Best Time To Travel To: Andalusia
Andalusia is the southernmost province of Spain (at least of mainland Europe). Andalusia is also the most populous autonomous community in Spain. It borders Castile-La Mancha, Extremadura, Murcia, Gibraltar and Portugal among others. Undoubtedly the most important for vacationers are the areas along the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
This coastal region stretches for almost 800 kilometers from west to east as Costa Le La Luz (mainly on the Atlantic Ocean) and Costa Del Sol, Costa Tropical and Costa De Almeria on the Mediterranean Sea. In the far west it goes over Marbella to the adjacent Gibraltar. There is the southernmost part of the European mainland, the Strait of Gibraltar is hardly wider than 14 kilometers to Morocco. Two mountainous regions run through Andalusia: the Sierra Morena in the north and the Betic Cordillera with the Sierra Nevada in the south. The latter is interrupted, so to speak, by the basin of the Guadalquivir.
Due to this location, Andalusia scores with a warm and sunny climate. You can expect 320 sunny days a year, the average temperature is about 20 degrees. On the coasts you can enjoy the advantages of the Mediterranean climate: sunny and warm, but always with a pleasant breeze. At higher altitudes you can also enjoy the benefits of the cooler high altitude climate (at lower altitudes a kind of continental climate, at higher altitudes quite alpine climate) plus sun. Only in the flat interior of the country the heat can be challenging especially in high summer. In some cities like Cordoba and Seville peak temperatures in the 40 degree range are not uncommon.
As I said conditions vary and always depend on where you are. Therefore a look at the important regions.
Atlantic coast
We are talking about the Costa de La Luz of Andalusia. The climate is mainly Mediterranean. Summers are warm and sunny, winters tend to be mild. One of the most important cities is Cadiz, so you can use the region's graph as an example. In January we have an average of 12.4°C (minimum temperatures about 10°C, maximum 16°C) and in midsummer 24.5°C (August minimum 22°C, maximum 28°C). The most rain comes down between November and January, the least from June to September.
Atlantic water temperatures are as moderate as expected. The Atlantic takes a long time to warm up from about 15°C starting in January and February. The water is usually warmest in August and September (about 21°C each).
Mediterranean coast
Concerning the Mediterranean coast, one can basically say: it gets warmer from west to east. In the west it is a bit cooler and more humid, towards the east it becomes hotter and drier. Accordingly it behaves with the precipitation tendency: somewhat more in the west and less to the further. In general, even on the Mediterranean coast, it rains most between November and January and least in midsummer (especially July and August).
Accordingly, in terms of locations, we can see that the amount of rainfall decreases when we draw a line from Algeciras on the Strait of Gibraltar through Marbella and Malaga to Nerja and Almeria.
In the center, so to speak at the Costa Del Sol around Malaga, one could speak of a Mediterranean climate similar to the Costa de La Luz. It is coolest with the most rain between November and January, warmest and driest in July and August.
In the eastern part near Granada and Almeria are the coasts of Costa Tropical and Costa de Almeria. Here, too, one could speak of typical Mediterranean conditions, as on the Costa Del Sol, although the further east one goes, the drier it gets. In the north of Almeria there are already the first desert areas with the Desierto De Tabernas.
The water temperatures of the Mediterranean Sea are more moderate the further you go towards the Atlantic Ocean. The reason should be clear: the Atlantic is relatively cool and this water just brings cooler temperatures. Near Malaga, for example, the Mediterranean Sea often has only about 15°C in January and February, similar to the Costa de la Luz. In summer, the Mediterranean Sea can only slightly prevail here, the water usually reaches only 22 to 23°C from July to September and is thus only marginally warmer than on the Costa de la Luz. The further away from the Atlantic and towards the east you get the warmer the water. That makes an average of 2°C more at least in the summer months.
The inland plains
As mentioned above the inland plains have comparatively more extreme conditions than the coast. One of the main reasons is simply the lack of regulation of the sea. Therefore the summers feel much hotter and the winters are cooler (especially at night).
A first example would be Jerez de la Frontera. There it can go into frosty areas at night during the winter months. The coldest months are between November and January (minimum average 5°C, maximum 16°C). Warmest July and August (min. 18, max 33), peak temperatures over 40°C are possible.
A little further inland is Seville, the summers are normally even hotter here (July and August on average min. 20°C, max 36°C with peak temperatures well above 40°C), the winters comparable to those in Jerez. Cordoba can be a bit warmer in summer and a bit colder in winter than Seville.
Hilly and Mountainous Regions (Sierra Morena, Sierra Nevada...)
Basically the same rules apply to these regions as everywhere else. The tendency is: the higher - the cooler. Noticeable here especially from an altitude of about 1,000M above sea level.
Jaén is at an altitude of about 500 meters above sea level. This altitude is not yet sufficient in the region to bring out clear differences from the lowlands and the coast. Winters are mild and only slightly cooler than in many lower elevations. Summers are even very warm to hot; in July, average temperatures of a good 34°C can be expected. The tendency to precipitation is also not extremely high.
Granada, for example, is located at an altitude of about 700 meters. Winters are cooler than in the lower elevations or coastal areas. Summers, however, are surprisingly warm and even hot here, at least during the day - but in return, temperatures drop more significantly during the summer nights than in other areas.
Even at altitudes of 1,000 meters, you can still expect moderate temperatures in Andalusia. The winters here are still relatively mild, the summers at least warm with an average of 29 to 31 °Celsius. As the 'meters rise' you can start to notice changes. From about 1,800 meters it becomes more and more alpine and the Sierra Nevada is relatively snowy at the highest elevations from November to May. It is located in an area with a warm and winter humid climate, the Cordillera also acts as a climatic sheath and has the typical wind phenomena. At noon the uphill wind increases and in combination with humid air leads to clouds or even fog. over the Sierra Nevada it rains down more, the water from up here is important for the regions below.
Conclusion: when is the best travel time for Andalusia
The best time to travel to Andalusia depends mainly on where you want to go and what you want to do. The coastal areas are best in summer, i.e. from about June to mid-September. The summer heat doesn't seem quite so extreme on the coast because of the winds and the water has warmed up to some extent by then. But July and August are also the main tourist season here, i.e. it is very busy then.
The inland plains and the cities located there are by no means a good destination in summer, it is very hot there to say the least. Such city trips, for example to Seville, Jerez or Cordoba, should therefore be planned outside summer. Good travel months would be, for example, March to May and the second half of September to October. It should be noted, however, that especially from Palm Sunday to Pentecost there is usually always a lot going on due to many festivities in the country.
At the higher altitudes, things are generally more relaxed, even though the cooler air only really takes hold here from altitudes of around 1,000 meters. From this point of view, the higher altitudes are well suited for hiking from April to October. If you want to do winter sports, you will usually find decent conditions at the highest altitudes of the Sierra Nevada from November to May.
