Whilst Spain is renowned
for its excellent sunny weather,
this does not apply to the whole
of the country, and it does get
cold in winter - in some places
more than in others. On the Atlantic
coast (in the north) there is
significant rainfall and is much
cooler year-round, similar to
the UK. It does however have spectacular
scenery, rugged coastline and
impressive estuaries called rías,
particularly in Galicia. Inland
Spain has more extremes of weather
in that it normally freezes in
winter and bakes in the summer.
It gets particularly hot in the
south in summer - Sevilla can
be well in excess of 35C.
The long Mediterranean coast is
in general a bit wetter but milder
year-round. The well-known Costa
Brava, Costa Blanca and Costa
del Sol coasts enjoy the warmer
Mediterranean waters (over 20C
in summer) and have miles of superb
beaches that make these areas
the most appealing to both visitors
and expats alike. The Balearic
Islands of Mallorca, Ibiza and
Menorca tend to be slightly wetter
and winder than the mainland Mediterranean
coast but with warmer waters (usually
25C in August).
See our Weather
section for current conditions
and forecasts.
