Spain · Winter stays
The Canary Islands are the warmest part of Spain in winter: AEMET's averages for December to February give afternoons of 21–22°C and nights of about 15–16°C. On the mainland, Almería is the warmest and sunniest of the cities compared here, with 17.5°C afternoons, 9.0°C nights and 563 hours of sun over the three months, while Málaga is almost as warm by day but has nearly twice as many wet days. Wherever you go, UK and US visitors can stay 90 days in any 180, renting or owning.
Looking at a home in Spain? Four quick questions, then Rory tells you plainly what your budget reaches and whether the timing works.
See what fits →AEMET, Spain's state weather agency, publishes long-term averages for its main stations. The table combines December, January and February, and ranks the stations by their average temperature over those three months.
| AEMET station | Average | Average high | Average low | Hours of sun | Days with 1 mm+ of rain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tenerife South airport | 18.9°C | 22.2°C | 15.6°C | 583 | 7.5 |
| Santa Cruz de Tenerife (city) | 18.6°C | 21.4°C | 15.8°C | 532 | 13.4 |
| Gran Canaria airport, for Las Palmas | 18.4°C | 21.4°C | 15.4°C | 554 | 10.6 |
| Lanzarote airport | 18.0°C | 21.3°C | 14.6°C | 600 | 9.7 |
| Almería airport | 13.2°C | 17.5°C | 9.0°C | 563 | 9.1 |
| Málaga airport | 12.7°C | 17.3°C | 8.2°C | 520 | 17.2 |
| Valencia (city) | 12.3°C | 16.8°C | 7.7°C | 497 | 13.1 |
| Alicante (city) | 12.2°C | 17.4°C | 6.9°C | 525 | 10.4 |
| Seville airport | 11.8°C | 16.9°C | 6.7°C | 526 | 19.4 |
| Murcia (city) | 11.4°C | 17.4°C | 5.5°C | 551 | 11.3 |
Why 1981–2010? AEMET has used 1991–2020 as its reference period since January 2023, but its open 1991–2020 file covers only province and region averages of temperature and rainfall, with no sunshine or rain days, and its station tables still show 1981–2010. Las Palmas is represented by Gran Canaria airport, about 23 km from the city in a straight line, because AEMET's table for its city station carries no data. Towns away from these stations will differ.
The Canaries, by a wide margin. The four island stations average 21–22°C in the afternoon and about 15°C at night: four to five degrees warmer by day than the mainland cities, and six to ten degrees warmer at night. Conditions vary within the islands. Tenerife South airport records 583 hours of sun and 7.5 wet days over the three months, against 532 hours and 13.4 wet days in Santa Cruz, the island's capital, on its north-east coast. Lanzarote airport is the sunniest station in the table, with 600 hours.
On the mainland, Almería leads on almost every measure: the highest average temperature, the mildest nights at 9.0°C, the most sun at 563 hours and the fewest wet days, 9.1. Málaga almost matches its afternoons but has 17.2 wet days and 229 mm of rain over the three months, nearly three times Almería's 79 mm. Alicante gets the least rain of the mainland stations, 70 mm, but its nights average 6.9°C.
Inland and further north, winters are cooler, wetter or duller. Murcia city, inland, has 17.4°C afternoons but the coldest nights in the table, 5.5°C. Seville is the wettest, with 19.4 wet days and 215 mm, and Valencia the least sunny, with 497 hours. For comparison, AEMET's Palma de Mallorca airport station averages 15.6°C by day and 4.4°C at night over the same months, and Madrid's Retiro park 10.6°C and 3.3°C.
Winter changes the flight map. Aena's 2025 figures show Gran Canaria, Tenerife South and Seville busier in December than in August, while the smaller mainland airports shrink: Almería handled 43,303 passengers in December and Región de Murcia 41,284, about a third of its August traffic. Before you settle on a winter base, check the winter timetable from your own nearest airport.
| Airport | December 2025 | August 2025 | December as a share of August |
|---|---|---|---|
| Málaga-Costa del Sol | 1,681,268 | 2,862,342 | 59% |
| Gran Canaria | 1,443,565 | 1,294,008 | 112% |
| Alicante-Elche | 1,318,828 | 2,098,473 | 63% |
| Tenerife South | 1,271,532 | 1,110,732 | 114% |
| Valencia | 893,420 | 1,180,050 | 76% |
| Seville | 815,110 | 774,396 | 105% |
| Lanzarote | 719,629 | 825,886 | 87% |
| Almería | 43,303 | 96,237 | 45% |
| Región de Murcia | 41,284 | 126,560 | 33% |
British and American citizens need no visa for a short stay, which the EU defines as up to 90 days in any 180-day period, counted as one total across Spain and the other countries in its Entry/Exit System. GOV.UK adds that days in other Schengen countries in the previous 180 days count towards the 90, and that overstaying can bring a ban of up to three years.
Spain counts your arrival date as the first day and your departure date as the last. December, January and February therefore add up to exactly 90 days: fly out on 1 December 2026 and home on 28 February 2027 and you use the whole allowance, provided you have spent no other days in the Schengen area since 2 September. The same dates in winter 2027–28 come to 91 days, because February 2028 has 29. A November-to-March winter, 151 days, is far beyond a visitor's limit.
