Best time to visit Madrid: weather month by month and seasons

Madrid can be visited all year round, but the experience changes a great deal from one season to the next. Sitting more than 650 metres above sea level in the middle of the Iberian Peninsula, the Spanish capital has a dry continental climate: very hot summers, cool and sunny winters, and rain concentrated in spring and autumn. This guide uses the official climate normals of the Spanish meteorological agency (AEMET) for the Madrid-Retiro station, then covers each season, the major events and the busiest periods. Dates and price trends are those observed in October 2026.

In short: when should you go to Madrid?

The two best windows are spring, from April to early June, and early autumn, from mid-September to late October. Days are mild, terraces are full and the parks are pleasant. May combines these advantages with the San Isidro festivities, but it is also one of the wettest months of the year and a period of high demand.

July and August are the hottest and driest months: afternoons are best spent in museums or in the shade, and some neighbourhood businesses close in August. Winter, from December to February, is cold in the morning and evening but often bright, with more moderate hotel prices outside the end-of-year holidays.

Madrid's climate month by month

The figures below are the normal climate values published by AEMET for the Madrid-Retiro station (reference period 1981-2010, altitude 667 m). They are averages: a summer heatwave or a winter cold snap can go well beyond them.

Month	Average high	Average low	Rain (mm)	Rainy days	For visitors
January	9.8 °C	2.7 °C	33	5.7	Cold and dry, sales, few crowds
February	12.0 °C	3.7 °C	34	5.2	Cool and bright, low prices
March	16.3 °C	6.2 °C	25	4.1	Milder weather returns, Holy Week in some years
April	18.2 °C	7.7 °C	45	6.7	Spring, showers possible
May	22.2 °C	11.3 °C	50	7.3	San Isidro, high demand
June	28.2 °C	16.1 °C	21	3.4	Hot, long evenings
July	32.1 °C	19.0 °C	12	1.7	Hottest month, Pride
August	31.3 °C	18.8 °C	10	1.7	Heat, quieter city, neighbourhood festivals
September	26.4 °C	15.4 °C	22	3.3	Still hot, moderate crowds
October	19.4 °C	10.7 °C	60	6.9	Mild, wettest month
November	13.5 °C	6.3 °C	58	6.5	Autumn, colours in the parks
December	10.0 °C	3.6 °C	51	6.8	Christmas market, lights

Source: AEMET, normal values for Madrid-Retiro; rainy days = days with at least 1 mm. Dates and trends observed in October 2026.

Over the year, the station receives only 421 mm of rain and averages 3.6 days of snow. In July, average relative humidity drops to 38%: the heat is dry, which makes it more bearable than on the coast, but dehydration sets in quickly.

Spring (March to May): the most pleasant season

Spring is the ideal season for walking around the historic centre, sitting on a terrace and enjoying the parks in bloom. Average highs rise from 16 °C in March to 22 °C in May, but evenings stay cool: bring a jacket. April and May are wetter than winter, with showers that are often short; keep a few ideas for sightseeing out of the rain in mind.

Holy Week is a holiday period for Spaniards, with processions in the centre and many visitors. In 2027, it runs from Palm Sunday, 21 March, to Easter Sunday, 28 March.

In mid-May, the city celebrates its patron saint. The San Isidro festivities took place from 7 to 17 May in 2026, with the local public holiday on 15 May: free concerts at the Pradera de San Isidro, on Plaza Mayor and at Las Vistillas, chotis dancing, traditional costumes and fireworks. The San Isidro bullfighting season at Las Ventas bullring runs for several weeks around these dates.

Summer (June to August): heat, festivals and closures

June is still pleasant, with long evenings and an average high of 28 °C. In July and August, average highs exceed 31 °C and lows stay close to 19 °C: nights bring little relief. The sun shines for an average of 355 hours in July, the sunniest month of the year.

Planning your days in the heat

Visit monuments and parks early in the morning, and keep the afternoon for air-conditioned museums.
Go out in the evening, like the locals: terraces fill up after 9 pm.
Carry a water bottle; Madrid's tap water is safe to drink.
Check that your hotel has air conditioning, especially in the old buildings of the centre.

Pride, the highlight of July

Madrid Pride (MADO) took place from 25 June to 5 July in 2026, with free stages in Chueca, at Puerta del Sol and on Plaza de España, and the big march on Saturday 4 July between Atocha and Colón. It is one of the busiest weeks of the year: central hotels are booked well in advance and their prices soar.

August: a quieter city

In August, many Madrileños go on holiday. Some bars, family restaurants and small shops close for part of the month, with a simple "cerrado por vacaciones" sign on the door. The major museums, monuments and tourist businesses stay open. Traffic flows more easily and hotels are often cheaper than in spring.

August is also the month of the popular festivals in the centre: in 2026, San Cayetano, San Lorenzo and the Virgen de la Paloma followed one another from early to mid-August around El Rastro, Lavapiés and La Latina, with free concerts and verbenas (street parties). The Veranos de la Villa festival offered concerts, dance and open-air cinema in 14 districts from 7 July to 29 August 2026.

Autumn (September to November): mild weather and colours

September keeps its summer heat, with an average high of 26 °C, but the city returns to its usual rhythm and crowds thin out. October is mild, around 19 °C in the afternoon, and statistically the wettest month (60 mm). In November, the plane trees and horse chestnuts of the Retiro change colour, and evenings turn cold.

A few events mark the season: the military parade for the national day on 12 October, the Transhumance Festival, on a Sunday in October, when flocks of sheep cross the centre, and the feast of the Virgin of La Almudena, the city's patron, on 9 November.

Winter (December to February): dry cold and year-end festivities

Retiro Park under snow

Madrid's winter is cold but often sunny. Highs hover around 10 to 12 °C, lows approach 3 °C in January, and there are on average about fifteen days of frost a year. Snow remains rare in the city, with a few days a year on average, although heavy snowfalls sometimes occur, as during Storm Filomena in January 2021.

Christmas, New Year and the Three Kings

The Christmas market on Plaza Mayor

The end-of-year holidays are winter's high season. The Plaza Mayor Christmas market opens from late November to 31 December 2026 (the city has not yet announced the opening day), the streets of the centre light up, and on 31 December crowds pack Puerta del Sol for the twelve chimes of midnight. On the evening of 5 January, the Three Kings parade crosses the centre. All the details are in our Christmas in Madrid page.

After Three Kings, January and February are the quietest months: less crowded museums, winter sales and lower hotel prices, except during the big trade fairs at the IFEMA exhibition centre, such as FITUR, the tourism fair held in January.

Crowds and hotel prices by period

Hotel prices follow demand more than the weather. They rise in spring, during Holy Week, around San Isidro, during Pride week, over the December long weekend (6 and 8 December) and between Christmas and New Year. Major conferences and fairs at IFEMA, as well as big concerts and matches, also push rates up for a few days.

Conversely, January, February and August are the most affordable periods. Book early if your dates coincide with a major event, and compare several neighbourhoods: the centre is the most convenient, but also the most in demand.