Spain in winter

The calendar of big cities like Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Valencia, Seville and Malaga overflow with options. Escape to one or more of them this winter, and as well as sightseeing you'll find infinite possibilities for entertainment, such as a musical at one of the theatres on Madrid’s Gran Vía, a Barça football match in Barcelona, the latest exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, an opera at the Palau des Arts in Valencia, a flamenco show at a “tablao” in Seville, or rediscover the works of Picasso in his birthplace of Malaga with temporary exhibitions at the Picasso Museum. All these cities have international airports and most of them have high-speed train connections.

From the end of November, you can already feel the Christmas atmosphere in Spain. The streets are adorned with lots of lights and decorated Christmas trees, and the squares in many cities are full of markets selling all types of traditional foods and crafts, fairs and ice-skating rinks. If you decide to spend Christmas here, you can have some truly Spanish experiences: seeing enormous nativity scenes, running the famous San Silvestre Vallecana race, eating 12 grapes during the 12 strokes of midnight on 31 December to see out the year (we call New Year’s Eve “Nochevieja”), receiving gifts from the Three Kings on 6 January...and why do we call it “sweet Christmas”? Because sweet treats, such as “turrón”, “polvorones” and marzipan, are an essential part of the festivities.

Why not? St. Valentine’s Day comes around on 14 February and can be an excellent excuse to gift someone a romantic getaway in Spain. What experiences are especially romantic? It depends on what you like, but there are always safe bets, such as a ride in a horse-drawn carriage around the old quarter in Seville, seeing the sun set over the Alhambra in Granada dusted with snow, a night-time stroll by the Royal Palace in Madrid, spending the night in a castle or palace (many Parador Hotels are restored heritage buildings) or curling up by the fire in a country guesthouse or a cosy little hotel in an enchanting village, such as Aínsa, Albarracín, Ronda, etc. There are hundreds of them!

"Spring: is the season of flowers" - that’s what we have always heard since we were little... But this is not entirely true, as two of the most beautiful floral spectacles in Spain take place in winter. The first features hundreds of varieties of camellias in Galicia, filling with colour the gardens of "pazos" or country houses such as the Pazo de Rubiáns (Vilagarcía de Arousa, Pontevedra) and the Pazo de San Lourenzo (Santiago de Compostela, A Coruña). The second is the flowering of thousands of almond trees on the island of Mallorca in early February. This is also a great time to enjoy the Balearic Islands in peace and quiet. Meanwhile, winter still lingers among the snowy peaks of the Pyrenees (in Aragon, Catalonia and Navarre) and Sierra Nevada (in Granada, Andalusia), and in many other places. There are also major ski resorts here where you can enjoy winter sports.