Best Time to Visit Spain

Photo by Logan Armstrong on Unsplash

Go in April, May, or June. April on the Mediterranean coast runs 18.4°C / 65.1°F by day and 10.9°C / 51.6°F at night with just 31.2mm (1.2in) of rain spread over 6 days, and June is the single driest month on record for 2025 — 0.3mm (0.01in), zero rainy days, at 29.3°C / 84.7°F. The months to dodge are September (209.9mm / 8.3in), December (161.0mm / 6.3in), and March (146.0mm / 5.7in falling on 19 separate days).

The numbers below are measured 2025 observations for Barcelona, which is the standard reference point for Spain's Mediterranean coast — Costa Brava, Costa Dorada, Valencia and the Balearics all follow roughly the same rhythm. Inland Spain (Madrid, Seville, Andalusia) runs hotter in summer and colder at night in winter; the Atlantic northwest (Galicia, Basque Country) is wetter year-round. Treat this as the coastal baseline and adjust upward for inland heat.

The best months: April, May, and June

June is the outlier. Highs of 29.3°C / 84.7°F, lows of 21.1°C / 70.0°F, and 0.3mm of rain across zero rainy days. That is not "mostly dry" — that is a month where nothing meaningful fell from the sky. Sea temperatures have come up from spring, the beaches are open, and you get long daylight without the August crowd. The trade-off is the 21.1°C / 70.0°F overnight low: nights stay warm, and if your accommodation has no air conditioning you will notice it.

April is the walking month. 18.4°C / 65.1°F by day is the temperature where you can spend eight hours on your feet in a city without wilting — Gothic Quarter, Park Güell, day trips to Girona or Montserrat — and still want a jacket after sunset at 10.9°C / 51.6°F. Rain totals 31.2mm (1.2in) over 6 days, so roughly one day in five sees something, and 31.2mm across 6 days averages about 5mm per wet day. That is a shower you wait out under an awning, not a washout.

May is warmer but wetter than April. 21.6°C / 70.9°F high, 13.6°C / 56.5°F low, and 72.9mm (2.9in) over 11 rainy days. Eleven wet days out of 31 means you should plan on losing two or three afternoons. In exchange you get temperatures where a swim is plausible and terrace dinners are comfortable without a coat. If you want the reliability of April with the warmth of June, May is the compromise — and it is the month where that compromise costs you the most rain days.

November deserves a mention here even though nobody thinks of it. 17.6°C / 63.7°F high, 9.1°C / 48.4°F low, and only 19.7mm (0.8in) over 4 days — the second-driest month of the year by both volume and frequency. It is April's weather at November's prices.

The months to avoid: September, December, and March

September is the wettest month of the year: 209.9mm / 8.3in. What makes it worse is how it arrives — 209.9mm over only 10 rainy days works out to roughly 21mm on each wet day. That is the signature of Mediterranean autumn storms: a warm, bright 25.0°C / 77.0°F morning, then a wall of water in the late afternoon, then it clears. It is not drizzle. Streets flood, terraces shut, and beach days end abruptly. If you go anyway, keep afternoons flexible and museums on the backup list.

March is the most persistently grey month: 19 rainy days out of 31. The 146.0mm (5.7in) total is lower than September's, but spread across nearly two-thirds of the month at about 7.7mm per wet day — which is exactly the profile of long, low, unglamorous drizzle. At 14.9°C / 58.8°F high and 8.6°C / 47.5°F low it is also still cold. March gives you the frequency of an English spring without the compensation of cheap flights, because Semana Santa pushes prices up in late March some years.

December is the wet cold one: 161.0mm / 6.3in over 13 days at 14.8°C / 58.6°F high and 7.3°C / 45.1°F low. Christmas markets and Barcelona in fairy lights are genuinely nice, but you are looking at roughly two wet days every five, and the daylight is short.

July is the one people get wrong. It looks like peak summer at 28.5°C / 83.3°F, and it is — but it also logged 127.9mm (5.0in) over 13 rainy days, more rain than any month except September, December, and March. Thirteen wet days in the hottest, most crowded, most expensive month is a bad trade. August is the better summer month on the numbers: hotter at 29.7°C / 85.5°F but far drier at 35.2mm (1.4in) over 6 days.

Shoulder season: cheaper, and genuinely fine

The two windows worth booking are late April into May and October into November.

October holds 22.4°C / 72.3°F days and 14.7°C / 58.5°F nights — comfortably warm — but it rains on 12 days, totalling 57.4mm (2.3in). That is only about 4.8mm per wet day, so October's rain is frequent but light. You will get interrupted, not drenched. Sea temperatures are still holding summer heat, so an October swim is realistic in a way an April one is not.

November is the sleeper pick: 19.7mm (0.8in) over 4 days is drier than every month except January, and 17.6°C / 63.7°F is perfectly workable for a city break. Flights and hotels drop hard after the October half-term wave, restaurants stop turning people away, and the big sights are walkable rather than shuffled through.

January is the cheapest month with defensible weather. 10.1mm (0.4in) over 5 days is the driest reading in the entire table by volume. The catch is temperature — 15.2°C / 59.4°F by day and 6.0°C / 42.8°F at night. That is coat weather, not beach weather. But if your Spain is tapas, Gaudí, museums and day trips rather than swimming, January gives you dry skies and off-season prices.

What each season actually means for your trip

Spring (March–May) — Layers, and a real rain layer in March. March at 14.9°C / 58.8°F with 19 wet days means a waterproof shell, not a fashion jacket, and shoes you don't mind soaking. By April you drop to a light jacket for evenings only. You will be walking a lot: this is the season for old towns, hill climbs, and long lunches outdoors that end before the 10.9°C / 51.6°F evening chill sets in. Swimming is off the table.

