (3.2°C)Seoul (1.1°C)Dubrovnik (11.1°C)Rio de Janeiro (30.9°C)Kyoto (9.2°C)Phuket (31.5°C)Cape Town (26.1°C)Prague (2°C)Amalfi Coast (12°C)Mexico City (21°C)Medellín (28°C)Fiji (31°C)London (8°C)Sydney (26°C)Iceland (2°C)Tulum (28°C)Dubai (24°C)Singapore (30°C)Hoi An (24°C)Chiang Mai (29°C)Miami (24.1°C)Florence (9.2°C)Queenstown (22°C)Madrid (9.4°C)Porto (14°C)Edinburgh (7°C)Copenhagen (4°C)Budapest (4°C)Kraków (2°C)Tbilisi (6°C)Palawan (29°C)Hanoi (18°C)Osaka (9°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (19°C)Buenos Aires (30°C)Mykonos (13°C)Zanzibar (32°C)Sri Lanka (31°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (28°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (13°C)Seville (15°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (29°C)Havana (26°C)Split (10°C)Taipei (19°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (15°C)Ho Chi Minh City (33°C)Hawaii (27°C)Cappadocia (4°C)Dominican Republic (28°C)Jamaica (30°C)Tanzania (28°C)Seychelles (30°C)Nepal (18°C)Jordan (12°C)Bora Bora (30°C)Los Angeles (19.8°C)Cairo (19.1°C)Kenya (26.8°C)Jaipur (22.2°C)Las Vegas (13.9°C)San Francisco (13.2°C)Madeira (19.5°C)Vancouver (6.9°C)Muscat (26.4°C)Lima (26.2°C)Cinque Terre (11°C)Kotor (10°C)Tel Aviv (18°C)Santiago (30°C)Bogotá (19°C)Bruges (5.8°C)Penang (31.5°C)Lombok (30.8°C)Cape Verde (26.2°C)Fez (13.8°C)Kerala (31°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (18°C)Oslo (-1°C)Auckland (24°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Azores, not across destinations. Methodology →