Europe · country guide
Spain travel guide
Tapas, flamenco, Gaudí and year-round sunshine
Sagrada Família. Photo: Canaan, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Spain is the UK's favourite holiday destination, and it offers far more than its beaches: Moorish palaces in Andalusia, Gaudí's Barcelona, Madrid's galleries and the pintxo bars of the Basque Country.
The Balearics and the Costas are classic summer escapes, while the Canary Islands, off the coast of Africa, bring warm sunshine all winter. Inland cities such as Seville and Madrid are best in spring and autumn, when they're cooler than in July and August.
Top places to visit in Spain
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Seville
The Alcázar, flamenco and orange-scented plazas. Very hot in high summer.
+ Add to bucket list - 4
Granada
The Alhambra palace with the Sierra Nevada behind it. Book tickets well ahead.
+ Add to bucket list - 5
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Tenerife
Winter sun about four hours away, and Mount Teide, Spain's highest peak.
+ Add to bucket list - 7
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Trip ideas
One week: Andalusia
- Seville (3 nights)
- Córdoba
- Granada (2 nights)
- Málaga (2 nights)
Two weeks: Barcelona to the south
- Barcelona (4 nights)
- Valencia (2 nights)
- Madrid (3 nights)
- Seville (3 nights)
- Granada (2 nights)
Best time to visit Spain from the UK
Best value: Mar–May, Sep–Oct. Apr–Jun and Sep–Oct; summer is very hot inland. Busiest and priciest: Jun–Aug.
Each bar is the average temperature in Madrid for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).
- Our pick: May and SeptemberThe warmest of the best-value months (16–20°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
- Peak season: Jun–AugUsually 22–25°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
- Quiet season: Nov–FebAround 4–8°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, but cold, so pack layers.
- Warmest: July (25°C) · coolest: January (4°C)A 21°C swing between the warmest and coolest months.
Temperatures as a table
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.8 | 4.7 | 7.9 | 11.2 | 15.7 | 21.8 | 25.3 | 24.8 | 20 | 14.1 | 7.6 | 4.4 |
Festivals and events
- Las Fallas Mar · Valencia
- Semana Santa Mar–Apr · Seville
- Feria de Abril Apr · Seville
- San Fermín Jul · Pamplona
- La Tomatina Aug · Buñol
Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.
Getting there from the UK
Flights of 2 to 3 hours from most UK airports, or the ferry from Portsmouth or Plymouth to Santander and Bilbao.
- Flight time
- About 2h
- Distance
- 1,256 km
- Main airport
- MAD
- Time difference
- +1 h (Canary Islands: same as UK)
Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.
Practical info and travel guidance
- VisaNo visa neededUp to 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area
- HealthcareGHIC acceptedYour UK GHIC covers necessary state healthcare. Still take travel insurance.
- LGBT+ travellersLegal and broadly accepted
- Women travellersFCDO warns of sexual assault or harassmentTake extra care at night and with drinks.
For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for Spain, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 12 August 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for Spain before you book and again before you go.
Open Spain on the map Log it as visited, drop pins for the places you went, or plan it as your next trip.