January - March

January and February comprise the second half of the four low season months in the Spanish tourism season. You will find that many beach hotels and attractions will close, in particular along the Bay of Biscay, but along the Mediterranean, the prices of the beach hotels that remain open there will be cheaper than normal. The ski resorts in the Pyrenees, the Cordillera Cantabrica and the Sierra Nevada will be in high season through March. There will also be a spike in tourists visiting in Valencia in March, due to the Falles. In addition, the first of the two high seasons in the calendar year will begin in February in Gran Canaria and the rest of the Canary Islands. The north and northwest of the country will experience a pronounced rainy season, and higher elevations will see snow.

Highs in Bilbao should reach the 50s and low 60s the first three months of the year, with lows firmly in the low 40s. Barcelona will begin the year with highs in the 50s and warm to the mid-60s by the end of March, with lows in the mid to upper 40s across all three months. Central Spain, including Madrid, will face bitter cold during these months. Highs will average in the low 50s in January and February, warming to around 60 by March. Lows in Central Spain will stay in the 30s on average until March when they warm slightly into the low 40s. Valencia`s highs in the wintertime will be in the 60s with lows in the upper 40s to around 50. Seville`s highs will stay in the low to mid 60s until March, when they will warm to about 70. Lows will be in the 40s to around 50. Gran Canaria`s weather will be rainier than normal, but only three days out of each winter month should see precipitation. Highs will stay in the lower 60s all three months, with lows in the low 50s.

Holidays and Festivals:

January 1 - New Year's Day (Año Nuevo) (Public holiday in all regions of Spain)

January 6 - Epiphany (Día de Reyes or Epifanía del Señor), when the Three Kings deliver presents to good Spanish children. (Public holiday in all regions of Spain)

Mid-February - Zurich Seville Marathon (Zurich Maratón de Sevilla)

February 28 - Andalusian National Day (Día de Andalucía), commemorating the day a referendum of autonomy was passed in 1980. (Public holiday in Andalusia)

February or March - Carnival celebrations across Spain. Some of the most popular Carnival celebrations in Europe can be found in Spain, notably in cities such as Cádiz, Sitges (where there is a parade with an LGBT focus), Madrid, Barcelona, and Santa Cruz de Tenerife.

March - Zurich Barcelona Marathon (Zurich Marató de Barcelona in Catalan)

March 1 - Balearic National Day (Dia de les Illes Balears in Catalan), which commemorates the day autonomous home rule went into effect in 1983. (Public holiday in the Balearic Islands)

Mid-March - Falles, Valencia. A popular festival time in which paella is consumed, parades are held, and elaborately-designed artistic monuments called falles are paraded through the city streets, and then set afire while fireworks are shot into the sky.

March 19 - St. Joseph`s Day (San José). Coincides with the Falles in parts of Spain such as Valencia and Murcia. For the rest of Spain, this day is Father`s Day and fathers are celebrated on this day with gifts and celebratory meals. (Public holiday in the Region of Murcia and the Valencian Community, some closures in the Community of Madrid and Extremadura as well)

March or April - Holy Week (Semana Santa), with observed holidays as follows: Maundy Thursday (Jueves Santo) (Public holiday in all regions of Spain except Catalonia and the Valencian Community), Good Friday (Viernes Santo) (Public holiday in all regions of Spain), and Easter Monday (Lunes de Pascua) (Public holiday in Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, Navarre, the Basque Country and the Valencian Community). While not an official holiday, expect widespread closures across Spain on Easter Sunday (Domingo de Pascua).