My husband and I are celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary and are planning a special vacation but the catch is, we can only travel in December around Christmas. We have always wanted to see Spain but are wondering if is worth it to visit Spain at this time of the year? Is it better to visit this in the shoulder season opposed to the off season? Will we get the maximum experience or will sites be closed or the weather poor? Any suggestions or help would be appreciated.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
It just depends. We were in Spain (Madrid, Seville - N Years, Malagra) the week after Christmas and had a lot of rain and very cool weather. Have no idea if that is normal or not. Everything was pretty much open. Spain puts lot of emphasis on Jan 6th so it was very festive in that time frame. We did not have the Christmas markets that are more common with northern Europe - Germany, etc. New Years was very different in that everything shut down around mid afternoon on Dec 31 and didn't reopen till Jan 2nd. You didn't see the big New Year's eve celebrations common in the US.
Posted by
Bilbao
744 posts
Jan 6th is the day when most Spanish kids get their presents from the Three Magic Kings and there are big parades on Jan 5 in the evening. Christmas is (as probably everywhere else) a very lively time in Spain, with Christmas markets in many cities (smaller than those in northern Europe). Madrid will be cold, in the 30s and 40s, but the south of Spain will have a milder weather. The north is normally quite rainy. We close down offices on the afternoon of the 31st so everyone goes out for the "aperitivo" and opens bottles of "cava" (the local champagne) celebrating early, and dinner starts around 10pm, with fireworks at midnight and then lots of people go out in the streets until early morning. Jan 1st is time for a big family lunch, too.
Posted by
Barcelona + Sweden
4180 posts
In Spain our holiday season extends into January, with the main celebration being Dia de los Reyes Magos (three kings day) on January 6th. So our holiday festivities extends past Christmas day and through New Years.
Also, be sure not to miss our Christmas markets in Spain! Our Christmas market tradition is a little know part of our culture (It's not just the Germans lol). Since we mainly celebrate the Three Kings Day (Jan 6), you will find most of our Christmas Markets are still up into early Jan.
Barcelona (my hometown) is excellent during Christmas, mild Mediterranean climate yet festive atmosphere. In Barcelona we also have a number of traditional Christmas markets, like the Feria de Santa Llucia, right in front of the main cathedral, it's the oldest one dating back to the 1700s.
The only thing is that most restaurants/shops will be closed on Christmas Eve (24) in Spain. Christmas Eve is a very familiar time for us, spent in one's house with the family.
Posted by
8248 posts
Europe in the Winter, NOT
Posted by
Barcelona + Sweden
4180 posts
Europe in the Winter, NOT
Huh??
Depending on which country you visit in Europe, winter / Christmas time is the best time to visit! For example Rome is absolutely magical in the Christmas time.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
7159 posts
Each to his own, but we enjoyed Spain around Christmas when we lived there decades ago. Dress accordingly.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23626 posts
Sometimes the Grinch doesn't know how to spell anything other than NO and NOT. Have been in Europe four times over Christmas/New Years and are looking forward to another in the near future. I would come closer to saying NOT for August.