April is an interesting month in Spain’s calendar, with the winter firmly out of the way, and the increasing intensity and strength of the glorious Spanish sun indicating summer is near, but not quite here yet, meaning that as a visitor to Spain, you can go out and enjoy each day to the full, without being burnt to a crisp!
Many people think of Spain’s typical weather as lazy and hazy days under the sun but this vast and diverse European country certainly has its fair share of inclement weather too. Although Spain has around 300 days of sunshine each year, it does rain from time to time, and April is one of the months where you do stand a good chance of getting wet, so if you plan on visiting Spain soon, make sure you take something waterproof, and an umbrella.
We bring you three of my top recommend places to visit in Spain during April.
Madrid
Spain’s vast capital city has plenty to offer the ardent tourist or business traveler during April, and as we said at this time of year, there is a chance of rain, it rarely lasts long and the average temperature in the city is still a mild 15 to 20 degrees.
The experience you will have in the city does largely depend on when you visit because if you arrived in August, you would find an almost deserted city as many of the residents escape the searing heat and take the whole of August off, at the beach!
Why not get a ticket for the metro, Madrid’s version of the underground, and go exploring the city. There are several parks to visit such as the majestic Retiro park, Madrid’s best known public park which spreads out over 120 hectares right in the centre of the city
Not content with that, there are also The Casa de Campo park, Campo del Moro & the Sabatini Gardens, the Quinta & Parque de la Fuente de Berro, The Botanical Gardens, Parque del Oeste, Parque de la Dehesa de la Villa, Parque Enrique Tierno Galván and finally the Monte de El Pardo, all of which can be reached on the tube.
There is great shopping to be had on the Gran Via, Madrid main shopping street too, with lots of little roads and plazas shooting off at the side to find a shady bar to relax with a beer and a tapas, while you watch the world go by.
Spain, apart from the bits of rain here and there, is an ideal place to visit in April.
Valencia
City of Arts, Valencia Spain
Valencia is Spain’s 3rd largest city in terms of area and population and the city has been here since pre roman times, with ancient castles, arches and alleyways to be found everywhere.
Just like Madrid, it has its own tube and tram system so get yourself a travel card when arriving.
The metro starts from the airport itself so getting off the plane and into the centre of the city is a doddle.
Valencia is packed with things to do and see, and of course great shopping too, which can be done at any time of the year, but again, avoid it during August. Quite apart form the sight seeing you can do around town, there are also beach opportunities as Valencia has several to go and spend time on, plus there is the amazing city of arts and sciences, containing 5 different zones, including a 3d cinema and a mini sea world!
If you have a hire car you can go up the A3 motorway only a few kms and spend time and money at “Bon Aire”, one of Europe’s largest shopping malls, which also has a few shops you will recognize such as C and A (yes they still exist here!) and Primark
Girona
Girona Spain
Girona is situated on the far north eastern corner of Spain, under the Pyrenees mountains, abutting with France and it’s a great place to visit at any time of year bar winter which can become snow bound due to the altitude of the terrain.
The cold season in this area of Spain lasts from mid November to the middle of March where it sees the scale drop to about 5 degrees, and often -1 or -2 during January nights, however in April, the warmer weather arrives and an average of around 16 degrees is quite normal, but noticeably fresher than the south of the country.
There are lots of places to visit and things to do in the area at this time such as the sights of central Girona city itself where you can find the wonderful church of Església and Pont de Sant Feliu, a strange shaped church next to a bridge over the river where you will find the statue of Leona de Girona, with rather weirdly, a ladder next to it as people climb up and kiss the statue for luck!
The city also has a well preserved Jewish quarter which dates form before 1492 when the Jews were expelled from Spain. The centre of this quant area is Carrer de la Força where the synagogues used to be however you can still study ion greater detail this wonderful area in the museum of Jewish history here
And my final recommendation for visiting Girona is to climb the stairs of the ancient cathedral, and view the amazing views from the building, spreading out over the town.
Visiting Spain in April is one of the best times to go and despite the fact you may possibly get a bit of rain, it never lasts long and there are plenty of indoor activities in each town and city you may discover.
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