The Best Time to Visit Spain

Spring is an ideal time to visit Spain – in most places the weather will be quite pleasant, although mountainous destinations in the north may be a bit chilly. This is the best time to visit cities inland like Seville, Cordoba, Madrid and Grenada, with things warming up but not becoming unbearably hot. In the capital city, the average daytime temperatures now tend to hover in the upper 60s to low 70s Fahrenheit. At Alhambra Palace, a must-visit, you’ll be able to miss the thickest tourist crowds while enjoying the sights. The beaches are likely to be warm enough to relax on although the water may be a bit too cool for swimming.

The fall is one of the best times to visit Spain, with the summer heat dissipating and the crowds beginning to diminish. Airfares are often lower around this time and accommodation rates discounted following the peak of the tourist season. The weather is likely to be mild and pleasant in many areas, particularly in central and southern Spain, although it will be cooler in the north. The later in the season you come, the more those temperatures will drop. In Madrid, averages range from a high of 89 degrees during September to mid-60s in October and the mid-50s in November. The Pyrenees Mountains are likely to start seeing snow by the later part of the season. If you visit the world-renowned La Rioja wine region in northern Spain, you can enjoy the Rioja Wine Festival which celebrates the season’s first harvest around the third weekend of September, with grapes pressed by men wearing traditional clothing in a large wooden tub, food tastings, bullfighting and more.