Advice on when to travel to Spain in Winter
We;re considering going to Spain for the winter in our caravan. We've driven through France in early January in a motorhome and would prefer to do the Santander crossing. We'd then do the |Zaragoza route. With the 90 day rule in place when would you start a winter trip?
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Spain can be quite chilly in January and the days are short. We travel in late January and aim to be in our preferred area - usually starting at Alannia Costa Brava - in early February.
After a stay of two weeks or so, we then progress up the coast staying at Javea, Benicassim and finally in Roses. Basically, we move north as the weather warms up (we hope).
We always drive down through France via the Tunnel as we are not good seafarers and the Bay of Biscay can be very rough in winter. It is not unknown for Brittany Ferries to cancel crossings at 24/48hrs notice so you are then faced with the haul through France anyway.
We do the Zaragoza route on the way down and go back via Beziers (where my brother lives) and the A75.
We are usually away about 60 days in all.
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We had a friend who decided to visit the Alhambra in Granada one January and chose a campsite nearby. He was totally unprepared for Snow and bitterly cold nights, so much so that he forfeited a weeks stay and pitch fees paid for and headed to Isla Cristina (near Portugal on the coast).
It's a long time since we wintered in Spain so I'm reluctant to pass on any advice about where to stop.
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It all depends on what kind of weather you want.
Nice and hot to go to the beach - not January then.
Warmer and drier than the UK, where you can have nice walks/cycle etc - maybe January in the south like Murcia/ Malaga area.
Friends of ours always used to go out beginning of January but now chose to leave it until February as the weather seems to be more settled then.
If it was me I would go February, March and April. Come home to Spring in the UK.
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Yes, we are going mid/late Feb these days...as TG says, not only is the early part of the break a bit better/consistent weather wise but having the extra time at the end into May rather than April means lots of great days to finish off...and, of course a pleasant drive back through France.
re the route, loads of advice from the well travelled posters above, but just to add that Santander is still two days drive from, say, Calpe, whereas its only three days from Caen....yet the total journey cost will be far more jsing the long crossing.
much depends on your preference of course, and with a caravan youll need sites along the way, but loads of advice here if thats what you decide.
good luck, enjoy.
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I am finding January/February return flights to Malaga and back again for £32 per person. Unbelievably cheap! That might be an answer for those who want a break out there without hauling a caravan.
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Our MH friends have just returned from a month staying in a hotel in Benalmadena. They booked with Saga so enjoyed an all inclusive break.
Did they enjoy it yes, would they do it again, not so sure, the jury is still out on that one.
I do know that for me it would be a no thanks, not for a month anyway. A couple of weeks in a nice villa or apartment but not a hotel.
I much prefer the freedom of the MH, which is why we bought one.
Strange that on a camping forum you always suggest flying.
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This year we are trying Lanzarote mid January for 3 weeks rather than our normal 3 weeks at the beginning of March.
Hoping for decent weather, if it's not then we will be back to our March dates for 2025 and fly off to somewhere hot in January 2025. Far east, SA or maybe South America. Might be a cruise but one thing for sure as long as we are fit and able we don't plan to sit around here in Scotland throughout the long, cold, dark, wet miserable days of December through to end of March.
We don't fancy Spain/Portugal during these months, we prefer to go Sept to Nov. Then again April to June.
Today is grey wet and windy, roll on January 😅
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Due to unforseen circumstances I travelled back from Spain early Jan this year
1. we came via Burgoss, some snow on the mountains after Madrid but roads perfectly clear
2. temperarature in Burgoss on arrival minus 10C
3. Santander ferry booked for 8th Jan cancelled until 9th Jan due to rough seas in the Bay
4. sailed on the 9th, I was last on with caravan, knew thinks were not going to be great when they considered chaining the caravan down
, I am ex RN but boy was it rough, not pleasant for approx the first 10 hrs0 -
We used to leave just after twelfth night but found our travel preparations conflicted with hosting for Christmas and New Year. So we now choose to leave the UK in late January as the weather for the Valencia/Murcia coast starts to warm up in early Feb (although it's a lot better than the UK).
For us, how long to stay for is determined by :
- the EU visa limit of 90 days - you can plan your trips to maximise your time "over there" using the EU visa calculator.
- the unoccupancy limit on our Home Insurance. Ours is 60 days - I know other policies have longer limits, but our policy provides wider cover than most.
- the any one trip limit on our Annual Travel policy (66 days)
As for when to return home, we love our garden and try to return by the end of March in time for the end of the spring bulbs and to get our greenhouse plants and hanging baskets started. If our return to the UK is later than usual, we have even been known to take our tomato seeds with us (with compost and pots as well) and sow them in the warm spanish sunshine.
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Hi, from our recent overwintering way down in the coastal area Desert status region of Northern Almeria we concluded after latest 2020 & 2023 trips we’d now just avoid January and even early February. Both were generally cloudy, some rain and often chilly. France overland was the usual wet, grey & dreary.
Maybe think about arriving late February onwards ??
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Having travelled to Andalusia for wintering for over 20 years - the coastal weather reflects the sea temperatures- about 16 degrees. Sometimes higher, sometimes (if the wind is off the mountains lower. March can be unpredictable- this year locals were complaining of Summer temperatures (25) and it was one of the warmest on record. By contrast March 2022 was colder, cloudier and least sunny for 50 years! But it was still warmer than the UK.
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