Seasonal travelBy Clever Tourists · Published
October is one of Spain's best months, with one real caveat: Seville still reaches about 26.3°C (79°F), Valencia about 24.6°C (76°F) and Madrid 19.7°C (67°F), crowds have thinned since August, and terraces are pleasant. The caveat is autumn storms. Spain's weather agency AEMET issues warnings for DANA episodes, the cut-off low-pressure systems that bring torrential rain to the Mediterranean coast in autumn, including the Valencia floods of October 2024. We were in Spain from late June to August 2022, so we have not seen October; weather figures are 1991 to 2020 normals (AEMET stations as listed), and holiday dates come from Spanish calendars as noted.
• Weather: warm in the south and east, mild in Madrid, wet in the north, with storm risk on the Mediterranean coast.
• Best for: Andalusia (Seville, Córdoba, Granada), Madrid, Valencia with a flexible plan, and food trips to the Basque Country.
• Crowds: much lighter than summer, except on the 12 October long weekend.
• Prices: shoulder season, generally below August levels.
• Clocks: Spain changes to winter time on Sunday 31 October 2027, so evenings get dark earlier from the next day.
• Skip October if: you need a rigid beach schedule or cannot change plans when a red storm alert is issued.
AEMET 1991 to 2020 normals as listed for each city (Madrid is the Retiro station).
• Seville: highs 26.3°C (79°F), lows 14.9°C (59°F), about 75 mm of rain. October is wetter than May, but the days are warm.
• Valencia: highs 24.6°C (76°F), lows 15.6°C (60°F), about 63 mm. Warm nights; rain can arrive in heavy bursts.
• Barcelona: highs 22.3°C (72°F), lows 14.3°C (58°F), about 82 mm. Pleasant for walking, with showers likely.
• Madrid: highs 19.7°C (67°F), lows 11.1°C (52°F), about 64 mm. Mild by day, cool at night.
• Granada: highs 23.2°C (74°F), lows 8.7°C (48°F), about 40 mm. Cool mornings and evenings.
• San Sebastián: highs 20.9°C (70°F), lows 12.4°C (54°F), about 174 mm and 12 rain days, the wettest of the group by a wide margin.
For the Basque coast pack for rain every day; the food and the covered markets are the reason to be there.
AEMET explains that a DANA (depresión aislada en niveles altos) forms when a pocket of cold air becomes cut off high in the atmosphere. In autumn, when the Mediterranean is still warm, the contrast can produce extreme rain. AEMET issued red warnings across much of Valencia province in October 2024, and again for rain and storms in the south of Valencia and the coast of Murcia in October 2025.
Most October days are fine, but what to do is simple. Check AEMET's warnings (colour-coded yellow, orange, red) each morning if you are on the Mediterranean coast from Valencia to Murcia and Catalonia. Avoid dry riverbeds, ramblas and underpasses in heavy rain, and follow regional civil-protection instructions. During a red alert, official guidance has been to avoid non-essential travel, so keep flexible bookings for rail and coastal stays.
• 12 October (Tuesday): Fiesta Nacional de España, a national holiday. Many shops, museums and offices close or shorten hours, and Spanish families travel, so expect busy trains around the weekend before.
• Pilar festivities: Zaragoza's festival of the Virgen del Pilar centres on 12 October.
• 1 November (Monday): All Saints' Day, a national holiday just after the month ends; some travellers extend a long weekend from 30 October.
There is no major Easter or summer crowd, and Seville's April Feria and Córdoba's May patios are months away.
Our 2022 route covered most of Spain in 60 days, including 4 days in Madrid, 5 in Seville, 4 in Granada, 5 in Barcelona and 4 in Valencia. In October the best fit is south and centre.
• Andalusia: warm enough for sightseeing without the summer furnace. See the Andalusia train itinerary.
• Madrid: museums on wet days, parks on dry ones; see where to stay in Madrid and Madrid day trips.
• Valencia and Barcelona: reasonable in October if you accept the storm risk; see our Spain guide and the Barcelona tourist tax guide.
• Basque Country: wet, green and good for food: Basque Country guide.
For a two-week plan see Spain in 2 weeks, and the 60-day route we followed.
Beyond the 12 October weekend, expect lower demand than in summer. Book the Alhambra and Sagrada Familia early anyway; see the Sagrada Familia guide. For costs, see how much does a trip to Spain cost; tipping is explained in tipping in Spain.
A light waterproof jacket, an umbrella, a sweater for evenings, and shoes with grip for wet stone. In Seville you still want a sun hat and sunscreen in the afternoon. See the Spain packing list. For the spring alternative, see Spain in May; for the whole year, best time to visit Spain.
Yes. Seville reaches about 26°C (79°F), Valencia 25°C (76°F) and Madrid 20°C (67°F), and crowds are lighter than in summer. The risk is heavy autumn rain on the Mediterranean coast.
AEMET's term for a cut-off low-pressure system in the upper atmosphere that can bring torrential rain, most often to the Mediterranean coast in autumn.
Land temperatures are warm in the south and east (Seville 26°C, Valencia 25°C), but rain is more likely than in summer, so treat beach days as a bonus.
Yes. The Fiesta Nacional is a national holiday on Tuesday 12 October 2027, so expect some closures and busy trains around it.
The Basque coast. San Sebastián averages about 174 mm and 12 rain days, compared with 40 to 82 mm in Granada, Madrid and Barcelona.
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