Spain is a country full of culture, natural beauty, and wonderful food. This makes it an excellent destination for a family vacation. Unfortunately, sometimes it is not ideal to visit for families. Before you plan to visit this wonderful country find out the worst time to visit Spain and plan accordingly.
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WHAT IS THE WORST TIME TO VISIT SPAIN?
The worst time to visit Spain for families is during July and August. Summer is one of the most popular times to travel for families. The weather is warm and children are out of school so there is freedom to go on extended vacations. Unfortunately, the summer months pose several problems for families wanting to enjoy a vacation in Spain.
Why is summer such a bad time for families to visit Spain?
WEATHER
Throughout much of the country, the summer brings oppressive heat that will make it less than ideal conditions to enjoy a vacation with your family. This is especially true with younger children who have less of a tolerance for the type of heat that summer in Spain can bring.
This heat makes it difficult to explore the cities and enjoy many of the outdoor activities that make a trip to Spain so enjoyable. Even for locals, the summer heat is to be avoided if at all possible.
CROWDS
The summer months are the peak tourist season in Spain. This means that the many popular sites will be crowded with tourists who made the trip during the most popular time to travel. These sites typically attract millions of people per year.
With these crowds come the long lines and delays that are familiar with traveling during peak season. This also means that you’ll get to see fewer sites that have a significant effect on your vacation experience.
Larger crowds are also difficult for parents trying to keep up with their children in the large crowds.
EXPENSE
With big crowds come the big costs. The more in demand a location is, understandably the higher the prices will be. One of the biggest costs of a European vacation will be the flight costs. Plane tickets increased greatly for July and August.
There is the same effect on the prices of accommodations. Even though there are more options available such as VRBO and Airbnb, the demand is often high enough that the prices will be elevated accordingly.
While flight and accommodations are the main expenses, other costs will likely be increased as well for the popular summer months.
WHEN TO VISIT SPAIN
For families, it’s difficult to plan a vacation while avoiding July and August. For our family of four, we’ve found that visiting Spain in June was a great choice.
The weather was lovely, warm but not unbearably hot. We were comfortable exploring the city on foot without being overwhelmed by the heat.
Also because it wasn’t peak season we were able to score excellent flight deals and we had our choice between several budget-friendly options for accommodations. We ended up in the heart of central Madrid for a much lower price than if we visited in July or August.
IF YOU ARE VISITING SPAIN IN SUMMER
If you want to visit Spain but don’t really have a choice and only can visit during the summer months, check out these tips that may make your trip more comfortable:
When staying in a city, select accommodations that are just outside of the city center – It will require a bit of extra planning, but you’ll likely find some charming neighborhoods just outside of the city centers.
Start your day early and make use of the siesta – Even though for many, vacations are for sleeping in, if the day is going to be extremely hot, you can start a little earlier than normal, take a break during the day, and then continue the fun in the evening once it cools down a bit.
Purchase skip-the-line tickets – For many of the popular attractions, there will be an option to purchase tickets ahead of time online. Make use of this provision whenever possible to save time standing in line. Your little ones will thank you!
Purchase flight and accommodations as early as you can – if you know that you’re going during peak season with everyone else try as best as possible to get a jump on the competition.
Some airlines will have discounted seats early so look out for those. If you’re using VRBO or Airbnb start early to get the best budget picks. Booking early is also a good idea if you’re staying in a hotel.
Don’t try to do too much – Heat and crowds will naturally slow you down when you’re vacationing with family. Trying to fight through and make it to everything on the itinerary is likely just going to end up being a stressful ordeal. Pick a few things that you really want to do and go from there.
Head to the beach – Spain is the home of many great beaches. Take the necessary precautions, but the best antidote to hot weather is a fun, refreshing day at the beach.
YOU CAN STILL ENJOY SPAIN
When you visit Spain will have a big determination on how your trip goes. But with a bit of planning and preparation, you can enjoy Spain in nearly every season. Once you’ve visited Spain, why not check out the country next door, Portugal? Check out this article to see how you can combine your visit to Spain with a visit to Portugal for an exciting two-country trip!
