Spain

For inland and southern cities, April and May, then September and October, are easier than the peak of the heat. Madrid has frost, rain and occasional snow from December to February, and 40.7 degrees was recorded in the Retiro on 14 August 2021. Seville’s summer is long, hot and dry, and its winter is milder. Barcelona’s rain is heaviest in autumn and spring, with a short dry spell in summer. Bilbao is wet from October to April, and November is its dampest month. Tenerife’s coasts stay mild in winter and warm in summer, so the islands do not follow the plateau’s calendar.[3,5,4,9,11]Source3. Madrid · Wikipedia5. Seville · Wikipedia4. Barcelona · Wikipedia9. Bilbao · Wikipedia11. Tenerife · Wikipedia

A week can take in Madrid and Toledo, then one southern city, either Seville or Granada. Ten days leave room for Barcelona and for the northern line to Bilbao and La Concha. Tenerife deserves a trip of its own, or three days at the end, because the flight is separate from the mainland trains. High-speed service between Madrid and Seville has run since 1992, and the Madrid–Toledo line since 2005, which shortens the transfer without replacing the time you spend walking inside each city.[31,32,7,11]Source31. AVE · Wikipedia32. High-speed rail in Spain · Wikipedia7. Toledo, Spain · Wikipedia11. Tenerife · Wikipedia

The general price level in 2025 is about 65 percent of the United States level. The figure comes from the purchasing-power conversion factor divided by the official exchange rate, and it measures the whole economy, not a hotel bill or a market meal. The euro is the currency, and the day’s rate appears in the currency field. Tickets for palaces and museums change, and the current price stays on each place’s own site.[51,52,1]Source51. PPP conversion factor, GDP (LCU per international $) · World Bank52. Official exchange rate (LCU per US$, period average) · World Bank1. Spain · Wikipedia

The currency is the euro. Its three-letter code appears in the currency field with the day’s rate. In Madrid, Barcelona, Seville and Bilbao, cards are taken in hotels and in many restaurants and museums. In small markets and some bars, cash is still useful for small amounts, so a few notes beside the card are enough. The converter on this site moves between the euro and your own currency, without a rate fixed in this text.[1,43]Source1. Spain · Wikipedia43. Euro · Wikipedia

High-speed rail is the spine between Madrid and Seville, in service since 1992, with trains reaching 300 kilometres an hour on a network of about 3,973 kilometres. Toledo has been linked to Madrid since 2005 at 250 kilometres an hour, so it does not need an airport. The five airports here are Madrid, Barcelona, Tenerife South, Seville and Bilbao. Tenerife is reached by air. Inside the old cities, walking beats driving: in Toledo, Granada and Seville the streets tighten on the hill or beside the river.[31,32,46,47,50,48,49]Source31. AVE · Wikipedia32. High-speed rail in Spain · Wikipedia46. Madrid–Barajas Airport · Wikipedia47. Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport · Wikipedia50. Tenerife South Airport · Wikipedia48. Seville Airport · Wikipedia49. Bilbao Airport · Wikipedia

It depends on nationality. The consular services page of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs gathers the application links, and the office is chosen according to the country where you live. Open that page before you buy a ticket, because what applies to one traveller does not apply to another, and the practical detail stays with the consulate.[53]Source53. Consular services · Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Spain

If time is short, begin with Madrid and Toledo, then choose either Barcelona on the Mediterranean or Seville and Granada in the southern interior, not both plus a third coast. Bilbao and San Sebastián are one Atlantic shore, wetter and unlike Andalusia. Tenerife is a volcano and an ocean, and it belongs in the plan only if there is a separate flight day. Do not pack the Mediterranean, the north and the Canaries into a single week: the distances eat the days.[3,4,5,9,11]Source3. Madrid · Wikipedia4. Barcelona · Wikipedia5. Seville · Wikipedia9. Bilbao · Wikipedia11. Tenerife · Wikipedia