Survey: Madrid & Andalucia
 

I know, I know, but I will ask this question anyway because I have some scheduling issues at work:

If you had to choose between Jan, Feb, July or August for a 2 week visit to Madrid & Andalucia (09) which month would it be? (:| And can you list them in order or preference just in case please.

July , August even with lots of people and heat are more fun than Jan and Feb, Cold and with a lot of places in the souht closed due to low season.
I think July, with lond daylight and not the top of the summer vacation is the best month of the ones you mentioned.

Feb for sure! This is our second winter in Andalucia and we just looooove it here. We had family who visited Madrid and all over Andalucia last year for two weeks starting in late Feb and they just loved it and the weather was divine.

That said, I would NEVER be in Spain in July or August as even the natives that have lived here all of their lives complain about how hot it is. They laugh and are perplexed at tourists trying to see sites in the unbearable heat.

Even most of Madrid moves to the seaside for the month of August to escape the heat.

Now if you looooove heat and crowds and packed beaches, maybe July/August is for you.

Otherwise, I think it is no contest. I am from California and enjoy the off season in Spain where there is more sun than any where else in Europe, lots of festivals, cheaper prices and no crowds.

Peak season prices are universally in effect from la Virgen de Carmen (16 Jul) until mid-September. If you have the whole month of July from which to choose, I recommend the first two weeks of July.

In July/August both Andalucia and Madrid can be very hot: not much fun walking on hot pavement that burns thru the soles of your shoes. That's why I recommend cork-soled sandals.

WTnow writes: "I ... enjoy the off season in Spain where there is more sun than any where else in Europe, lots of festivals, cheaper prices and no crowds."
The only festivals I know of in Spain during late winter are las Fallas de San José in Valencia (ending Mar 19) and Carnaval, best in Cadiz (ending Ash Wednesday)

July and August will be too hot both in Madrid and Andalucia (most places have no a/c).

Jan and Feb will be cold in Madrid (elevation) but enjoyable in Andalucia.

I would choose the second half of Feb and spend most of the time in Andalucia. Just three or four days in Madrid (for visiting museums, Royal Palace and Escorial).

The best months for both areas are April and October.

Hmmm...... :?

I have been to Madrid & Andalucia in August and agree it is HOT, but I have never traveled in Jan or Feb so that's the question. Some of my friends have never been to Spain at all and Car's point is something I think about especially with them.

The trip will likely be Madrid & Andalucia, BUT but we may just return to Segovia/Pedraza for that yummy cordero lechal ...and maybe Sacramenia to Meson Gonzales for a night or 2.

Would it be snowing In Sacremenia or Segovia in Feb?

Ned I agree about July actually it would be hot, but OK for us. Since I live in So Cal I am pretty used to the 90 degrees plus, but admit getting less tolerant in my old age to the extreme hear.

The problem is everyone @ work wants the first 2 weeks off for the 4th of July holiday etc.

I will look into the cork shoes. Good idea they must be light too.

Thanks everyone, any more opinions re Segovia in Feb?

could be snow, but who knows? winters north of madrid can be surprisingly cold, IMHO, but the heat of the south in summer is also something to write home about usually.

however, this is hard to say, as unless you get a horribly cold spell in winter, or a terribly hot spell in summer, it will all be equally bearable.

Spain is VERY hot in the summer - in the south the temps routinely hit 100 degrees. So I would never do July or August.

We have been a couple of times in April - and in the south the temps were in the 80s during the day - fine beach weather and wonderful for exploring the historic old cities that can't be found anywhere else in the world.

IMHO I'm not a big fan of Madrid - which is a large very modern city - and reminds me of Chicago more than any of the places that I thing of as typically Spanish. The cities of Andalusia have the unique mix of cultures from Roman through goth, moor and then the reconquest by Castille found only in Spain..

Come to Andalucia Nedsireland! We have more festivals than days of the year, so there is always something going on and even the little while villages celebrate BIG.

In our tiny village alone we have xmas celebrations ( and lots of colorful caroling at night), BIG New Years eve celebrations, Patron Saint day in Jan...BIG celebration, BIG Carnival, then Holy Week & Easter ( BIG) and more!!!

Not every day is sunny, but in our microclimate, we have MUCH less winter rain than northern California and it is mostly T-shirt weather during the daytime.

I have found nothing closed in the winter in Andalucia, even the campsites are open and filled with Europeans from the North.

