When to Visit Spain

The best times to visit Spain will depend entirely on where you intend to go and what you intend to do. If you are looking for a beach holiday, then summer is best in the north of Spain, but spring and autumn are best in the south. If you are going sight-seeing, you should avoid the hottest time of the year. Remember northern Spain can be cold and blustery in the winter and rainfall is similar to that in the UK.

Otherwise, the ideal months to visit Spain are between May and September (plus April and October in the south). At these times you can rely on good weather, yet avoid the main crush of Spanish and foreign tourists.

In many parts of Spain, high season begins during Holy Week (Semana Santa) and includes festival days. If you want to make sure you hit some parties, the best festivals are concentrated between Holy Week and September.

Summer is high season for coastal and interior regions in Spain. Despite the heat of mid summer, tourism on the Iberian Peninsula reaches its height in August; the coastal regions overflow while inland cities empty out, leaving closed offices, restaurants, and lodgings. The Peninsula plays host to some fifty million tourists a year - more than one for every resident - and all the main beach and mountain resorts are packed in July and August, as are the major sights. So, as a general rule, always make reservations if you plan to travel in those months.

On the other hand, Travelling in the low season has many advantages, most noticeably fewer crowds and lower prices. Many hostels cut their prices by at least 30%, and reservations are seldom necessary. However, keep in mind that, during these months, many smaller seaside spots are ghost towns, and tourist offices and places to see, sometimes cut their hours nearly everywhere.

Most of the Spanish peninsular is an average of 3000 meters high, except when it drops down to the coast. This means that in winter the inland areas can be cold (even with snow) and the coastal areas milder, whereas in the summer, inland can be very hot with the coasts enjoying off-sea breezes.