Since I'm going to Madrid in two weeks and the current temperature is 96 degrees, I'm more than a little worried about the effects of the heat. Do most of the "touristy" spots have air conditioning? A few years ago I had the same concerns before I went to London. My hotel didn't have A/C but I was told it never gets hot in London. Sure enough, once I got there they had their highest temperatures ever. I can adjust to the cold, but I cannot handle heat and humidity.

Doug, we just returned from Madrid this week. I wouldn't worry about a/c. When it was really warm, we stopped to have a drink. Usually carried some bottled water w/ us. It just wasn't a problem, most places have cool spots...breezes or a/c. Enjoy your trip!

it's very hot now in Madrid, indeed. We're going through a heat wave. However, you should worry about humidity, Madrid has a really dry weather (about 15-20% humidity) so 96ºF are bearable and most touristy spots have A/C.

Oops, I meant you shouldn't worry.

Most places in Madrid have A/C but it's the Spaniards who haven't quite accepted the idea of what cool is! To me their cool is quite warm for me!The Corte Ingles stores have great A/C but the sales people seem to be shivering in their sweaters!Depending where you stay you can count on A/C but you may not be able to control it-make it cool enough and some places turn it off at night !...........

Just got back last night - and yes it was HOT! (I live in Fort Lauderdale, so I do know what hot is). Our hotel (Carlos V) did have A/C in the rooms, and it was generally a great, well-loacted hotel. If your hotel is not air conditioned, you may want to see about switching to that. If not, you will survive ok, as the temperetaure definitely drops noticably in the evenings, so an open window will do alot of good. We most appreciated the A/C in the daytime, because (having truly taken advantage of Madrid nightlife), we occasioanlly then took advantage of siesta for a brief nap. Another good thing is that the lack of humidity means that the shade really is cooler. When you get really hot, stop at an outdoor cafe with an umbrella table and enjoy a snack. Finally, many people really do use fans around town - locals included, it seemed. You can buy "souvenir" fans cheap - like 5 for 800 peseats - from a street vendor.<BR>KK