Best Time to Visit Spain
By Tully Luxury Travel | 12-11-2023 |
Planning a luxury vacation to Spain? Take our expert advice on the best time of the year to go, basking in the best weather and having all the cultural fun.
Enjoy the shoulder seasons
In general terms, a trip to Spain any time of the year is an experience to be savored, but off-peak travel in the shoulder seasons yields definite benefits. From March to May and from September to November, the country has fewer crowds and great weather – i.e. warmer temperatures in early spring and mild in the late autumn.
In urban centers like Barcelona and Madrid, people tend to take the summers off, so many things are closed. Visiting in the spring and fall lets you absorb the vibe of regular life – while all the children are still in school, both here and at home.
Plan for the spring festivals
As the days begin to grow longer, cultural activities gear up, the flower markets bloom and the streets are alive with puppet theaters, horse shows, music festivals and traditional dancing.
The Holy Week at Easter brings a variety of pageants, passion plays and processions to many of Spain’s major cities. Sevilla’s April Fair sends people into the streets to celebrate the seasonal renewal with horses and riders, parades and floats, music, dancing and culinary indulgence. Córdoba’s Battle of the Flowers also celebrates the welcome of spring, along with its annual courtyard competition, which sees homeowners dressing up their inner courtyards and opening them to the public.
Dos de Mayo – Madrid Day – celebrates Spain’s victory over Napoleon in 1808 with concerts, dancing and sports. This is also zarzuela-performance season: a type of traditional musical theater centered on grass-roots themes and whimsical theatrics.
Go for the fall colors
The autumn brings a kaleidoscope of color to the countryside, the rolling hills awash in red and rust. September to October is the perfect time to visit Spain if you are a wine aficionado, as this is crush-time in the vineyards – a very good season in Spain to celebrate.
Fiesta de San Mateo in the city of Logrono in September pays tribute to the grape harvest with concerts, traditional cuisine, parades and fireworks. Barcelona’s La Mercé festival is filled with diverse cultural activities, including street acrobatics, live music and public art. Spanish National Day in October commemorates the Spanish legacy worldwide, a national day of reflection and remembrance.
Relax in the summer days
Ideally, the best time to travel to Spain is when you yourself have the time. If family fun is on your calendar and July and August is your window, you will have a great time. This is when Spaniards also take time to relax and go to the beach, so by visiting Spain in the summer you can enjoy the seasonal serenity.
While the humidity and temperatures rise – along with the rates of the hotels – the summer sees nice long lunches, riverside relaxation, lots of visits to the beach and sizzling party nights. The Mediterranean coast is a definite scene, with its lavish, oceanfront resorts and marina-filled yachts. The summer months are indeed the best ones to visit the Canary Islands, as May to September brings the nicest weather with next-to-no rainfall, along with perfect ocean temperatures.
Whatever part of the year you end up traveling to Spain, rest in the knowledge that there will always be a smile waiting for you – and a standing invitation to join in the fun.
