Things to Do in Faro in December
December weather, activities, events & insider tips
Low Season · Budget Friendly
December Weather in Faro
Temperature, rainfall and humidity at a glance
16
High Temp
12
Low Temp
0.1 inches
Rainfall
70%
Humidity
⚠ Atlantic frontal systems can bring steady wind-driven rain that lasts hours rather than minutes. Keep flexible indoor backup plans. Confirm boat trips the day before, as departures are cancelled in rough weather.
Is December Right for You?
Weigh the advantages and considerations before booking
Advantages
- + Faro empties out in December. The cruise day-trippers and the summer mob heading for Albufeira are gone, so the cobbled lanes of the Cidade Velha (Old Town) behind the Arco da Vila are quiet enough to hear your own footsteps and the gulls wheeling over the Ria Formosa lagoon. You can sit in a café on Rua do Prior or wander the cathedral square without queuing for anything.
- + Daytime highs around 16°C (61°F) make this the best month for walking the city without summer's flatten-you heat. Mid-morning to early afternoon is pleasant for the Old Town circuit, the marina, and the lagoon boardwalks. Sweater-and-light-jacket weather rather than sweat-through-your-shirt weather.
- + It is low season, which means accommodation and flights tend to be markedly cheaper than the July-August peak, and the guesthouses inside the old walls that are impossible to book in summer often have same-week availability. Restaurants that turn tables all night in August will have a window seat for you.
- + December is when the Algarve coast does seafood properly for locals rather than tourists. This is peak season for percebes (gooseneck barnacles), oysters from the Ria Formosa beds, and clams. The lagoon's shellfish are at their plump winter best, and you're eating them where they're farmed, a few kilometres from the table.
Considerations
- − The 10 rainy days are real, and December rain here arrives as grey Atlantic systems that can park over the coast for a day or two rather than the quick tropical bursts you might expect elsewhere. Total rainfall is low. But the pattern is unpredictable. You might get a glorious clear week or three soggy days in a row, and there's no telling which until you're here.
- − Sea and lagoon are cold and the beach season is firmly over. Ilha de Faro and Ilha Deserta are atmospheric for a bracing winter walk. But swimming is off the table and many of the seasonal beach restaurants and ferry runs shut down or drop to a skeleton timetable from November.
- − Faro is a small working city, not a resort, and in deep winter the nightlife thins right out. A handful of bars around Rua do Prior and the marina stay lively at weekends. But if you're picturing a buzzing strip every night, you'll find a lot of shutters down midweek. This is a slow, local December, not a party one.
Year-Round Climate
How December compares to the rest of the year
| Month | High | Low | Rainfall |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 15 | 11 | 0.1 inches |
| Feb | 16 | 11 | 0.1 inches |
| Mar | 17 | 12 | 0.1 inches |
| Apr | 19 | 13 | 0.1 inches |
| May | 22 | 16 | 0.0 inches |
| Jun | 25 | 18 | 0.0 inches |
| Jul | 27 | 20 | 0.0 inches |
| Aug | 27 | 21 | 0.0 inches |
| Sep | 25 | 19 | 0.0 inches |
| Oct | 22 | 17 | 0.1 inches |
| Nov | 18 | 14 | 0.1 inches |
| Dec | 16 | 12 | 0.1 inches |
Best Activities in December
Top things to do during your visit
Ria Formosa Lagoon Boat Trips
The Ria Formosa is a protected lagoon of sandbars, salt marshes, and barrier islands wrapping the city, and December is quietly its best season. The summer flotilla of party boats is gone, the light is low and silvered, and the birdlife peaks. Flamingos, spoonbills, and waders gather on the mudflats through winter, so a small-boat trip out toward Ilha Deserta or the salt pans turns into a slow wildlife drift rather than a crowded shuttle. Cooler air means clearer visibility across the water and no heat haze for photos.
Booking Tip: Book 3-5 days ahead in winter rather than the same morning, since operators run reduced timetables and may only sail on demand. Look for licensed eco-tour operators with small covered boats and a naturalist guide. See current options in the booking section below.
Faro Old Town Walking and Heritage Routes
The walled Cidade Velha, entered through the neoclassical Arco da Vila, where a stork usually nests on top, is compact, flat, and made for cool-weather wandering. The Sé (cathedral) with its bell-tower view over the lagoon, the storkscape of rooftops, and the cobbled Largo da Sé are at their most photogenic in December's soft light and empty squares. Walking is far more comfortable now than under August sun, and you'll have the lanes largely to yourself.
Booking Tip: Self-guided is easy here, but a licensed local guide adds the history of the 1755 earthquake and the city walls. Book 2-3 days ahead. Small group winter walks fill faster than you'd expect because so few run. Reference the booking widget for current guided options.
