How do we cope with, and enjoy, a Portuguese summer?

Summer is long, bright and sociable, and children’s school holidays start in June. It also brings heat, wildfire risk and an Atlantic that can be rougher than it looks, so a little preparation goes a long way.

Heat and IPMA warnings

IPMA (Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera) issues warnings by district and island for heat, cold, strong wind, heavy rain, snow, thunderstorms, persistent fog and rough seas, covering the next 24 hours or so.

On hot days, drink water before you’re thirsty, keep shutters closed in the afternoon, check on older neighbours, and never leave children or pets in a parked car. The NHS heat advice applies here too.

Wildfires and the rules on fire

Wildfires can start anywhere in Portugal, and the risk is higher from April to October. The authorities may evacuate areas and close roads. Check the daily fire-risk index for your municipality, follow official advice, and call 112 if you see a fire. Starting a fire, even by accident, is illegal and can bring a fine or prison.

• The critical period: the Government sets it each year, usually over the summer months, and it can be extended. Restrictions on using fire are stricter during it, and your municipality may add its own rules
• Very high or maximum risk days: in rural areas, bonfires for leisure or festivities are banned, and you may only cook with fire or use a barbecue in places set up and marked for it, such as equipped picnic parks
• Burning garden waste: burning piles (queima de amontoados) needs the câmara municipal’s permission from 1 June to 31 October, and prior notice the rest of the year. You must stay until it’s fully out
• Fines: burning without a required permit costs €500 to €5,000 for individuals, and on very high or maximum risk days €2,500 to €25,000. If it causes a wildfire, it can be a crime

If you buy or rent a house in the countryside, ask about the rules on clearing vegetation around buildings. Dates and rules change each year

Civil Protection SMS alerts

When districts go on red alert for extreme wildfire risk, ANEPC (the national emergency and civil protection authority) has sent free text messages to phones in those districts, in Portuguese and English. In 2023 the Government ordered work on a faster cell broadcast system that reaches every phone in an area within seconds. Don’t wait for a text: follow IPMA warnings, ANEPC and your câmara municipal.

At the beach

• Every year people drown in the sea and in pools in Portugal. Keep small children within arm’s reach, even if there’s a lifeguard
• Supervised beaches use flags: red means don’t go in the water, yellow means paddle at the edge only. Take extra care where there are no lifeguards, flags or signs
• Waves can be unpredictable and some beaches have a strong undertow. In a rip current, don’t swim against it: swim parallel to the shore until you’re out of it, then head in
• Don’t dive into water you don’t know, and don’t swim where a river meets the sea. In the Algarve, watch for falling rocks below cliffs and obey the warning signs
• The bathing season, when lifeguards are on duty, is set beach by beach each year. In 2026 it ran from 13 June to 13 September on Porto’s city beaches and from 1 June to 30 September on the Costa da Caparica beaches in Almada

Jellyfish and the Portuguese man o’ war

The Portuguese man o’ war (caravela-portuguesa) has a blue-purple float and tentacles that can reach 30 metres. Its sting is very painful. IPMA’s GelAvista project reported them on beaches in the Azores, the Algarve, Setúbal and Lisbon this summer. Don’t touch one, even if it looks dead on the sand. If you’re stung, get out of the water and go to the lifeguard. The Maritime Authority says not to rub the skin and not to use fresh water, alcohol or ammonia; rinse with seawater and remove tentacles with gloves or tweezers. Call 112 for shortness of breath, palpitations, fainting or other signs of a severe reaction.

The summer holidays

In mainland state schools, the 2026–27 year ends on 4 June for years 9, 11 and 12, on 11 June for years 5 to 8 and 10, and on 30 June for pre-school and years 1 to 4. In Madeira, the dates are 4, 9 and 30 June. 15 August is a national holiday. Book holiday clubs and accommodation early. See public holidays and school holidays and weekends away.