Summer (June–August) — Shorts, sun protection, and a plan for the afternoon. With highs of 29.3–29.7°C / 84.7–85.5°F and overnight lows never dropping below 21.1°C / 70.0°F, nights don't reset. Spanish schedules exist for this reason: mornings out, a long flat afternoon indoors, then everything reopens at 20:00. June needs no rain gear at all — zero rainy days. July does: 13 wet days on top of the heat means a packable shell, and the storms are the drenching kind. Air conditioning is not a luxury in these months.

Autumn (September–November) — The most volatile stretch. September at 25.0°C / 77.0°F still looks like summer in the morning and can deliver 21mm of rain in an afternoon; carry a compact umbrella and keep an indoor option per day. October's 22.4°C / 72.3°F is the last comfortable beach-adjacent month. By November you are back to a jacket at 9.1°C / 48.4°F nights, but only 4 wet days — the most reliable dry stretch of the second half of the year.

Winter (December–February) — Coat, scarf, no swimwear. December's 161.0mm over 13 days is the wettest winter reading and the one to skip if weather matters more than Christmas atmosphere. January and February are dry by comparison — 10.1mm and 41.1mm (1.6in) respectively — with February's rain falling across 9 days. Daytime highs of 14.3–15.2°C / 57.7–59.4°F are mild enough for all-day sightseeing; the 6.0–6.5°C / 42.8–43.7°F nights are what you dress for.

Month-by-month

• January — 15.2°C / 59.4°F high, 6.0°C / 42.8°F low, 10.1mm (0.4in) over 5 days. Driest month of the year. Cold nights, cheap flights, empty sights.
• February — 14.3°C / 57.7°F high, 6.5°C / 43.7°F low, 41.1mm (1.6in) over 9 days. The coldest daytime highs of the year, and wetter than January.
• March — 14.9°C / 58.8°F high, 8.6°C / 47.5°F low, 146.0mm (5.7in) over 19 days. Rain on nearly two days in three. Avoid.
• April — 18.4°C / 65.1°F high, 10.9°C / 51.6°F low, 31.2mm (1.2in) over 6 days. The best walking weather of the year.
• May — 21.6°C / 70.9°F high, 13.6°C / 56.5°F low, 72.9mm (2.9in) over 11 days. Warm, but expect a few lost afternoons.
• June — 29.3°C / 84.7°F high, 21.1°C / 70.0°F low, 0.3mm (0.01in) over 0 days. Summer heat with zero rain days. The standout month.
• July — 28.5°C / 83.3°F high, 21.5°C / 70.7°F low, 127.9mm (5.0in) over 13 days. Hot, crowded, and surprisingly wet. The worst value in summer.
• August — 29.7°C / 85.5°F high, 21.2°C / 70.2°F low, 35.2mm (1.4in) over 6 days. Hottest month, but drier than July.
• September — 25.0°C / 77.0°F high, 18.1°C / 64.6°F low, 209.9mm (8.3in) over 10 days. Wettest month, delivered in downpours.
• October — 22.4°C / 72.3°F high, 14.7°C / 58.5°F low, 57.4mm (2.3in) over 12 days. Warm and frequently but lightly wet.
• November — 17.6°C / 63.7°F high, 9.1°C / 48.4°F low, 19.7mm (0.8in) over 4 days. The best-value month on the calendar.
• December — 14.8°C / 58.6°F high, 7.3°C / 45.1°F low, 161.0mm (6.3in) over 13 days. Wet and dark. Go for the markets, not the weather.

FAQ

Is August too hot to visit Spain?

On the coast, no — 29.7°C / 85.5°F is hot but manageable, and with only 35.2mm (1.4in) of rain over 6 days you get consistently clear skies. The real problem is the overnight low of 21.2°C / 70.2°F, which means the day never fully cools off, so accommodation without air conditioning becomes miserable by night three. Inland Spain in August is a different proposition entirely and runs considerably hotter than these coastal figures. Structure your day around a long afternoon indoors and August works.

What is the rainiest month in Spain?

September, at 209.9mm / 8.3in — but the number that matters is that it fell on just 10 days, about 21mm per wet day. Compare that to March, which had less total rain (146.0mm / 5.7in) but spread it over 19 days at roughly 7.7mm each. September gives you mostly good weather punctuated by violent afternoon storms; March gives you a persistently grey month. Which is worse depends on whether you would rather lose a few afternoons entirely or have the whole trip slightly dampened.

Is winter in Spain worth it?

January, yes. It is the driest month in the table at 10.1mm (0.4in) over 5 days, and 15.2°C / 59.4°F is warm enough to be outdoors all day in a coat. Prices are at their annual floor and you can actually get into restaurants and sights. December is the one to skip — 161.0mm (6.3in) over 13 days is more than four times January's rain. February sits in between at 41.1mm (1.6in) over 9 days with the year's coolest daytime high of 14.3°C / 57.7°F.

When is the cheapest time to go without bad weather?

November. At 19.7mm (0.8in) over 4 rainy days it is drier than eight other months, and 17.6°C / 63.7°F days are only slightly cooler than April's 18.4°C / 65.1°F — but you are booking outside every school holiday and after the summer premium has collapsed. Pack for the 9.1°C / 48.4°F nights and you have essentially April weather at low-season prices. Late April, before the May long weekends, is the second-best option if you want the option of warmer days.