isabel

I am seriously thiking of going to Spain next summer. Before you say anything, yes I know it will be hot. But I've been putting off Spain in favor of places that "make more sense" for a few years now and I'd really like to see it. The areas I'm most interested in are Andaluca and Madrid and I know in July or August they will be terribly hot. So my thought is to combine travel in that area with somewhere cooler.

My total trip will be about 3 weeks and I can stand hot temps for part of that time, but probably not all of it. For example, last summer we went to Sicily for 11 days and then to Switzerland for another week. I could fly from Madrid to somewhere like Copenhagen but I was thinking if there were parts of Spain (north obviously) that were significantly cooler that might be easier.

So - any suggestions. This will be a solo trip so I won't be renting a car. I like medevial towns more than scenery.

nytraveler

The only part of Spain that's reasonably cool in the summer is the Atlantic coast near San Sebastian. (This has been the summer resort for Madrilenos to get away from the heat since the 1880s.)

But - I'm not sure how much time you want to stay in terms of what there is to do. And "cool" is still relative.

You might be better off with your original idea - I believe there are lots of cheap flights from the Costa del Sol to Scandinavia - and I would imagine Copenhagen or Stockholm would be a great contrast to Andalucia.

martytravels

Madrid, and especially Seville, are HOT HOT HOT in the summer. (The digital temperature reading in Seville was consistently at 41 celsius in late June).

cruiseluv

Northern Spain ( Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria and Basque region )is reasonably cool in the summer. I was there this summer in July , but they were having an unusual heat wave. Even with this the temp was in the 80's and it would go down at night. Very pleasant.

isabel

nytraveler - that's what I was thinking. I'll have to do more research on Northern Spain to see if I want to spend my third week there.

cruiseluv - thanks for that info, it's helpful. For some reason the world weather sites don't seem to give an accurate picture (or maybe they do) - for example they say the average high is 95 in seville, average low of 67. That's certainly warm but not that bad. I've read people's accounts saying it was near 90 all night. That's quite a different story. Anyway, I'll look into the areas you mention.

If anyone has any favorite towns in the north of Spain I'd love to hear about them.

Christina

I wouldn't go to Southern Spain in summer if I had a choice, as it doesn't sound that enjoyable. Barcelona isn't going to be that bad, though, as it's on the coast and up near France, so that's a possibility. Highs will probably be low 80s, on average.

You can believe individual anecdotes more than statistical averages if you want, but I prefer statistics. If you want to know whether it is possible to be 90 at night, that's one thing, but if you want to know patterns and averages, I'd trust the facts rather than one person's single trip.

Voyager2006

Madird can be almost as hot as Seville..I've been to Madrid in August when it was still 98 degrees at midnight! However, the heat in both cities is very dry..low humidity..which makes it much more pleasant than the "wet blanket" in places like Barcelona or anywhere else closer to the water.

Don't even THINK about staying anywhere in the warmer parts of Spain in July and August that isn't "air conditioned."

BTilke

I'd like to hear from someone who's been to Asturias lately. It looks absolutely beautiful and would be my first choice for a summer trip to Spain.

isabel

Christina - I didn't mean to imply that I would trust one or two people's opinions over statistical info, just that statists don't tell the whole story - like how hot someplace actually feels. As Voyager2006 points out (thank you) humidity can make a huge difference. Clealy it's gonna be hot, many people have said they wouldn't go there in summer. But I just thought there might be some people who have a different opinion, that might say sure it's hot but not that bad. So just looking for some opinions.

So far the research I've done on the north of Spain just doesn't sound anywhere near as appealing as the Madrid and south areas (to me anyway). How about Portugal - it it cooler there because it's on the coast? Statistics say it is (average high of 83 versus 90-95) but I've heard it's pretty uncomfortably humid.

Robert2533

First of all, I'd like to know what "research" you've conducted on Green Spain, the northern coast. This is the most dynamic region in Spain. It is a land abundant in great food and wine and unbelievable beauty the stretches from Hondarribia in the Basque Country to La Coruña and Vigo in Galicia. It has everything you could imagine, except for some large resort complex that we hope never happens.

Andalucia is beautiful in the spring, fall and even in the dead of winter, but can't compare to the north coast during the summer. Hot in Andalucia is like sitting in an oven. It can even be warm in the shadows unless you're in the coastal mountains where it cools down somewhat. It's warm day and night due to the hot winds blowing in from the Sahara desert. The short nights in summer do not allow the land to cool down enough for there to be more than a few degrees in temperature between 12 noon and 12 mid-night. You can get by in July and August if you enjoy the heat, stay in a good air-conditioned hotel and walk in the shadows, but these are not the most comfortable months to tour this historical region when you have the option of heading for the north coast.

Madrid by mid-July is fairly quiet, except for the influx of foreign tours, as most of the best restaurants close down until late August. The heat in Madrid can be intense at times, but it is generally cooler than Sevilla.

LoveItaly

Hello isabel, for what it is worth I have a friend here in my town that was born and raised in Seville. She and her husband go there every year to see her family. After her last trip (summer 2004) she told me that they will never go to Seville again during the summer months. She said if they cannot get vacation time from work in some month other then summer the will just have to forego their trip. And come to think of it they didn't go this summer.