Town · Centro, Portugal · 39.82°N 7.49°W
Castelo Branco, Centro
Castelo Branco is a town of 33,479 people in Centro, with January highs of 11°C, 24 days a year above 35°C, a hospital 0.7 km from the centre and Aerodromo Goncalves Lobato (Viseu Airport) (VSE) 106 km away.
Weather now
Not live yetForecast: MET Norway (CC BY 4.0)
The live forecast from MET Norway loads with JavaScript.
Normal for November, 1991-2020
15°high · low 7°C · 9 rain days
Who Castelo Branco suits
Generated from the data below by published rulesGood fit for
- Car-light living16 grocery stores within a 15-minute walk and public transport close by
Weaker fit for
- Heat-sensitive people24 days a year above 35°C
What makes Castelo Branco stand out
- Castelo Branco has the fewest rainy days in Centro (80 a year).
- Castelo Branco has the most days above 35°C in Centro among towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people (24 a year).
- Castelo Branco has the most cafés within a 15-minute walk in Centro among towns of 10,000 to 50,000 people (48).
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
26/ 100
Rank 717 of 766 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
91/ 100
Top 3% 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
73/ 100
Top 18% 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
Castelo Branco compared with Porto
Pick another town in Portugal to see the differences in plain terms.
- 1°C colder in JanuaryAverage January highCastelo Branco 12°CPorto 13°C
- 5°C hotter in JulyAverage July highCastelo Branco 31°CPorto 26°C
- 39 fewer rainy days a yearDays with rain per yearCastelo Branco 80Porto 119
- 23 more very hot days a yearDays above 35°C per yearCastelo Branco 24Porto 1.0
- 9 min more daylight in DecemberDaylight on 21 DecemberCastelo Branco 9 h 21 minPorto 9 h 12 min
Housing & costs
Official · INE Portugal, EurostatRents, 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 (31°C average high) and January the coolest (12°C). October is the wettest (94 mm) and July the driest (5 mm).
- JanuaryAir 12°9 rain daysCrowds: Low
- FebruaryAir 13°7 rain daysCrowds: Low
- MarchAir 16°8 rain daysCrowds: Low
- AprilAir 18°9 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- MayAir 22°8 rain daysCrowds: Low
- JuneAir 28°3 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- JulyAir 31°2 rain daysCrowds: High
- AugustAir 31°2 rain daysCrowds: Peak
- SeptemberAir 27°5 rain daysCrowds: Medium
- OctoberAir 21°10 rain daysCrowds: Low
- NovemberAir 15°9 rain daysCrowds: Low
- DecemberAir 12°9 rain daysCrowds: Low
Crowd levels are for Centro as a whole: nights booked through online platforms in 2025, against the region's busiest month (Eurostat).
Each month links to its own page with temperatures, rain and daylight.
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 23.8 days.
Healthcare & getting around
Town-level · straight-line distancesWithin 1.2 km of the centre
- Grocery stores16
- Pharmacies11
- Doctors & clinics7
- Train stationYes, 0.6 km
30 min by car
- Hospitals1
- Sea beaches0
- People41,616
60 min by car
- Towns over 10,0002
- Hospitals6
- Sea beaches0
- People119,781
- Nearest train stationCastelo Branco0.6 km
- Nearest bus stationCentro Coordenador de Transportes de Castelo Branco0.6 km
- Nearest hospitalUnidade Local de Saúde de Castelo Branco, EPE - Hospital Amato Lusitano0.7 km · 3 min by car
- Nearest airport with scheduled flightsAerodromo Goncalves Lobato (Viseu Airport) (VSE)106 km · 128 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
- 16Grocery stores & supermarketsPortugal median: 3
- 11PharmaciesPortugal median: 1
- 48CafésPortugal median: 4
- 74RestaurantsPortugal median: 9
- 9BakeriesPortugal median: 2
- 9Gyms & fitness studiosPortugal median: 1
- 11SchoolsPortugal median: 2
- 7Doctors & 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 | Castelo Branco | Median town in Portugal |
|---|---|---|
| Born in another EU country | 2.5% | 1.6% |
| Born outside the EU | 6.3% | 5.5% |
| Moved here from abroad in the past year | 1.1% | 1.1% |
8.8% 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 (27,908 residents counted).
Environment & natural hazards
- Earthquakes2 since 1900Magnitude 5 or larger within 100 km. Largest: M5.4.Town-level · USGS earthquake catalog
- Air quality6.1 µg/m³Average fine particles (PM2.5) at the centre in 2023. The WHO guideline for the yearly average is 5 µg/m³.Modelled · EEA
- Wildfire4 of 10 yearsYears with a fire of 30 ha or more within 10 km of the centre, 2016-2025; 475 ha burnt by those fires.Town-level · EFFIS
Places like Castelo Branco
Matched on climate, amenities, nearest and access
- ÉvoraAlentejo61% match
- BejaAlentejo61% match
- TomarOeste e Vale do Tejo55% match
- EntroncamentoOeste e Vale do Tejo52% match
- AbrantesOeste e Vale do Tejo52% 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 Castelo Branco
What is the weather like in Castelo Branco through the year?
January averages a high of 12°C and a low of 3°C; July averages 31°C and 17°C. There are about 80 days with rain a year. These are averages for 1991-2020.
How many very hot days does Castelo Branco get?
Castelo Branco averaged 24 days a year above 35°C in 2016-2025, against 13 a year in 1991-2000.
Does it freeze in Castelo Branco?
Castelo Branco averaged 9 frost days a year (below 0°C) in 2016-2025.
What is within walking distance of the centre of Castelo Branco?
Within 1.2 km of the centre there are 16 grocery stores, 11 pharmacies, 7 doctors and clinics and 48 cafés. In a straight line, the nearest train station is 0.6 km away, the nearest bus station is 0.6 km away and the nearest hospital is 0.7 km away.
What is the nearest airport to Castelo Branco?
Aerodromo Goncalves Lobato (Viseu Airport) (VSE), 106 km from the centre in a straight line.
How much daylight does Castelo Branco get in winter?
9 h 21 min on 21 December, against 15 h 00 min on 21 June.
Who is Castelo Branco a good fit for?
By the published rules: car-light living (16 grocery stores within a 15-minute walk and public transport close by).
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 Castelo Branco 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-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 |