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Spring (After Easter) or fall (Oct/Nov) for 3 week (Rick Steves) visit to southern (mainly) Spain.

Looking at the RS suggested 3 week itinerary. Planning for next year. I read spring is nice as things are in bloom, but maybe crowded. Suggestions for Spring or Fall and any changes to Steve's suggested itinerary. (We tend to favor more time in place with day trips to hopping around). Many Thanks.

Posted by
4526 posts

Perhaps list it as not everyone has his Spain book handy?
You say you prefer more time in one place. I often find his recommended itineraries to not take into consideration people who are unfamiliar with the local terrain and transport so they seem rushed. And I personally find that some day trips in Spain cut short some of the extra ambience of any touristy 'day tripper' city once the hordes leave. Toledo and Cordoba both come to mind.
One challenge for 'spring' is that Seville has Feria week and so can be busy and expensive during much of April particularly when Easter falls the same month....if Seville is part of the plan.
I visited Andalusia and Madrid late October into November in 2017 for slightly over 3 weeks. It was still in drought condition and temps were from 74F in Granada to 42F in Madrid and Segovia later in the month. The normal rains had not arrived and it looks like this is becoming a common trend for that region of Spain. It means that it was still very pleasant weather and gardens, though slightly aged were still nice... but perhaps not as voluptuous and fresh as in Spring.
General rule of thumb is that Granada or Seville are still in 'prime' season (with hotels priced accordingly) until end October. I rent apartments and did find slightly better pricing once November calendar page was turned, but I didn't find it busy other than the Alhambra over a weekend. There were still times of a good amount of tourists, but I had no trouble getting onto key sites without any prepurchased tickets (other than Alhambra). I tend to feel resistance planning every part of the day or prebooking everything, so I go with the bare minimum of commitment. Alhambra tickets and the expensive (or important) train tickets that benefit from early purchase is all I did during that time of the year.
I don't know where you are flying into, but something to consider is if your airline code shares with Iberia. Given my location, I don't get any of those US dirt cheap return flights to Europe. If you are in similar boat, I might suggest looking at a flight that code shares with Iberia and do something like a multi city booking - fly to Granada and return from Madrid (or wherever you had in mind). It was maybe $80 more than if I did a return to Madrid but saved having to leave the airport head into town, get to Atocha Station, and then train 4 hours to my final city - all in a country I didn't know.

Posted by
26834 posts

What exact dates are you considering? "Spring" and "fall" are very long time periods.

I spent the last three weeks of April and the first week of May in Andalucía this year. Holy Week has a major impact, and as already noted there's the fair in Seville to consider as well. My weather was fine except for a couple of chilly, wet days in northern Andalucía (Ubeda/Baeza/Jaen) at the very beginning of the trip. By the end of the trip--when I was in Granada--it was getting warm.

Individual traveler's comments about weather (including mine) are probably going to be based on just one or two visits and may be misleading. Take a look at actual day-by-day historical weather data from the key cities on timeanddate.com. I've linked to Seville's stats for April 2019 to get you started. The information goes back about ten years; I'd look at 5 or so to get a good idea of expected conditions.

You'll have longer days in spring. To me that's a major plus; many others don't care about that at all.

Posted by
6386 posts

We tend to travel in April-May, or Sept-October timeframes. Weather and temperatures don’t generally figure into the equation. We check the forecast prior to going over and pack accordingly. Southern Spain can still be pretty hot the end of September. My last two trips to southern Spain were in the fall, while the last two trips to central and northern Span were in May.

Posted by
15560 posts

I just peeked at the RS book on amazon.com and saw a "Whirlwind 3-week trip" that includes Barcelona and the north (San Sebastian area). With 21 nights and sticking to Madrid and Andalucia, you could have a nice, well-paced trip. Or you could include Barcelona and skip parts of Andalucia. As for Madrid, it's a nice enough city, but for me the only real draw is the plethora of European painting at its 3 major art museums. It's convenient for a couple day trips, like Toledo which is much better as a 1 or 2 night stay. You'll probably end up flying in or out or R/T Madrid, but that doesn't mean you have to spend more than 1 night there, if that.

If you aren't constrained to travel at certain times of the year, consider winter. . . . seriously. My four visits to Spain have all been in February or March. Days aren't as short as you'd expect because Spain's on Central European Time, even though all but the eastern coast are west of the Prime Meridian. Andalucia is the warmest, driest part of Spain and spring comes early. Barcelona's winters are mild and even Madrid is usually pleasant. You'll find low season prices and many fewer tourists. Most days were mild and sunny, I rarely needed my fleece jacket and by late March in Sevilla, there were days I wished I had my sandals. The few cold days were in the 40's with light rain.

I was in Valencia and Andalucia in mid to late March three years ago, the citrus trees were laden with fragrant blossoms and flowers were in abundance.

Posted by
20 posts

Thank you all, these are very helpful. For clarification, in the Spring I would go well before (March) or after Easter Season (late April/May). In winter probably Nov but I will definitely check the historic weather for temps. Winter definitely does sound good in terms of fewer crowds.