Best of Spain and Andalucia in Oct 2022

I know of no downside to traveling in Andalucia in October. The water may be colder by Marbella, but that partially depends on whether it had above average, average, or below average temperatures. That changes yearly. By mid to late October the water will be colder. If referring to Marbella, since there is such a large ex-pat community from the UK, most things should be open. If you’re referring to smaller beach towns, many close up for the season by mid-September. The entire Costa Del Sol is not for me as there are much better beaches where one can get a better taste of authentic Spain, without the UK influence, further east. However, if all you want to do is go to the beach, there are plenty of nice resorts in the Marbella area.

Is this about Rick Steves’ 14 day Best of Spain tour? Our independent October trip was to Madrid and nearby sights, then to the north and northeast. Andalucía might be a bit different.

On the northern coast, we had light rain 2 days, and heavy rain one day and night. In Segovia, it was howling wind. Bring a good wind/rain jacket for the trip. It was cool some days, but never really cold.

Restaurants and sights were definitely open, although some evenings had eerily few people doing the paseo. Still, for fewer crowds, October worked well. The sun came up surprisingly late in the morning, and it was strange to have it be so dark when we were getting up for the day.

I haven’t done any tour with Rick, so no info on “last tour” conditions, but he seems to have guides that are dedicated and engaged. We’ve used guides he recommends in his guidebooks, and they’ve all been outstanding. My guess is he would never settle for anything less.

I did the 14-day RS Spain tour in late October 2019. I think the last day was November 1 in Sevilla, and I spent a few more nights there and in Cordoba before returning to Madrid and home November 7. Weather was generally fine, a little cold on some mornings especially in Madrid which is higher elevation. Andalucia, which can get quite hot in summer, was fine. Everything seemed to be open. I don't know whether mine was the last tour of the season but the guides (Javier and David) were top-notch with plenty of energy. I doubt if any RS guide "phones it in' any time. Can't help you re water temperatures at beaches.

No downsides to travelling in October. We often spend October half term in Estepona which is at the end of the month. The weather is typically warm and sunny and ideal for exploring and not hot enough to be physicallly draining. The water is cooler at that time of year but whether it's too cool for you is entirely subjective. Be aware that along the Costa Del Sol the afternoons frequently become quite windy which may be a bit too much if you're in and out of the water. Marbella will be open, there's a thriving ex-pat community there so places tend to stay open year round.