Since 10 April 2026 the Entry/Exit System has been fully operational at every external border, recording each entry and exit. ETIAS, a separate €20 travel authorisation for visa-free visitors, was still not in operation when we checked on 19 October 2026. Our page on the 90/180-day rule has a day counter and worked examples.
Owning a home adds no days. GOV.UK says border officers may ask for proof of address if you are staying in your own property, as well as a return ticket and travel insurance. To stay longer you need residence, such as the non-lucrative visa; days spent in Spain on a residence permit or long-stay visa are not counted in the 90.
The rules on winter lets changed in October 2026. Under Spain's tenancy law as amended by Real Decreto-ley 29/2026, in force since 8 October, a furnished home let to tourists through holiday channels falls under each region's tourism rules and may be let for 31 days at most. A long-stay winter let of more than 31 days, to someone living temporarily away from home, is a temporary housing let, normally for no more than 12 months.
Such a contract must state the real, provable reason the tenant is away from their usual home, and it is the landlord who must prove it. Without that, the law treats the let as an ordinary tenancy of a main home, backdated to the day it was signed. Lets agreed before 8 October keep the old rules, and the same decree adds 10% IVA to most furnished lets of 30 nights or fewer from 1 December 2026.
These rules may not last. Congress repealed an earlier version, Real Decreto-ley 26/2026, on 2 October, and under the Constitution it must vote on this one within 30 days of 6 October. Have an independent lawyer (abogado) read any winter contract before you pay a deposit.
| Renting for the winter | Owning a winter home | |
|---|---|---|
| Days you can spend in Spain | Up to 90 in any 180 | The same; owning adds none |
| What you sign | A tourist let of up to 31 days, or a temporary let stating why you are away from home | A purchase deed, after the taxes and fees of buying |
| Costs while you are away | None once the let ends | IBI, a yearly non-resident tax return, community fees, insurance and utilities |
Owning gives you a home that is ready when you arrive, and bills that carry on when you leave. They are explained on our pages on property taxes and costs and the non-resident tax return, Modelo 210.
If you live in the UK, you winter in Spain as a visitor. A UK GHIC, or an EHIC still in date, gets you medically necessary state treatment as if you were a Spanish citizen, free or at reduced cost. GOV.UK is clear that it is not a substitute for travel insurance: the card pays for neither private treatment nor mountain rescue, nor a flight home. It also warns that some tourist areas may have no public facility nearby, and that some hotels call private doctors who will not accept the card.
Plan regular treatment before you go. Oxygen therapy must be requested in writing from the regional health authority at least a month ahead, and a stay of more than three months, or more than three months' supply, can need a licence for controlled medicines. The S1 form is for people who live in Spain, not for winter visitors; our guide to healthcare for UK pensioners covers both.
Americans should not rely on Medicare: Medicare.gov says it usually does not cover health care while you are travelling outside the US, with some exceptions. Some Medigap policies cover emergency care abroad, and travel insurance does not necessarily include health cover, so read the terms. In an emergency anywhere in Spain, dial 112.
Prices, residents, airports and hospitals for twelve towns are compared in best places to live in Spain, and two coasts have their own guides: Almería and Estepona and Casares. This page explains the weather and the rules as of October 2026; it is not legal, tax, medical or travel advice.
Weighing up a home in Spain?
Rory speaks to every buyer before anyone is introduced: fifteen minutes, your budget and your timing, and a straight answer on whether it fits.
Talk to us about Spain →The Canary Islands. AEMET's 1981–2010 averages for December to February give Tenerife South airport 22.2°C afternoons and 15.6°C nights, with Gran Canaria and Lanzarote close behind. On the mainland, Almería is the warmest of the main cities, at 17.5°C by day and 9.0°C at night, ahead of Málaga, Valencia, Alicante, Seville and Murcia.
On AEMET's averages, Lanzarote airport has the most sunshine of the stations compared, 600 hours from December to February, followed by Tenerife South airport with 583. On the mainland, Almería airport leads with 563 hours and Murcia follows with 551, while Valencia has the least, 497. Any single winter can be sunnier or cloudier than the average.
Only up to 90 days in any 180-day period, a limit that British and American visitors share across the Schengen area. In winter 2026–27, 1 December to 28 February is exactly 90 days if you have had no other Schengen days since 2 September; in 2027–28 the same dates make 91. A longer stay needs a residence visa, and owning a home does not change the limit.
GOV.UK says a GHIC or EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance: the card covers state treatment only, not private care, mountain rescue or being flown home. Americans face a bigger gap, because Medicare usually does not cover care outside the US. If you have a medical condition, GOV.UK advises buying insurance that covers that condition.
Mild by day and cool at night. AEMET's normals for Málaga airport give December-to-February afternoons of 17.3°C and nights of 8.2°C, with 520 hours of sun over the three months. It is wetter than Almería, though, with 17.2 days of at least 1 mm of rain and 229 mm in total, against 9.1 days and 79 mm.
Also in: Deutsch · Nederlands
Last checked 2026-10-19. Rules and rates change; this is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm your own position with an independent Spanish lawyer or tax adviser before you act.