Please sign in to post.

Weather in Spain

Hello!
We are considering a April ‘22 cruise around Spain and a couple of stops in Portugal. It would sail in the middle of the month. I did a search of weather in Spain for April and it said that it is the ‘rainy’ season. Would like input as to what others have experienced. Clearly, walking around on cold rainy days isn’t what most would choose for a vacation weather experience so we are looking to see how ‘bad’ it is before booking.

TIA!

Posted by
1443 posts

The rain in Spain stays mainly on the plain.

I couldn't resist. I don't know anything about Iberian weather patterns.

Posted by
26840 posts

You'll need to tell us what ports you'll be visiting. The weather in Spain varies greatly from area to area, the northern and northwest coasts being cooler and probably wetter than the the rest.

You can take see actual, historical, day-by-day weather data for your destinations on the website timeanddate.com. I like to look at a minimum of the most recent three years' worth of data for the month I'm considering; going back five years is better. I've given you a link to Barcelona's statistics for April 2020.

Posted by
625 posts

In terms of weather conditions, Spain is a really heterogeneous and varied country. Contrary to popular belief, it´s a very mountainous country and with great differences in temperatures and weather.

If the sailing is on the Mediterranean part of Spain, this is normally a dry and sunny area. If the sailing is on the northern Atlantic coast (from Galicia to the Basque Country, with Asturias and Cantabria on the way), take into account that it´s rainier, very green, full of mountains and forests (beautiful), just like a little Switzerland. You never know, weather is highly impredictable, but you´re going to love the food and the landscapes! April should not be cold, in any case...it´s March 1 today, and we are enjoying the 70s in the Basque Country.

Posted by
7595 posts

I have been to Spain several times and never remember it raining ever.

We have been to Portugal and Spain in May and the weather was great. It might be a bit chilly in Portugal in April, near the Atlantic, but should be nice.

Posted by
6386 posts

As acraven stated, you’ll get a better answer if we knew which places you’d be in. Much of the cooler and rainy weather I’ve experienced has been in the north; Galicia, Cantabria, Paris Vasco, Asturias, and Navarra. I’m not saying it doesn’t rain elsewhere because it does. I just remember more of it in the north. I’ve also experienced snow from Guarda, Portugal over to Avila in early April. I also wouldn’t let the possibility of rain stop me from going if I wanted to go. If one waited to go to the UK until there was no chance of rain or cool weather, they’d never get there.

Posted by
127 posts

Thanks all, I know I should have stated the ports......they are as follows: Sails out of Lisbon, Porto, Cadiz, Malaga, Alicante, Valencia, Palma de Mallorca, Ibiza and ending in Barcelona.

Posted by
26840 posts

You're missing the wettest part of Spain, but the Portuguese ports get a good deal of rain in April. You can take a look at monthly averages on the cities' Wikipedia pages, but they probably don't include years all the way up through 2020. I have no idea whether global warming has affected precipitation rates in Europe.

For more details (actual, historical, day-by-day weather statistics), consult timeanddate.com. That data goes back about 10 years. It's important to look at multiple years, because weather varies a lot.

In addition to looking at rainfall and temperature data for April, consider that by traveling in April you are nearly certain to avoid the unpleasantly hot weather that can hit a lot of places on the Iberian Peninsula and in the Balearic Islands during some other months. It's difficult to pick a perfect time for a cruise that covers that much ground.

Posted by
625 posts

There should be a very high chance of nice weather on that area. Again, Spain is very varied in climates, foods, looks, customs, landscapes...but the Mediterranean should be much drier than the rest.

Posted by
625 posts

By the way, starting from Lisbon, then north to Porto, then south passing Lisbon again and on your way to Cádiz?