Madrid

Madrid – What you should know

Madrid sits at around 650 metres in the middle of the Meseta — which gives it the most continental climate of any major Spanish city. The range is considerable: 34°C in July against 10°C in January, with winter nights at 2°C. The old saying about "nine months of winter and three of hell" is an exaggeration, but it captures the character better than any Mediterranean cliché.

Summer is dry and glaring: July brings 8 mm across one rain day, with twelve hours of sunshine daily. Anyone arriving in August finds a half-empty city — many Madrileños leave, and numerous restaurants close. For the Prado, the Reina Sofía and the centre that is arguably pleasant; for anything outdoors it is not.

The best months are April, May and October: 19–24°C, long evenings and the terraces open. October is, however, the wettest month of the year at 72 mm — Madrid takes its rain concentrated in autumn and spring. Winter is cold but sunnier than in central Europe; five hours of sunshine in January is more than Munich manages in March.