Spain, a favorite foreign destination for French travellers, has a dry and temperate climate which allows it to welcome tourists all year round.
The country can be divided into three major climatic zones: Atlantic, Continental and Mediterranean;
to which are added the Balearic Islands and the Canary Islands, which have their own microclimates.
To discover
Trips to Spain: tailor-made tours, hotels and stays from our partners
Read alsoThe top five 2022 festivities not to be missed in Spain, from the feria to the Sanfermines
When to go to northern Spain?
The Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao.
The main city of the Basque Country is one of the favorite tourist destinations in northern Spain.
Mario / stock.adobe.com
To visit the Costa Verde, which includes Galicia, the Cantabrian coast of Asturias, Cantabria, the Basque Country and the Spanish Pyrenees, the period from May to September is to be preferred.
With summer temperatures around 25°C on average, the Atlantic coast of Spain lends itself perfectly to tourism during this period.
You will be able to discover San Sebastian, Bilbao or Santiago de Compostela and attend one of the most popular events in the country: the famous bullfight which takes place in Pamplona in July as part of the
Sanfermines
.
Traveling to northern Spain in summer also means minimizing the risk of bad weather as this region is one of the wettest in Spain, with rainfall ranging from 900 to 2,000 mm per year.
Snowfalls are frequent above 1,200 m in winter and snowy episodes are occasional in some towns.
Read alsoFive reasons to discover Asturias, the heart of green Spain
When to go to Madrid and central Spain?
The Playa Mayor, in the heart of Madrid, the Spanish capital.
andrii_lutsyk/stock.adobe.com
Madrid, its Prado Museum and its Royal Palace are ideally discovered between the months of May and September.
The capital lies at the heart of the central part of Spain, called the
meseta
, which is characterized by scorching heat in summer and sometimes freezing cold in winter.
The city also has some of the lowest winter temperatures in Spain, while annual rainfall ranges from 300 to 600 mm.
If you can't stand the heat, avoid planning your trip to Madrid during the summer season.
Read also48 hours in Madrid, a weekend between culture and gastronomy
When to go to Barcelona and the Costa Brava?
La Sagrada Familia, the unmissable basilica of Barcelona.
valeryegorov / stock.adobe.com
If you plan to travel to Barcelona, spring and autumn are the ideal seasons to enjoy the charms of the city and discover its famous Sagrada Familia.
When you leave in March, you will be able to attend the
Las Fallas
festival in Valencia.
Catalonia and the Costa Brava experience relatively mild winters, although quite humid, and pleasant summers, with temperatures that are certainly high but mitigated by the influence of the Mediterranean.
Read alsoOn the road to the Costa Dorada, the Catalan coast in four stages
Lovers of seaside pleasures will prefer to enjoy the beaches of the Costa Brava in summer, the season during which the
Tomatina
takes place , a tomato fight in the streets of the town of Buñol, scheduled for the last Wednesday of August.
If you are considering an Iberian getaway in winter, the central eastern part of the coast, from Alicante to Murcia, is warmer than Catalonia and experiences lower rainfall during this period.
Read alsoDiscovering Cadaqués, pearl of the Costa Brava
When to go to Andalusia and the Costa del Sol?
From its Moorish architecture to its sublime panoramas, the city of Granada is best visited in May.
Horváth Botond / stock.adobe.com
Spring and autumn are the ideal seasons to go to Andalusia and discover its main cities, such as Granada and its majestic Alhambra palace.
When visiting Seville in April, you can witness the
Semana Santa processions,
which take place the week before Easter Sunday.
Two weeks later, the city hosts the
Feria de Abril
, a lively festival where flamenco meets traditional costumes.
Windsurfers and kitesurfers will take advantage of the winter season to discover the Costa del Sol, which can be extremely windy, and parts of the Atlantic coast of Cádiz, called Costa de la Luz, which experience a particularly strong wind, the
levante
.
Read alsoSeven reasons to discover Cadiz and the south of the Costa de la Luz
When to go to the Balearic and Canary Islands?
The island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands is an ideal playground for hikers in the spring.
daliu / stock.adobe.com
Depending on your desires, all seasons are favorable for discovering Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera and the other islands of the archipelago, in particular Majorca, the largest, known for the eclectic architecture of its capital, Palma.
Indeed, the Balearic Islands enjoy a Mediterranean climate with mild winters and hot summers, tempered by sea breezes.
This is also the case of the Canary Islands, especially Gran Canaria and Tenerife, which has one of the highest levels of sunshine in Spain.
Temperatures in the archipelago are also between 20 and 27°C throughout the year.
Read alsoBalearic islands, which island to choose for your stay?
Mallorca, Ibiza, Menorca... Our map and travel tips