We'd like to visit Andalusia (Malaga-Grenada-Seville circuit) and are restricted to my kids' school breaks. Was thinking of the week between Christmas and New Year's for a bit of winter sun, but I worry that if we had rainy weather there wouldn't be much to do. Would mid-April (before Easter) be better? Curious how others have fared visiting those times of year. For Malaga, I suppose it would still be too cold to swim in April, but perhaps still better for a day playing/hanging out on the beach?
Posted by
8245 posts
I don't go to Europe in the Winter and prefer April.
Posted by
67 posts
We were in Malaga over Christmas a few years ago and it was wonderful! Beautiful decorations and lights, warm, sunny weather. Loved it!
Posted by
new york
55 posts
Keep aware of the dates for Holy Week when prices skyrocket and it can be hot in Seville....
I would opt for December, without a doubt.
Posted by
165 posts
I just replied to your question about Venice, it looks like we have been thinking about the same places. We went with our kids to Venice and Rome Christmas break 2018 and then Spain Christmas break 2019. We really enjoyed both, but I can confirm that the weather was much warmer in Spain. I don’t think it rained on either trip, although it was damp and foggy in Venice. I would do Spain again especially Seville and Granada in the winter.
Posted by
Washington DC
28081 posts
The trade-off for the likely higher hotel rates (and maybe also airfares) in April is that the days will be much, much longer. According to the Wikipedia's climate chart for Seville:
Monthly hours of sunshine in December: 186 (this isn't bad at all, obviously)
Monthly hours of sunshine in April: 270
Posted by
Vermont, USA
729 posts
Oh boy, I’d go at either time!
I’ve been to Andalucia many times in April and had great weather every time. It’s warmer than December, more foliage, greener. The gardens are blooming (Alhambra, etc,) with wisteria and other lovely flowers. Easter is a celebration and quite a unique experience, or before/after is much quieter, if that’s what you prefer. Beach-sitting can be fine, water is too cold for swimming.
On the other hand, we went for the 2 weeks just after Christmas two years ago and had a fabulous time. Christmas festivities everywhere, markets, decorations, parades. Amazing. Christmas goes through January 6 and is a big celebration in Spain. The weather was still lovely, cooler but dry. Granada on New Years Day was 75 and sunny, most days in Andalucia were 60’s and sunny. We had plenty of nice beach days in Cadiz (wading in the water, no swimming) and Malaga, for our one night, was warm enough for a walk on the beach.
Here’s a link to my trip report from the December vacation: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/2-lovely-weeks-in-spain
There’s no bad choice here, in my opinion!
Posted by
48 posts
We went that week last year. You can look up my other posts for info on our itinerary.
I loved seeing all the orange trees in fruit in Sevilla. I hear it’s even better in spring with the scent from the blossoms.
That said, we had one rainy day our whole trip, and it was just a light mist, until it poured that evening.
We enjoyed ourselves a lot! It was about 40-60 degrees while we were there, with the sun vs shade making a big difference.
Posted by
Portsmouth
5541 posts
April tends to be a month when rain is more likely than others in Andalusia, particularly along the coast. I've been during the Easter holidays a number of times and have always experienced some rain, one week was an entire wash out. December has been a better choice in that respect so if you want to avoid the risk of rain then I would opt for December.
Temperatures will be higher in April but even in December they usually reach the high teens and in the sun it will feel warmer. The sea will be too cold for swimming for most people however hanging out on the beach will be fine.