Algarve Winter Food and Seafood Tours
December is shellfish season on the Ria Formosa, and a food-focused tour through Faro's market and old-town tascas hits cataplana (the copper-pot seafood stew), grilled cuttlefish, conserva (tinned fish done properly), and winter oysters. The cooler weather means the heavy, slow-cooked Algarvian dishes locals eat in winter, xerém, cozido, are on the menu rather than tourist-season light bites. Crowds are minimal, so you eat where the regulars do.
Booking Tip: Book 5-7 days ahead, as winter food tours run on fixed days only and small group sizes sell out. Look for operators who include the Mercado Municipal and family-run tascas rather than tourist-strip restaurants. See current tours in the booking section.
Day Trips to Tavira and Eastern Algarve Towns
Faro is the rail and road hub of the Algarve, and December's mild, quiet weather makes inland and coastal day trips a pleasure. Tavira, about 37 km (23 miles) east, with its Roman bridge and church-dense old town, is dreamy and empty in winter. The whitewashed hill town of Loulé and the Roman ruins at Estói are easy half-days. With no summer traffic and no crowds at the sights, you move freely.
Booking Tip: Trains and a guided day tour both work. Book a tour 3-4 days ahead in low season as departures are less frequent. Choose operators with insured drivers and small vehicles. Current options appear in the booking widget below.
Birdwatching and Salt Pan Walks
Winter is the serious birding season on the Ria Formosa wetlands and the salt pans around Faro and Olhão. December brings huge numbers of overwintering flamingos, plovers, and waterfowl to the lagoon margins, and the cool, still mornings are good for it. No heat shimmer, soft light, and active birds. The flat boardwalk trails near the Ludo and São Lourenço areas are walkable in an hour or stretched into a half-day with binoculars.
Booking Tip: Book a guided birding walk 4-5 days ahead, ideally for a morning slot, and confirm the guide carries a scope. Look for naturalist-led licensed operators. Reference the booking section for current departures.
Where to Stay in Faro in December
Hand-picked hotels across price tiers for December travellers.
December Events & Festivals
What's happening during your visit
Early December through early January
Faro Christmas Lights and Festive Market (Festas de Natal)
From early December the city centre around Rua de Santo António and the Jardim Manuel Bivar by the marina lights up with Christmas illuminations, a nativity scene, and a small festive market with regional sweets, roasted chestnuts sold hot in paper cones on street corners, and local crafts. It's modest and local rather than a giant tourist market. The pleasure is the strolling. The chestnut smoke. The lit-up old town.
December 31
New Year's Eve (Passagem de Ano) at the Marina
Faro sees in the new year with a public gathering and fireworks over the marina and the Ria Formosa waterfront, with music in the central squares. It's a relaxed, family-friendly celebration rather than a huge spectacle. Locals bring sparkling wine. They eat the traditional twelve raisins at midnight. They watch the display reflect off the lagoon.
Packing Checklist
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Climate-specific gear, brand recommendations, and what to leave at home.
View Faro Packing List →Essential Tips
Insider knowledge and common pitfalls to avoid
Insider Knowledge
The Capela dos Ossos (Bone Chapel) attached to the Igreja do Carmo, with its walls lined in monks' skulls and bones, is far quieter and more affecting in December. In summer it's a queue. In winter you often have the eerie little room to yourself.
Eat the shellfish now. December is when locals pile into the tascas around the Mercado Municipal for clams, oysters, and percebes from the Ria Formosa beds. Winter is when the lagoon's shellfish are fattest. Prices and crowds are both low.
Catch the ferry to Ilha Deserta or Ilha de Faro on a clear winter morning for a long, empty beach walk. The islands are starkly beautiful out of season. Check the reduced winter ferry timetable the day before. Runs drop sharply and some pause entirely in bad weather.
Faro is the cheapest, most practical base for the eastern Algarve in winter. Trains east to Tavira and Olhão run cheaply and frequently. You can stay in quiet, affordable Faro and day-trip to the prettier coastal towns rather than paying resort prices.
Avoid These Mistakes
Treating Faro as just the airport you fly into on the way to Albufeira or Lagos. December is exactly when the city itself rewards a stay. Quiet old town, winter seafood, and lagoon birdlife. Skipping it means missing the most local season of the year.
Packing for summer Portugal. Tourists turn up in shorts and a single light layer. Then they freeze on a damp 12°C (54°F) evening. Or they get soaked in a half-day downpour with no waterproof. Mild does not mean warm-and-dry here in December.
Assuming everything runs on the summer timetable. Beach ferries, some island restaurants, and tour departures drop to reduced winter schedules or close. Showing up expecting hourly boats and full menus leads to a wasted afternoon. Confirm timings a day ahead.
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Top-rated things to do in Faro this December
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