Town · Algarve, Portugal · 37.18°N 7.50°W
Altura, Portugal
Altura is a town of 2,195 people in the Algarve, with January highs of 15°C, 24 days a year above 35°C, a hospital 41.5 km from the centre and Faro - Gago Coutinho International Airport (FAO) 45 km away.
Weather now
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Normal for November, 1991-2020
19°high · low 12°C · 7 rain days
Who Altura suits
Generated from the data below by published rulesGood fit for
- Winter-sun seekers15°C January highs and no frost days
- Beach loversA beach 0.7 km from the centre
Weaker fit for
- Heat-sensitive people24 days a year above 35°C
What makes Altura stand out
- Altura has the most days above 35°C in Algarve among towns under 3,000 people (24 a year).
A fact appears when a town ranks first for a measure in Portugal, in its region, or among towns of similar size there.
Climate comfort
58/ 100
Top 35% in Portugal
Based on: Average daily high (January), Days above 35°C (recent), Days with rain (year), Tropical nights (recent), Frost days (recent)
Car-free living
50/ 100
Top 49% in Portugal
Based on: Places within a 15-minute walk (grocery), Places within a 15-minute walk (pharmacy), Places within a 15-minute walk (cafe), Distance to nearest (train station), Distance to nearest (bus station)
Access to services
27/ 100
Rank 690 of 801 in Portugal
Based on: Distance to nearest (hospital), Nearest airport with scheduled flights, Places within a 15-minute walk (grocery), Places within a 15-minute walk (doctor), Places within a 15-minute walk (school)
How precise is each number?Town-levelmeasured or computed for this townModelledestimated from a grid or a modelRegionalonly available for the wider area
Altura compared with Porto
Pick another town in Portugal to see the differences in plain terms.
- 2°C warmer in JanuaryAverage January highAltura 15°CPorto 13°C
- 7°C hotter in JulyAverage July highAltura 33°CPorto 26°C
- 61 fewer rainy days a yearDays with rain per yearAltura 58Porto 119
- 23 more very hot days a yearDays above 35°C per yearAltura 24Porto 1.0
- 24 min more daylight in DecemberDaylight on 21 DecemberAltura 9 h 36 minPorto 9 h 12 min
Housing & costs
Official · INE Portugal, EurostatAltura is in the municipality of Castro Marim. Rents, prices and crime are published for each municipality as a whole, not for single towns.
Climate today
Town-level · ERA5-Land reanalysis 1991-2020Month by month
Town-level · ERA5-Land reanalysis 1991-2020July is the warmest month (33°C average high) and January the coolest (15°C). December is the wettest (67 mm) and July the driest (1 mm).
- JanuaryAir 15° · Sea 16°6 rain daysCrowds: Low
- FebruaryAir 17° · Sea 15°5 rain daysCrowds: Low
- MarchAir 19° · Sea 16°7 rain daysCrowds: Low
- AprilAir 21° · Sea 16°7 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- MayAir 25° · Sea 18°6 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- JuneAir 29° · Sea 20°2 rain daysCrowds: High
- JulyAir 33° · Sea 21°0 rain daysCrowds: Peak
- AugustAir 33° · Sea 22°1 rain dayCrowds: Peak
- SeptemberAir 29° · Sea 22°3 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- OctoberAir 24° · Sea 20°7 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- NovemberAir 19° · Sea 19°7 rain daysCrowds: Low
- DecemberAir 16° · Sea 17°7 rain daysCrowds: Low
Crowd levels are for the Algarve as a whole: nights booked through online platforms in 2025, against the region's busiest month (Eurostat).
Is it getting hotter?
Town-level · ERA5-Land reanalysisDays above 35°C per year
Both measured periods come from the same reanalysis as the climate section. The bar scale runs to 23.7 days.
Healthcare & getting around
Town-level · straight-line distancesWithin 1.2 km of the centre
- Grocery stores4
- Pharmacies1
- Doctors & clinics0
- Train stationNo
30 min by car
- Hospitals0
- Sea beaches28
- People60,688
60 min by car
- Towns over 10,00010
- Hospitals5
- Sea beaches61
- People313,356
- Nearest train stationCastro Marim2.8 km
- Nearest bus stationVila Real de Santo António8.0 km
- Nearest hospitalCentro Hospitalar e Universitário do Algarve-Hospital de Faro42 km
- Quickest hospital by carHospital de Loulé43 min
- Nearest airport with scheduled flightsFaro - Gago Coutinho International Airport (FAO)45 km · 47 min by car
Distances are straight lines from the town centre. Drive times are by road in free-flowing traffic (OSRM on OpenStreetMap roads); people counts add up the towns reached.
Daily life
Town-level · Overture Maps places, 2026-10-21.0Within 1.2 km of the centre
- 4Grocery stores & supermarketsPortugal median: 3
- 1PharmaciesPortugal median: 1
- 7CafésPortugal median: 4
- 26RestaurantsPortugal median: 9
- 0BakeriesPortugal median: 2
- 0Gyms & fitness studiosPortugal median: 1
- 1SchoolsPortugal median: 2
- 0Doctors & clinicsPortugal median: 1
Nature & surroundings
Town-level · WorldCover, Copernicus DEM, Natura 2000, OpenStreetMapPeople & community
Modelled · EU Census 2021 gridUnder 1515 to 6465 and over
International residents
| Share of residents | Altura | Median town in Portugal |
|---|---|---|
| Born in another EU country | 8.4% | 1.6% |
| Born outside the EU | 8.4% | 5.5% |
| Moved here from abroad in the past year | 2.1% | 1.1% |
16.8% of residents were born abroad, against 7.1% in the median town in Portugal (2021 census). From the 1 km census grid cells within 1.5 km of the centre (1,800 residents counted).
