We get many e-mails asking when is the best time to visit Spain. Are some months better than others? Are there times of the year you shouldn’t visit Spain? The short answer is, every month in Spain is a perfect time to visit. The long answer — just a bit more complicated.
Best times to visit Spain — May to September
If you enjoy extremely hot weather, the best months to visit Spain are between the middle of May and end of September in most regions of the country. The negative side to this are the massive crowds of tourists you will also be subjected to.
So, if crowds are not your thing, avoid Spain during the summer months.
Don’t forget too, if you travel around Spain from May through September, hotel reservations are just about mandatory, as you’ll find little available if you do not.
If you plan on traveling inland however, it’s calmer from May to September as a lot of the Spaniards go on vacation during that time too. The downsides? Some places will be closed as their owners are on holiday, and the heat inland can be pretty dire.
Visiting Spain during the low season — October to end of April
The low season in Spain, in our opinion, is the best time to visit. There are less people and, of course, prices for everything from hotels to rental cars are cheaper. You can also travel around without needing reservations as many hotels will have 50% occupancy or less.
The weather too is usually lovely and much cooler than in the summer months – averaging between 70 and 90 degrees. You may get some rain but, if you are in Spain for a week or two, most of the time in most areas of the country, the good days will still outweigh the bad.
The only downside is, as it is the low season, some areas of the country are very quiet and a number of tourist attractions will be closed or operating on reduced hours.
But, if you stay in cities like Barcelona, Madrid, Cadiz or Alicante, or in tourist areas like Benalmadena, Benidorm or Torremolinos you won’t really see that much of a difference.