Practical Information

In extremely populated areas such as Madrid or Barcelona, tourists should watch out for pickpockets.  Suggestions: Cling tightly to purses, carry purses with short straps so that it can be worn close to the body, attach a chain to a wallet, or keep a wallet in an inside pocket close to the chest.  Always leave passports in hotel rooms.

If you know Spanish and visit the country to improve your knowledge, you should be aware that in the autonomic regions like Cataluña, Galicia or País Vasco, they each have another language other than Spanish, but also you should know they all speak Spanish and are completely capable of understanding it and using it.

Weather:

Weather in December | January | February

To the north and south of these regions things are a little warmer. Andalusia will still be reasonably warm and sunny while the north coast will be warmed slightly by the Atlantic. Galicia (in the north-west) is extremely wet - expect up to 20 days a month of rain during the winter in these parts.

As you can see from the picture, Spain does get snow. The likelihood of snow depends largely on where you are in the country. Spain's mountainous regions are the most likely regions for snow (which is lucky for the ski resorts!). Andalusia has little (apart from in the Sierra Nevada mountains) and Madrid and Salamanca are usually too dry (which means beautiful blue skies even when it is freezing! The north coast on the whole is too warm - you get more rain here than snow. However, when snow does hit this region, as it did in January 2006, expect it in huge quantities (several feet).

Weather in March | April | May 

The only problem is that the weather isn't quite so dependable at this time. The Spanish have an expression: " hasta el cuarenta de mayo no te quites el sayo " (until the 40th May - i.e. June 10 - don't take off your coat). This is especially the case in Madrid. Though there will have been warm spells since March (maybe even January), you can't guarantee good weather until June. Even on the Costa del Sol you might get a few days of your holiday washed out (it's unlikely, but certainly not impossible). The last thing you want when you've spent a fortune on your holiday is to spend it staring at the rain you're so familiar with from home!

Weather in: June | July | August

Spain's coasts are the most popular places in the summer. Touristy areas such as the Costa del Sol and Costa Blanca will be full of northern Europeans while some of the more out-of-the-way beaches in Galicia, Oviedo and parts of the Costa Blanca will be full of Spaniards (those Madrileños and Sevillanos who are escaping the heat of their own cities!)

Weather in September | October | November

The beach is a still a possibility at this time of year, especially on the Costa del Sol, but also the Costa Blanca and Barcelona too, at least in September.