June and September are the best months to go, with a warm sea and long days before the peak crowd arrives. August has the warmest water at 26°C, and it is also the busiest month of the year.
The thing most people get wrong is the sea, which runs about two months behind the air. In April the air is 20°C but the sea is only 16°C, while in October the air has dropped to 24°C and the sea is still 22°C. So October swims better than April, even though April sounds like the warmer month.
The full year
Two things are worth taking from the table. The sea peaks in August rather than July, and the rain comes in autumn rather than winter, which is why October is the wettest month of the year while July is very nearly dry.
January to April, the cool half
January and February are the cold end, with highs of 16°C, nights near 8°C and a sea at 14 to 15°C. It is worth asking whether the house has heating. The almond fields around Santa Agnès flower in this window, from the middle of January through February, and the island is at its greenest.
March is the turn. Highs reach 18°C and the sun is up for seven hours a day, which makes it the best walking of the year: firm ground, wild flowers and no heat to work around.
April gives you 20°C days and eight hours of sun, with the sea still at 16°C. That combination suits the walled town of Dalt Vila, the countryside and the markets rather than the beach, and it still rains on about six days.
May, June and September, the good months
May brings 23°C days, nine hours of sun and a sea at 18°C, which is cold on the first morning and fine by the third. This is the month the island opens up, as the beach kitchens and the clubs come back.
June is the underrated one: highs of 27°C, ten hours of sun, three rainy days and a sea at 21°C, all without the August crowd. If one of you wants heat and another wants space, June settles it.
September is the better half of that pair for swimming. Days sit at 28°C and the sea holds 24°C, because the water is coming down from its August peak rather than climbing towards it. Crowds thin out after the first week.
July and August, high summer
July is the driest and sunniest month of the year: one rainy day on average, eleven hours of sun, highs of 30°C and a sea at 24°C.
August matches July in the air and beats it in the water at 26°C, which is as warm as the Mediterranean gets here. It is also the busiest and most expensive month, and the middle of the day is for shade. Nights stay above 20°C, so air conditioning is worth checking when you book.
If a beach week is the point of the trip, these two months and September are the ones that deliver it without a caveat.
October to December, the wet end
October rewards a second look. The sea still holds 22°C, warmer than it was in June, and highs around 24°C make it the best month of the year for cycling and long walks. It is also the wettest, with about 70mm falling over five days, and that tends to arrive in short heavy bursts rather than grey drizzle. The clubs close in the first half of the month.
November settles at 20°C days and a sea of 19°C, which is warm enough that people still swim. The sun drops back to five hours a day and the coast goes quiet.
December looks much like November with the water a degree cooler. It is a good month for the villages, for the year-round markets at Las Dalias, San Juan and Forada, and for the walking routes in the north.
Quick answers
Which month has the best weather? June and September. May and October come next, with a cooler sea in May and more rain in October.
When is the sea warmest? August, at about 26°C, with July and September following at around 24°C.
Can you swim in May? Yes, at about 18°C. It is cold on the first morning and fine by the third.
Can you swim in October? Yes, and more comfortably than in June, since the sea holds around 22°C.
Which is the wettest month? October, with roughly 70mm over five days. November and December follow.
Is April warm enough? For eating outside and walking, yes, at around 20°C. For the beach, only just.
Does it get cold in winter? Nights fall towards 8°C in January and February and days stay near 16°C. Frost is not part of the picture, but heating in the house is.
How hot does August get? Highs average 30°C, with single days going well above that, and nights that stay above 20°C.
Before you pick a week
Averages tell you what to pack rather than what one particular week will do. The figure that moves the decision most is the sea temperature, since it splits the year into a beach half and a walking half far more cleanly than the air does.
If you are weighing two months against each other, our advisors book across the whole season and will tell you how each one feels on the ground.