While Europe goes through another heatwave, with red warnings in several countries and thermometers above 40°C, there is one corner of the map where August behaves itself.
Escaping the heat has become as legitimate a reason for choosing a holiday as the beach or the price, and no Portuguese destination answers that requirement as well as the Atlantic islands.
The numbers are clear. In Funchal, the average August maximum is 26.8°C; in Ponta Delgada, 26.0°C. In the same month, the interior of the Iberian Peninsula and much of the Mediterranean can spend weeks above 40.
It is not only us saying so: Madeira was voted the world’s number one destination on the rise for 2026 by Tripadvisor’s Travellers’ Choice awards, announced in January on the basis of more than 8 million reviews. This guide explains exactly how much cooler the islands are, what to do there in that climate and where to stay.
Escaping the heat at a glance
Madeira in August: average maximum of 26.8°C and almost no rain.
Azores: average maximum of 26.0°C and, on average, zero days above 30.
Continental Europe in a heatwave: above 40°C.
Pestana bases: Funchal, in Madeira, and Vila Franca do Campo, in São Miguel.
Why is this summer pushing so many people towards the Atlantic?
Heatwaves have stopped being the exception and become European summer routine: the latest brought red warnings to several countries and led the Spanish weather agency to issue alerts for maximums of 40°C. Many travellers have responded by trading the peak of the Mediterranean for destinations where summer exists without the suffocation: further north, higher up or, in the Portuguese case, further out into the Atlantic.
The islands have earned that preference. Madeira being voted the world’s number one destination on the rise for 2026, ahead of dozens of candidates, confirmed what the ocean already knew: a mild subtropical climate all year round, dramatic landscapes and a capital, Funchal, where you dine outdoors in any season.
How much cooler is Madeira in August?
The answer is in the IPMA climate normals, which summarise three decades of measurements.
| Station (August) | Average maximum | Average | Average minimum |
| Funchal (Madeira) | 26.8°C | 23.7°C | 20.7°C |
| Ponta Delgada (Azores) | 26.0°C | 23.0°C | 19.9°C |
The secret is the ocean. The Atlantic works as a permanent thermal regulator: it warms slowly, cools slowly and cuts off the extremes that roast the continental interior. The result is an August of reliable skies, with average rainfall of 1.3 millimetres in Funchal, less than one day of rain in the whole month, and genuinely hot days you can count on the fingers of one hand.
And the Azores, how much cooler are they?
Ponta Delgada is even more restrained: in August, the average number of days with a maximum of 30°C or above is, quite simply, zero. It is the ideal summer for anyone who wants to walk, swim and explore without looking at the thermometer.
And then there is the setting: São Miguel is a green island of craters and lakes, whose warm water comes from below, from the hot springs of Furnas and from Ponta da Ferraria, where the sea in a small cove is heated by volcanic steam. A warm bath looking out over the Atlantic is the Azorean version of a summer late afternoon.
What can you do at 26 degrees that you could not do at 40?
The mild climate is not a limitation: it is the entry ticket to experiences that extreme heat would make impossible.
- Walking the levadas of Madeira. The irrigation channels built since the island was first settled, to carry water from the mountains down to the fields, are today trails in the shade of the Laurissilva forest, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999. Nobody walks for hours under 40 degrees; at 24, it is a pleasure.
- Bathing in natural pools and hot springs. At Furnas and Ponta da Ferraria, in São Miguel, water heated by the volcano invites you in, whatever the weather.
- Going round the lakes. Lagoa das Sete Cidades, with its blue and green pair, and Lagoa do Fogo, the second largest on the island, ask for whole mornings of viewpoints and trails.
Where to stay in Madeira to escape the heat?
- Pestana Carlton Madeira, the classic above the sea. About 10 minutes on foot from the centre of Funchal, with direct access to the sea, two large outdoor saltwater pools, a heated indoor pool and a pool for the youngest guests: the perfect family holiday machine.
- Pestana Casino Park, sleeping in an iconic building. Designed by Oscar Niemeyer next to the cruise port in the bay of Funchal, some 5 minutes on foot from the centre, with 15,000 m² of gardens, an infinity pool and a heated indoor one. We have already told the story: Pestana Casino Park. Niemeyer in Madeira.
- Pestana CR7 Funchal, cool with style. On Praça CR7, with the bay as its backdrop, an infinity pool on the terrace leaning out over the cruise port, an open-air gym and the CR7 museum right next door.
And if your idea of cool includes golden sand, the neighbouring island answers: for how to add a beach to the archipelago’s mild climate, read Porto Santo: the guide to the golden island – from the 9 km beach to the sand that soothes.
Where to stay in the Azores?
The Pestana Bahia Praia, in Vila Franca do Campo, is the natural anchor: a Nature & Beach Resort with direct access to Praia de Água d’Alto, an outdoor pool and a large garden where a 17th-century chapel survives. It sits on the south coast of São Miguel, with Furnas and Lagoa do Fogo within range of a morning outing. To plan the rest of the trip, we have already worked out São Miguel: three days in the heart of the Azores.
Summer coolness from within: what only the house can tell.
According to the Pestana reservations centre, from June to August, summer bookings for Madeira and the Azores grew in 2026 compared with the previous year, with almost 50% of guests coming from the United Kingdom, Portugal and Germany.
Frequently asked questions about escaping the heat in the islands
The average August maximum in Funchal is 26.8°C, with a monthly average of 23.7°C and minimums around 20.7°C, according to IPMA’s 1991-2020 climate normal. Days above 30°C are rare.
In Ponta Delgada, the average August maximum is 26.0°C and the average minimum 19.9°C; on average, there is not a single day in the month above 30°C.
At the peaks of heat, yes, and by a wide margin: when the interior of the mainland and of the Iberian Peninsula goes past 40°C, Funchal holds average maximums below 27°C, moderated by the Atlantic.
Practically not: the average is 1.3 millimetres for the whole month, with less than one day of rain. It is one of the driest and most reliable months of the year in Funchal.
If the priority is nature, thermal bathing and temperatures that never scald, yes: August in São Miguel has average maximums of 26.0°C, lakes, hot springs and natural pools of volcanic water.
Yes! And the good news is that escaping the heat does not mean giving up the sea, the table or the late afternoon on a terrace: it only means choosing the right latitude. Start with Discovering Madeira: the top 10, have a look at the hotels in Funchal and Vila Franca do Campo, and leave the rest of Europe counting the degrees.