Visited Spain one year in August - could not believe how hot it was.
Madrid may be cool in the winter but it is a great city with fantastic museums, beautiful avenues and parks,
elegant Salamanca district, the amazing Palace, and Toledo only 1/2 hour away (have I mentioned the food and wine?).

Sorry, but Chicago does not come even close!

Lin, I think you are right about hit & miss weather. When we were in Madrid last May it was as hot as July they told me. A week later it was raining.

I live in sunny California now but while some summer days you could easily fry an egg on the pavement, today it was 46 degrees....freezing for me, perfect for DH.
So you never know.

Wtnow, I have poured over the various websites re Andalucia festivals. So any dates you like especially would be great, especially flamenco festivals. Initially I was going for the bienal in Sevilla 08. Now I am going next year instead ,bummer. I would strongly recommend it if you can catch some of it this year.
http://www.bienal-flamenco.org/


Well folks now it looks lke I am back to going in Sep or Oct 09 (We are such slaves here to out jobs.)

How I envy you lucky ones that go all the time.

Thanks again

BTW Danon yes the food and wine.....sucking lamb, roast pig,
paella, well that's another thread.

Remember this one?

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...sdon&fid=2

I can only speak of the last year or so and then only of Andalucia but of those 4 months, I would choose August, followed by July, then Feb then January.

Jan and Feb are still cold - heating on, short days etc. Yes July and August are hot but I don't think they are unbearably so. Maybe as I grew up in Australia but I didn't find July last year too hot and June and August were cooler than July - now maybe that was an unusual year.

We were in Seville and Granada in July for a few days and found them fine (Granada obviously cooler than
Seville which was around 37 degrees) and there were far less crowds than any other time we have visited - which was a plus. We just stopped a bit more often for drink breaks which was no hardship.

Overall, given the choice I would always spend time in Europe during the longer days of summer time.

Thanks so much Eliza!

Sightseeing is always less enjoyable when the sun is pounding down, you are dying of thirst and sweating to death. Your energy is sapped by the heat. This is peak of summer Spain. I'd go for Feb and a sweater or lightweight jacket any day.

It depends on how you deal with the heat. I find any temps over 85 unbearable - and use my AC here in New York from May until September. Given how many places in Spain don;t have AC at all - and that it can easily hit 100+ during the day in summer - well it;s simply not an option.

If you don;t mind 100 degree heat and many places without AC - go for it.

amsdon,
I really would avoid July and August in both Madrid and Andalucía. Just frying pan weather in both, and Madrid feels like a ghost town on weekends in late summer, when everyone exits the city for the pueblos or the beach. The only advantage in Madrid is that the hotel rates drop significantly from July 15 on...no business travel then.

We just returned from a 12 day trip to Madrid and Granada, and we found the weather quite pleasant in Madrid (highs in the 50s during the day) and spring-like balmy, sunny in Granada (highs in mid to high 60s). At night the temps did drop down to near freezing in Madrid, but it certainly didn't spoil our fun, particularly due to the annual Caja Madrid flamenco festival going on at the time at the Teatro Albéniz (know you love your flamenco!). But this year the last performance was Feb. 2, so you should plan on arriving next year the week before.

We spent Xmas-New Years in Madrid last Jan. and were blessed with milder weather as well. I love both Madrid and Andalucía in winter-wouldn't hesitate at all to go then.
And crowds at the tourist sites are far more manageable.

I would not get too pre-occupied with the heat in Andalucia - we have been in Seville in 47oC and it was totally bearable with low humidity when compared to Savannah with high humidity and 28oC.

My DH would love Feb, me too really.

I have been there in the summer and yes I prefer not to do that, but something got into me & now I am going with some friends (wish me lluck) with conflicting schedules. Sheesh. We are either going in May or Oct now. Some have never travelled at all.

Maribel I just saw Eva Yerbabuena at UCLA this week and I LOVED her. So talented. The show is not for everyone however, basically a one woman show, 4 male dancers & FOUR cantaores all terrific and of course several guitarists, plus flute. Two of my dancer friends liked her but were not as crazy about her as I am.
They were all cante jondo a very serious flamenco programme...(too hardcore for my DH I think but he tried)

This woman moves like I would have wanted to dance in my wildest fantasies as a young woman years ago, so very natural as a dancer, very strong feet to boot and talk about stamina. Yet she is womanly. Have you seen her?

..

ams

Yep, and I LOVE her! Saw her in Madrid at the Teatro Nuevo Apolo. Never tire of seeing Eva and Sara Baras dance!

Lucky you to have seen her in LA!