Spain guide
The best time to visit Spain
Region by region, with the weather, the festivals and the months that suit each kind of trip.
By Ramin Jafari · Facts checked
The best time to visit Spain is April to June and September to October, when almost every region is at its best at once. But Spain has no single climate: the south is best in spring and autumn and too hot at midday in July and August; the north, the coasts and the islands come into their own in summer; the wine country runs from June to the harvest in October; and the Canary Islands are mild all year. So the best time depends on where you are going, and why: here is each region with its own months, the year’s festivals, and the months for each kind of trip.
At a glance
- Best months
- April to June and September to October, almost everywhere
- Hottest
- July and August inland: Seville averages highs of 36°C (97°F)
- Mildest winter
- The Canary Islands: January highs of 21–22°C (70–72°F)
- Beaches
- June to September, on the coasts and the islands
- Wine country
- June to October, with the harvest in September and October
- Quietest
- December and January, by hotel occupancy
Andalusia
Andalusia: spring and autumn, and the coast in summer
The cities of the south are best in spring and autumn, and the coast from May to October.
Andalusia's capital
Seville
- Best months
- March to May, and October into early November
- Warmest
- July, average highs of 36°C (97°F)
- Coolest
- January, average highs of 16°C (61°F)
Spring is Seville’s season: the orange trees flower in March and April, and Holy Week and the Feria de Abril fall in it — in 2027, from 21 to 28 March and from 13 to 18 April. In July and August the middle of the day is too hot for sightseeing; September is still hot, and October brings the city back. Winter is mild and quiet.
Inland Andalusia
Granada, Córdoba and Ronda
- Best months
- March to May and September to November
- Warmest
- July: Córdoba 37°C (99°F), Granada 35°C (95°F)
- Coolest
- January: Granada 13°C (55°F), with frosty nights
Córdoba is hotter still than Seville in July, and Granada, below the Sierra Nevada, has colder winter nights than either. In early May Córdoba’s patio houses open for their festival, on UNESCO’s list since 2012; Granada keeps the Día de la Cruz around 3 May and its Corpus fair in late May or June. Ronda, in the mountains, keeps the same best months.
The Costa del Sol
Málaga and Marbella
- Málaga
- March to May, and September and October
- Marbella
- May to October, and above all June to September
- Warmest
- August, average highs of 31°C (88°F)
The coast is where the south spends its summer. Marbella’s beaches are at their best from June to September, and warm from May to October; Málaga, a city to walk, is better in spring and autumn, with its great processional thrones in Holy Week and its Feria in mid-August. In January the coast still averages highs of 17°C (63°F).
Madrid and the Mediterranean
Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia
The capital’s spring and autumn, and the Mediterranean cities’ long warm season, with their beaches in July and August.
The capital
Madrid
- Best months
- March to May and September to November
- Warmest
- July, average highs of 32°C (90°F)
- Coolest
- January, average highs of 10°C (50°F)
Spring and autumn are mild, the Retiro and the terraces at their best, and the city keeps its patron’s feast, San Isidro, on and around 15 May. Summer is hot and the evenings long; winter is cold and clear, with the museums and the tables without the queues.
The north-east
Barcelona and Catalonia
- Best months
- April to June, and September and October
- Warmest
- August, average highs of 29°C (84°F)
- Coolest
- January, average highs of 14°C (57°F)
Barcelona is at its best in spring and early autumn, with July and August for the beach. On 23 April, Sant Jordi fills the streets with books and roses; the night of 23 June is Sant Joan’s; in mid-August Gràcia dresses its streets for its Festa Major; and La Mercè, the city’s own festival, comes in late September. September and October are also the wettest months, with a rainy day most weeks.
On the Mediterranean
Valencia
- Best months
- March to May and September to November
- Warmest
- August, average highs of 30°C (86°F)
- Coolest
- January, average highs of 16°C (61°F)
Spring brings the Fallas, from 15 to 19 March, when giant monuments stand in the streets and burn on the last night; the festival is on UNESCO’s list of intangible heritage. July and August are the beach season, and winter is the mildest of the three cities.
The north
The north and the wine country
Green because it rains: the Atlantic north is at its best from late spring to early autumn, and the vineyards from June to the harvest.
The Basque Country
San Sebastián and Bilbao
- San Sebastián
- March to May and September to November; June to August for the beach
- Bilbao
- May to October, and above all June to September
- Warmest
- August: 23°C (73°F) at Igeldo, 26°C (79°F) in Bilbao
Rain falls on some 140 days a year above San Sebastián and 120 in Bilbao, least in summer, which is the sunniest season and the beach’s. July brings the Jazzaldia, August San Sebastián’s Semana Grande and Bilbao’s Aste Nagusia, and September the San Sebastián Film Festival.
The Atlantic north-west
Santiago and Galicia
- Best months
- June to September, the warmest and driest months
- Warmest
- August, average highs of 25°C (77°F)
- Rain
- About 1,800 mm a year, least in July and August
Of all the places in this guide, Santiago has the most rain, and its summer is the time to go: the Festas do Apóstolo fill the second half of July, with fireworks on the night of the 24th and St James’s Day on the 25th — a Sunday in 2027, a Holy Year. From October the rain returns.
