Spain--Jan. and Feb.
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 92
Spain--Jan. and Feb.
Hi,
Considering a trip to Spain from January 19-February 23. A little worried about the weather. Has anybody travelled during this time in Spain in previous years? What is your advice and experience?
Where might be the best places to go, and places to avoid during this time?
Where would be the warmest beaches and coastal towns?
Thanks for the help.
Ken
Considering a trip to Spain from January 19-February 23. A little worried about the weather. Has anybody travelled during this time in Spain in previous years? What is your advice and experience?
Where might be the best places to go, and places to avoid during this time?
Where would be the warmest beaches and coastal towns?
Thanks for the help.
Ken
#2
Join Date: Feb 2003
Posts: 1,626
Variable. It won't be really cold (except in the mountains - you can ski). I was in Madrid at the beginning of Feb a few years ago and it was about 60F, but I don't think you can count on it being consistently that warm, since it's in the centre of the country and has a continental (i.e. extreme) climate. It could be freezing.
It's not going to be beach weather anywhere, although coastal climates are going be more temperate. If you want to sit on a beach, go somewhere else - like the Canaries.
Cities like Barcelona and Sevilla would be a good bet - you can probably count on temperatures in the mid-50s during the day, with some temperatures above 60 but some colder weather, too. Granada is on my must-see list but it's colder at that time of year.
A possible itinerary might be a) fly into Madrid and spend a day or two seeing the museums and going out late at night; b) take the high speed train to Sevilla; and c) make your way to Barcelona (they're quite far apart by the way but you could fly). If you need a dose of beach weather, you could fly to the Canaries rather cheaply, probably with the best connections from Madrid.
If temperature is that important a consideration in your plans, you should do some research on www.weatherunderground.com. It will give you the averages for a few years for various two-week periods, and tell you the odds of having a hot day, warm day and freezing day, as well as giving you information about rain, etc.
It's not going to be beach weather anywhere, although coastal climates are going be more temperate. If you want to sit on a beach, go somewhere else - like the Canaries.
Cities like Barcelona and Sevilla would be a good bet - you can probably count on temperatures in the mid-50s during the day, with some temperatures above 60 but some colder weather, too. Granada is on my must-see list but it's colder at that time of year.
A possible itinerary might be a) fly into Madrid and spend a day or two seeing the museums and going out late at night; b) take the high speed train to Sevilla; and c) make your way to Barcelona (they're quite far apart by the way but you could fly). If you need a dose of beach weather, you could fly to the Canaries rather cheaply, probably with the best connections from Madrid.
If temperature is that important a consideration in your plans, you should do some research on www.weatherunderground.com. It will give you the averages for a few years for various two-week periods, and tell you the odds of having a hot day, warm day and freezing day, as well as giving you information about rain, etc.
#3
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,047
Swimming will be hard this time of year. The warmest coastal region will be the coast around Malaga. However, I doubt if it is warm enough for swimming. Even Mallorca is to cool.
For sightseeing, it is not a bad time. Of course, the coastal regions are much warmer than the mainland. The region around Madrid can be quite cold this time of year (0 to 15 °C), but there won't be much rain.
I would suggest making a round trip through Andalucia with some time staying at the coast near Malaga. Don't miss Granada! The Alhambra is the best of Spain.
For sightseeing, it is not a bad time. Of course, the coastal regions are much warmer than the mainland. The region around Madrid can be quite cold this time of year (0 to 15 °C), but there won't be much rain.
I would suggest making a round trip through Andalucia with some time staying at the coast near Malaga. Don't miss Granada! The Alhambra is the best of Spain.
#4
Original Poster
Join Date: Dec 2005
Posts: 92
Thanks for the advice...It looks we'll be taking this trip. The timing is right for us and I'm sure we'll see less tourists. One question:
When we can, we like to travel without reservations and follow our instincts. I'm thinking this would be a good time of the year to do that in Spain. Any reactions?
Ken
When we can, we like to travel without reservations and follow our instincts. I'm thinking this would be a good time of the year to do that in Spain. Any reactions?
Ken
#5
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 3,567
The three coldest months in Spain are January, February, and March. However, cold is a subjective term. "Cold" in Spain's western and Southern Coast is 50-60's deg F; not bad if you ask me.... That's where I would head out to-- Valencia, down towards Marbella, a visit to Seville. I would fly into Malaga, rent a car and explore at leisure. Agree with your approach of check & see. I've done it in Southern Spain with no problems, not particularly crowded that time of the year. I would make reservations for at least the first night, draft an itinerary, and just head out. If you are not renting a car, then you need to plan more carefully where are you going as train/buses timetables are cut in the winter time and don't run as frequently. I would avoid the mountains; even Ronda would be pushing it in Jan-Feb if the weather is not right. In summary, I would head out to Andalucia and explore from there.
#10
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,635
I have traveled to Spain and Portugal several times during Jan & Feb. It's not 'beach weather,' but if you just want to be close to the ocean I would go with Cadiz. I don't care much for the Costa del Sol (i.e., Torremolinos, Malaga, Marbella).
You should definitely be worried about the weather. You can't rely completely on what people tell you about Spain's winter weather: In 2005 they had a huge snowstorm (more than 30") in Burgos (la Rioja). You might still find some pix on http://www.madridman.com
Sevilla might be a good place for a base to visit Arcos de la frontera, Jerez de la frontera, el Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz, and many coastal towns and villages. I would avoid the northern mountains and the weather along the north coast is usually not good for sunbathing, etc.
Galicia is another story: Lugo falls into the already described category but a'Corunha and Pontevedra get mainly rain (lots of it). Jubilee year 1999 I visited Santiago de Compostela for (Feb) Holy week. I guess I was lucky because it didn't rain while I was there.
You should definitely be worried about the weather. You can't rely completely on what people tell you about Spain's winter weather: In 2005 they had a huge snowstorm (more than 30") in Burgos (la Rioja). You might still find some pix on http://www.madridman.com
Sevilla might be a good place for a base to visit Arcos de la frontera, Jerez de la frontera, el Puerto de Santa Maria, Cadiz, and many coastal towns and villages. I would avoid the northern mountains and the weather along the north coast is usually not good for sunbathing, etc.
Galicia is another story: Lugo falls into the already described category but a'Corunha and Pontevedra get mainly rain (lots of it). Jubilee year 1999 I visited Santiago de Compostela for (Feb) Holy week. I guess I was lucky because it didn't rain while I was there.
#11
Join Date: Mar 2003
Posts: 2,635
Here's a link to some pix of last winter's big snowstorm in Spain
http://www.madridman.com/cgi-bin/ubb...16&t=000583&p=
http://www.madridman.com/cgi-bin/ubb...16&t=000583&p=