Environment & natural hazards
- Earthquakes2 since 1900Magnitude 5 or larger within 100 km. Largest: M5.2.Town-level · USGS earthquake catalog
- Air quality6.2 µg/m³Average fine particles (PM2.5) at the centre in 2023. The WHO guideline for the yearly average is 5 µg/m³.Modelled · EEA
- Wildfire1 of 10 yearsYears with a fire of 30 ha or more within 10 km of the centre, 2016-2025; 7,414 ha burnt by those fires.Town-level · EFFIS
Places like Altura
Matched on climate, amenities, nearest and access
- Monte GordoAlgarve88% match
- Vila Nova de CacelaAlgarve87% match
- Manta RotaAlgarve87% match
- Castro MarimAlgarve85% match
- Cabanas de TaviraAlgarve79% match
Measures used: Average daily high (January), Average daily high (July), Days above 35°C (recent), Days with rain (year), Places within a 15-minute walk (grocery), Places within a 15-minute walk (cafe), Distance to nearest (train station) and Nearest airport with scheduled flights. A match of 100% would mean the same values on every one.
Common questions about Altura
What is the weather like in Altura through the year?
January averages a high of 15°C and a low of 8°C; July averages 33°C and 20°C. There are about 58 days with rain a year. These are averages for 1991-2020.
How many very hot days does Altura get?
Altura averaged 24 days a year above 35°C in 2016-2025, against 12 a year in 1991-2000.
Does it freeze in Altura?
Altura averaged no frost days a year in 2016-2025.
What is within walking distance of the centre of Altura?
Within 1.2 km of the centre there are 4 grocery stores, 1 pharmacies, 0 doctors and clinics and 7 cafés. In a straight line, the nearest train station is 2.8 km away, the nearest bus station is 8.0 km away, the nearest hospital is 42 km away, the nearest beach is 0.7 km away and the nearest coastline is 0.7 km away.
What is the nearest airport to Altura?
Faro - Gago Coutinho International Airport (FAO), 45 km from the centre in a straight line.
How much daylight does Altura get in winter?
9 h 36 min on 21 December, against 14 h 43 min on 21 June.
Who is Altura a good fit for?
By the published rules: winter-sun seekers (15°C January highs and no frost days); beach lovers (A beach 0.7 km from the centre).
Sources & methodology
Every value comes from one of the open datasets below and is computed the same way for every town. Each section names how precise its values are: town-level, modelled or regional. Distances are straight lines from the town centre, and amenities are counted within 1.2 km of it. Read the full methodology.
"Who Altura suits" lines come from fixed rules applied to every town in the same way. A rule only uses values that are modelled or better, and each line shows the numbers that triggered it. How the rules work.
| Dataset | Used for | Version | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (30 m elevation) | Elevation | glo30_s120 | Copernicus DEM licence (free for any use, with attribution) |
| PM2.5, European air quality data (EEA, interpolated 1 km map) | Air quality | pm25_2023 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Burnt areas (European Forest Fire Information System, EFFIS) | Wildfires | 2016-2025 | CC BY 4.0 |
| ERA5 monthly sea surface temperature (Copernicus Climate Data Store) | Sea temperature | monthly_1991-2020 | CC BY 4.0 |
| ERA5-Land reanalysis (Copernicus Climate Data Store) | Climate | points_1991-2025 | CC BY 4.0 |
| ESA WorldCover 2021 (10 m land cover) | Land cover | v200_2021 | CC BY 4.0 |
| EU Census 2021 population grid (Eurostat) | Census grid | V3 | Free reuse with acknowledgement (European Commission reuse policy) |
| Nights spent in short-stay accommodation booked through online platforms (Eurostat tour_ce_omn12) | Crowds | 2026-11-01 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Price level indices (Eurostat prc_ppp_ind) | Price level | 2026-11-01 | CC BY 4.0 |
| GeoNames | Place names and populations | 2026-10-31 | CC BY 4.0 |
| INE Portugal (local statistics on rents, house prices, crime and population) | Rents, house prices, crime and population | 2026-11-01 | CC BY 4.0 |
| Natura 2000 protected sites (EEA, end 2024) | Protected areas | end2024 | CC BY 4.0 |
| OpenStreetMap (Geofabrik extracts) | Stations, hospitals, beaches, coastline | 2026-10-31 | ODbL 1.0 |
| OurAirports | Airports | 2026-10-31 | Public domain |
| Overture Maps places | Amenities | 2026-10-21.0 | CDLA-Permissive-2.0 |
| TEMIS UV index climatology (KNMI / ESA) | UV index | v2.0_clim_2004-2020 | Free use with credit; TEMIS asks to be told how the data is used |
| USGS earthquake catalog (ComCat) | Earthquakes | 2026-10-31 | Public domain |