The wine country
La Rioja and the Duero
- Best months
- June to October, with the harvest in September and October
- Warmest
- July: 30°C (86°F) in Logroño, 31°C (88°F) in Valladolid
- Coolest
- January, 8–10°C (46–50°F), with frosty nights
The islands
The Balearic and Canary Islands
The Mediterranean islands from spring to autumn, and the Atlantic ones all year.
The Balearic Islands
Mallorca and Ibiza
- Mallorca
- March to May and September to November
- Ibiza
- April to June, and September and October
- Warmest
- August, average highs of 31°C (88°F) in Palma
The Atlantic, off Africa
The Canary Islands
- Best months
- Mild all year; March to May and September to November are best
- January
- Average highs of 21–22°C (70–72°F) on the coast
- Warmest
- August, average highs of 28–29°C (82–84°F)
The Canary Islands have the mildest winter in Spain, though spring and autumn are their best months. Carnival fills Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Las Palmas and Arrecife from February. The south of Tenerife is the dry side, the north four times as wet, and Teide can see snow on a few winter days.
The year
Spain through the year
Five cities through the year, the festivals that are worth timing a trip for, and the months for each kind of trip.
Average highs in January, April, July, October and December, from AEMET’s climate normals for 1981–2010:
- Barcelona — 14°C (57°F), 18°C (64°F), 28°C (82°F), 22°C (72°F), 14°C (57°F).
- Madrid — 10°C (50°F), 18°C (64°F), 32°C (90°F), 19°C (66°F), 10°C (50°F).
- Seville — 16°C (61°F), 23°C (73°F), 36°C (97°F), 26°C (79°F), 17°C (63°F).
- San Sebastián — 11°C (52°F), 15°C (59°F), 22°C (72°F), 19°C (66°F), 12°C (54°F), at Igeldo, 250 metres up; the seafront runs a little warmer.
- Palma de Mallorca — 15°C (59°F), 20°C (68°F), 31°C (88°F), 24°C (75°F), 16°C (61°F).
The year’s festivals, with their 2027 dates where they are published:
- The Fallas, Valencia, 15 to 19 March.
- Holy Week, from Seville to Valladolid, 21 to 28 March.
- The Feria de Abril, Seville, 13 to 18 April.
- Sant Jordi, Barcelona, 23 April.
- The Feria del Caballo, Jerez, 24 April to 1 May; see our Feria de Jerez guide.
- The patios, Córdoba, early May.
- San Fermín, Pamplona, 6 to 14 July, a festival of international tourist interest.
- St James’s Day, Santiago de Compostela, 25 July, a Holy Year.
- La Tomatina, Buñol, in the province of Valencia, in late August.
- La Mercè, Barcelona, in late September, and the harvest festivals of La Rioja and the Duero.
- Carnival, Cádiz and Tenerife, in February.
By the kind of trip
- Cities and monuments — spring and autumn, everywhere but Galicia, whose best months are June to September; with a guide, as in our private architecture and cultural tours.
- Beaches and islands — June to September on the coasts, with the Mediterranean islands best either side of July and August, and the Canaries all year.
- Wine and food — June to October in the wine country, with the harvest in September and October; see our culinary and wine tours.
- Walking — the mountains of the north from late spring to early autumn, Mallorca’s Tramuntana in spring, and the Canary Islands in any month; see our national parks guide.
Questions
Questions we are asked
Is summer too hot to travel in Spain?
Inland in July and August, yes, in the middle of the day: in Córdoba, Seville and Madrid we keep the afternoons for the hotel and the sightseeing for the early mornings and the evenings. Summer belongs to the north — San Sebastián, Bilbao and Galicia — and to the coasts and the islands, where the sea is close.
When is the most budget-friendly time to visit?
Spain’s hotels are least full from November to March, and quietest of all in December and January, by the national statistics office’s figures; rates move with the season. Every trip is priced individually. After discussing your plans, we prepare a tailored proposal with a quoted trip price and a clear outline of what is included.
When is the best time for a honeymoon in Spain?
May and October, when Andalusia’s cities, Barcelona, Mallorca and the coast are all at their best. June suits the north and Ibiza, and September the islands, while Seville is still hot. For the island, see our honeymoon in Mallorca.
Is October a good time to visit Spain?
Yes. It is one of the best months almost everywhere: Seville and Córdoba once the heat has gone, Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia, the Basque coast, Mallorca, Ibiza and the Canaries, and the end of the harvest in La Rioja and the Duero. Only Galicia is better earlier, before the autumn rain.
Best time to visit, city by city
- Best time to visit Barcelona
Season by season and month by month, with the festivals and the beach months.
- Best time to visit Madrid
Season by season and month by month, with the festivals, the heat and the best months for each kind of trip.
- Best time to visit Mallorca
Season by season and month by month, with the festivals and the summer to plan around.
- Best time to visit Seville
Season by season and month by month, with the festivals and the heat to plan around.
- Best time to visit San Sebastián
Season by season and month by month, with the festivals, the crowds and the rain to plan around.
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