Season guide · Azores · Portugal
Azores in spring
March–May: weather, crowds, prices and the best things to do this time of year.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
Green and showery with mild temperatures, the start of the Holy Spirit festivals and peak blue and fin whale sightings. Expect highs up to 20°C (68°F) and lows around 11°C (52°F), with about 28 rainy days across March–May. May is among the best months of the year to visit.
Key facts
- Months
- March–May
- Temperatures
- 11°C (52°F) to 20°C (68°F)
- Rainy days in the season
- About 28
- Sea
- 16°C (61°F) to 18°C (64°F)
- Crowds
- Moderate
- Hotel prices
- Low
Weather in spring
| Month | High | Low | Rainy days | Daylight | Crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March | 17°C (63°F) | 11°C (52°F) | 12 | 11.8 h | 2/5 |
| April | 18°C (64°F) | 12°C (54°F) | 9 | 13.1 h | 3/5 |
| May | 20°C (68°F) | 13°C (55°F) | 7 | 14.2 h | 3/5 |
Compared with the rest of the year: average highs of 18°C (64°F) against a yearly 21°C (70°F), and 28 of the year's roughly 111 rainy days fall in these 3 months. Crowds rate 3/5 and hotel prices 2/5 on average.
What's on in spring
Recurring events; dates move from year to year, so confirm with the organiser.
- March: Start of the spring whale migration (usually from March)
- April: Peak blue and fin whale sightings (usually April to May)
- April: Holy Spirit festivals begin after Easter
- May: Senhor Santo Cristo dos Milagres festival in Ponta Delgada (fifth Sunday after Easter, usually May)
Good choices for spring
Garden · Furnas
Terra Nostra Garden
This 18th-century botanical garden in Furnas has a large ochre-coloured thermal pool of warm, iron-rich water at around 35–40 °C, surrounded by tree ferns, camellias, cycads and old trees.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Couples
- Nature
- Rainy day
- Outdoors
Experience · Furnas
Poça da Dona Beija
Go in the evening after the day-trippers leave; the pools are lit and stay open into the night.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Couples
- After dark
- Rainy day
- Nature
Experience · Maia
Gorreana Tea Plantation
Founded in 1883 on the north coast of São Miguel, Gorreana is one of Europe's oldest tea plantations still in operation.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- History
- Rainy day
Experience · Ponta Delgada
Pineapple greenhouses
Try the pineapple liqueur and jam in the plantation shop.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- Kids
- Rainy day
Nature · Terceira
Algar do Carvão
In the centre of Terceira, a staircase descends about 90 metres into an ancient volcanic chimney, past walls of silica stalactites to a clear lake at the bottom.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Nature
- Kids
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Day trips in spring
- Nordeste and the east coast (About 1 hour 15 minutes by car from Ponta Delgada) — São Miguel's remote north-east has manicured viewpoint gardens at Ponta do Sossego and Ponta da Madrugada, the Ribeira dos Caldeirões waterfalls and old watermills.
- Pico from Faial (About 30 minutes by ferry) — From Horta, a short ferry crossing reaches Madalena on Pico, where you can tour the UNESCO vineyards, the whaling museum at Lajes do Pico and lava-rock swimming pools, then return for dinner at Horta's marina.
What to pack
- Light layers for the day and a light jacket for the evening
- A compact umbrella and waterproof shoes — rain is frequent
- Comfortable walking shoes
Other times of year
Questions travellers ask
+Is spring a good time to visit Azores?
Yes: May is among the best months. Green and showery with mild temperatures, the start of the Holy Spirit festivals and peak blue and fin whale sightings.
+What is the weather like in Azores in spring?
Highs of up to 20°C (68°F) and lows around 11°C (52°F), with about 28 rainy days over the season.